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Bipartisan Senate Group Reintroduces the Affordable Footwear Act

Sens. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Roy Blunt, R-Mo., reintroduced on Oct. 31 the Affordable Footwear Act, S. 1633, along with a bipartisan group of six additional Senate co-sponsors. Cantwell has previously introduced Affordable Footwear Act legislation (here), most recently in…

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2011 (see 11052725). The bill eliminates a "hidden, regressive tax" on low-priced children’s footwear and some hiking boots that costs U.S. industry $800 million in duties, said the Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America (FDRA) in an Oct. 31 statement (here). “Unlike many other issues on Congress’s radar, the Affordable Footwear Act has broad bipartisan support and is non-controversial,” said FDRA President Matt Priest in the statement. “We are hopeful that this bill can be included in a trade package before the end of 2013.” Lawmakers and industry leaders have expressed support for the passage of an omnibus trade package in the coming months (see 13081212).