The House Ways and Means Committee has announced that on July 7, 2011 it will be holding a “mock” mark-up of the draft implementing bills for the South Korea, Colombia, and Panama Free Trade Agreements, that include retroactive renewal of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), Andean Trade Preference Act (ATPA)/Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act (ATPDEA) through July 31, 2013, but not renewal of Trade Adjustment Assistance.
The Senate Finance Committee has posted the draft bills and Statements of Administrative Action from its canceled “mock” mark-up of the draft implementing bills for the South Korea, Colombia, and Panama Free Trade Agreements, which include provisions for retroactive renewal of GSP, ATPA/ATPDEA and TAA. The Committee has also posted information on the 97 amendments to the draft implementing bills that had been filed prior to the scheduled commencement of the “mock” mark up
The Senate Finance Committee’s “mock” mark-up of the draft implementing bills for the South Korea, Colombia, and Panama Free Trade Agreements, which include renewal of the Generalized System of Preferences, Andean Trade Preferences Act/Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act, and Trade Adjustment Assistance, was canceled due to a lack of a quorum (which requires the presence of at least one Member of each party). The mark-up could not be held because all of the Republican Senators on the Committee boycotted the mark-up.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has posted several documents regarding the announcement by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Baucus (D) to hold informal or “mock mark-ups” for three separate draft implementing bills for pending U.S. free trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama. Kirk welcomed this announcement and added his strong support for the inclusion of Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) and renewal of the expired trade preference programs (GSP and ATPDEA1) in two of the draft FTA implementing bills.
During a June 29, 2011 press conference, the President called on Congress to advance the pending free trade agreements as a way to help create jobs. The President stated that he thinks the FTAs are important and should be passed in order to “allow American businesses to sell more of their goods and services to countries in Asia and South America - agreements that would support tens of thousands of American jobs while helping those adversely affected by trade.”
The International Trade Commission has posted the July 1, 2011 Harmonized Tariff Schedule (Revision 1) to its website. Changes were made as a result of the 484(f) Committee, Presidential Proclamation 8682, and the U.S. termination of all 100% duties in the EU beef hormone dispute.
Senator Baucus (D), Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, has announced that on June 30, 2011, the Committee will hold a “mock” mark-up of the draft implementing bills for the South Korea, Colombia, and Panama Free Trade Agreements, that include renewal of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), Andean Trade Preferences Act (ATPA)/Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act (ATPDEA), and Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA).
The International Trade Commission has issued a final report in connection with its investigation of proposed 2012 WCO-recommended modifications to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, pursuant to section 1205 of the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 19881. This is Part 7 of a series of summaries of these proposed modifications, and covers changes to Chapters 64-96.
The European Union issued the following trade-related releases on June 15, 2011 (notices of most significance will be given separate headlines):
The International Trade Commission has issued a final report in connection with its investigation of proposed 2012 WCO-recommended modifications to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the U.S., pursuant to section 1205 of the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 19881. This is Part 5 of a series of summaries of these proposed modifications, and covers changes to Chapters 25-38.