Senate Democrats Push 40 Bills as Part of Manufacturing Campaign, Includes CHB 'Customer Rules' Bill
Sens. Chris Coons, D-Del., Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., and 20 other Senate Democrats launched the Manufacturing Jobs for America initiative on Oct. 29, a campaign designed to push forward 40 trade-related bills (here). Among the bills is the FAIR Enforcement Against Duty Evasion Act. The legislation, yet to be introduced in this Congress, would create “know your customer” rules for customs brokers, implement improvements to the importer record database, and permanently eliminate the AD “bonding-in-lieu” provision for new shippers. Senator Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., last introduced the legislation in 2011 (see 11092222).
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The Manufacturing Jobs for America initiative broadly aims to open markets abroad, create conditions to increase manufacturing growth, strengthen the U.S. workforce and expand access to capital, said a statement released by Coons’ press office (here). “Manufacturing can power our economic recovery, but Congress needs to do its part to see that potential realized,” said Coons. Industry groups, including the National Association of Manufacturers and the Alliance for American Manufacturing, expressed support for the initiative. “Manufacturers face a stunning 20 percent cost disadvantage when compared to our major international trading partners, and that figure does not include labor costs,” said President and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers, Jay Timmons, in an Oct. 24 statement that commended the initiative ahead of its launch (here). “The manufacturing sector is still struggling to recover from the 2.3 million jobs lost during the difficult recession of 2008 and 2009.”
The initiative will encourage progress on other notable pieces of legislation, such as American Export Promotion Act of 2013, H.R. 1420 (here), a bill that would authorize appropriations for the Manufacturing and Services unit of the International Trade Administration (ITA). The Rebuild American Manufacturing Act of 2013, S. 544 (here), would require the president to develop a national manufacturing strategy.