House Approves AGOA Third-Party Fabric, Burmese Import Restriction Bill

The House of Representatives approved a bill Aug.2 that would renew import restrictions from Burma and extend a Third-Country Fabric (TCF) provision that allows African countries to use third-country fabric and then export that into the U.S. A House summary of the bill is (here). Senate leadership said it would also consider legislation Aug. 2

House Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.) voiced his support for the approval. “This important legislation will strengthen U.S. global competitiveness and trade leadership," he said. "Today’s vote to extend certain AGOA provisions and add South Sudan as an eligible beneficiary demonstrates the bipartisan dedication of this Congress to sub-Saharan Africa and reaffirms the success of the AGOA program. The technical corrections to CAFTA-DR encourage deeper integration within the region, promote U.S. exports, and support U.S. jobs. These two provisions will strengthen our ties with U.S. trading partners in Africa and the Western Hemisphere and support U.S. jobs and the U.S. economy.

The bill also extends the President’s authority to maintain the import ban on Burmese products for three years and authorizes the actual imposition of import sanctions for one year.

The Senate floor schedule is (here).

(See ITT's Online Archives 12071912 for summary of the Senate bill (S-3326). See ITT's Online Archives 12072420 for summary of the House bill (HR-5986).