MTB Process Reform Legislation Introduced in Senate, 'Mirrors' House Bill
Senate Finance Committee leaders introduced companion miscellaneous tariff bill (MTB) process reform legislation (here), said the committee on April 13 (here). The Senate bill tracks closely with legislation introduced the same day in the House (see 1604130047) and tasks the International Trade Commission with initially reviewing petitions for eligibility and with proposing products to receive tariff benefits, before sending its product recommendations to Congress for an approval/disapproval vote.
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The process reforms are hoped to avoid claims of earmarking, which are banned in the House and has prevented MTB movement in recent years. “Getting Congressional leadership to fully abandon earmarking in all its forms has been a long slog,” said co-sponsor Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo. “But leaders on the Finance Committee and in the U.S. House have finally embraced this bipartisan plan to give American companies the level playing field they need to compete in the global market. Small businesses seeking tariff relief should be able to access that relief in a transparent, streamlined way that’s based solely on merit—and that’s something folks on both sides of the aisle can get behind.”
Co-sponsored by eight senators, including Senate Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., the American Manufacturing Competitiveness Act of 2016 "mirrors" the same-titled House legislation, said the Senate Committee. Both versions of the bill would require ITC to publish a Federal Register notice no later than Oct. 15, 2016, and Oct. 15, 2019, seeking proposals from people and companies who can demonstrate eligibility for duty suspensions or reductions, to submit to the ITC relevant petitions and disclosure forms within 60 days. According to the bill, petitions should include, "to the extent available," a CBP classification ruling on the material, a copy of a CBP entry summary indicating U.S. Harmonized Tariff Schedule classification of it, and a five-year forecast of the value of any imported materials, among other things. Congress should work quickly "and jointly to pass a new MTB process that allows each chamber to set up MTB processes consistent with their rules," said William Allmond, vice president of Government and Public Relations at the Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates, in a news release. (here).
Meanwhile, the Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee considered the issue during an MTB hearing on April 14 (here). Scheduled to testify were Glen Raven CEO Leib Oehmig (here), Karsten Manufacturing Corporate Counsel Dawn Grove (here), Nation Ford Chemical Production Manager Brooke DiDomenico (here), and W. L. Gore & Associates Global Leader for GORE-TEX Footwear Innovation Matthew Schreiner (here), according to the committee.