Industry, Hopeful for Swift CBP Reauthorization, Interested in Removing AD/CV Language From Bills
Eager for a CBP reauthorization bill to materialize this year, some stakeholders are pushing for a solution to the sole difference between the competing bills introduced last session, said industry executives. Those two House bills -- the Republicans' HR-6642 and the Democrats' HR-6656 -- differ solely in how they would address antidumping and countervailing duty underpayment and evasion. Those differences have largely stalled movement on customs legislation in this session and the previous session.
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There is industry interest in splitting that language from the bill with the hope it will propel the remainder, which enjoys broad support, through Congress, said Jon Kent, a lobbyist who represents the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association. “There’s very broad bipartisan support for a lot of the measures in the bills,” said another industry source. “This issue seems to be the only sticking point.” Pushing the AD/CVD issue aside for now will allow all the good parts of the customs bill to move forward, the source said.
“We would really hate to see any disagreements on Title III [AD/CVD section] detract from the common ground struck in the other 98 percent of the bill,” said Nasim Deylami, manager of Customs and Trade Facilitation at the U.S. Council for International Business. “We would like to see the parties reach a speedy agreement that strikes a balance between trade facilitation and enforcement in Title III, or alternatively, to remove Title III from customs reauthorization process. We should not let this opportunity to achieve a long awaited customs reauthorization bill slip away.” The Republican bill borrows language addressing AD/CVD underpayment and evasion from a 2012 bill introduced by Rep. Charles Boustany, R-La. (here). The Democrat’s version uses language from the 2011 Enforcing Orders and Reducing Customs Evasion Act (here). See 13030603 for more on CBP reauthorization legislation. -- Jessica Arriens