Although the House passed H.R. 6517, a bill to extend the Generalized System of Preferences program and the Andean Trade Preferences Act/Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act, implement hundreds of duty suspensions and reductions, etc., on December 15, 2010, opposition has to this point prevented the Senate from moving forward with H.R. 6517.
Sources at the International Trade Commission expect that the 2011 Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the U.S., which is effective January 1, 2011, will be posted to the ITC web site on December 29, 2010.
The Department of Labor has published its ninth annual report on its Findings of the Worst Forms of Child Labor for 2009, in accordance with the Trade and Development Act of 2000 (TDA).
Senator Baucus (D), Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued a statement calling for swift Senate passage of the Omnibus Trade Act of 2010, which would extend the Generalized System of Preferences program and Andean Trade Preferences Act/Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act, implement hundreds of duty suspensions and reductions, etc. The House passed H.R. 6517 on December 15, 2010.
According to various press reports, Senator Sessions (R) has placed a “hold”1 on H.R. 6517, the House-passed measure to extend the Generalized System of Preferences program and the Andean Trade Preferences Act/Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act, implement hundreds of duty suspensions and reductions, etc., due to his opposition to GSP duty-free benefits for sleeping bags.
On December 15, 2010, the House passed the Omnibus Trade Act of 2010 (H.R. 6517), by voice vote.
On December 15, 2010, the House passed H.R. 6517, the Omnibus Trade Act of 2010, as amended, by voice vote. As introduced, H.R. 6517 contained provisions to extend the Generalized System of Preferences program and Andean Trade Preferences Act/Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act (ATPA/ATPDEA). The measure, as introduced, also contained a second Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB).
On December 13, 2010, Representative Levin (D), Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, introduced the Omnibus Trade Act of 2010 (H.R. 6517).
On December 7, 2010, Representative Brady (R), current Ranking Member of the House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee (and likely incoming Subcommittee Chairman) addressed the Chamber of Commerce’s "North American Competitiveness and the Global Supply Chain” Summit, focusing on pending free trade agreements and expiring preference programs.
The Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program (i.e., A, A*, and A+) for most beneficiary countries, i.e., other than those listed as African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) beneficiary countries, will expire on December 31, 2010, unless a law extending it is enacted.