{"bills":[{"photos":{"featured":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/hr644-114/featured_trade-facilitation-and-trade-enforcement-act-of-2015-1454547142.jpg","featured_large":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/hr644-114/featured_large_trade-facilitation-and-trade-enforcement-act-of-2015-1454547142.jpg","shareable":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/hr644-114.png"},"introduced_on":"2015-02-02","title_override":"If TPP and Other Trade Agreements Pass, Does the U.S. Need a Plan for Enforcing the Rules?","summary_override":"

This used to be the \"Fighting Hunger Incentive Tax Act\", introduced in the House to create a permanent tax deduction for companies who make donations to nonprofits that work on reducing hunger. The bill made it through committee, and passed the House in a 279 - 137 vote — and then was brought to the Senate where it was co-opted as the legislative vehicle for something completely unrelated. Through the Senate amendment process, this bill is now the \"Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015,\" (related to H.R. 1907), providing authority to enforce trade agreements.

In its current form, this bill aims to ensure that U.S. officials have the authority to enforce \ntrade agreements with other countries. The bill passed the Senate in May 2015 on a 78 - 20 vote, and is now waiting for a House vote to resolve the differences.

This bill would create guidelines for how to enforce free trade agreements addressing health and \nsafety regulations, intellectual property rights, and not letting other \ncountries get away with shirking antidumping and countervailing duty\n orders . (Antidumping laws prevent foreign competitors from flooding the\n market with underpriced goods. Countervailing duty orders are basically\n fees that cancel out an imported good that was subsidized by a foreign \ngovernment.)

Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) and Immigration and \nCustoms Enforcement (ICE) would be directed to train their \nofficers on how to enforce trade agreements. These agencies would \nsend an annual strategic plan to Congress on trade facilitation and \nenforcement. When creating the plan, they would be able to ask advice \nfrom federal agencies, international organizations, and private sector \norganizations in developing the strategic plan.

Protocols \nwould be created and taught to CPB personnel for detecting the \ninfringement of intellectual property on cargo imported into the U.S.

There\n are also a number of miscellaneous provisions in this bill, like: An \nimport broker who is found guilty of conspiring to or committing an act \nof terrorism would lose their license (among other things, we're sure).

Also, a loophole\n allowing the U.S. to accept imports from other countries that were \nclearly created with forced or indentured labor would be closed. \nBasically, no more goods from other countries created with labor that \ndoesn't meet human rights standards.

The importance of the \nU.S.-Israel trade relationship would also be emphasized, and the U.S. \nwould discourage foreign countries from boycotting, divesting, or \nsanctioning Israel. The President would be required to report instances \nof politically-motivated instances of these actions to Congress.

","official_title":"An act to reauthorize trade facilitation and trade enforcement functions and activities, and for other purposes.","short_title":"Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015","popular_title":null,"short_summary":"(This measure has not been amended since the Conference Report was filed in the House on December 9, 2015. The summary of that version is repeated here.)\n\nTrade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 \n\nTITLE I--TRADE FACILITATION AND TRADE ENFORCEMENT\n\n(Sec. 101) This bill directs the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to ensure that CBP partnership programs, such as the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, provide trade benefits to importers, exporters, and certain other private sector entities that meet program requirements.\n\n(Sec. 102) The Government Accountability Office (GAO) shall report to Congress on the effectiveness of CBP enforcement of U.S. customs and trade laws (trade enforcement).\n\n(Sec. 103) CBP shall establish priorities and performance standards to measure levels of achievement of customs modernization, the movement of merchandise into and out of the United States (trade facilitation), and trade enforcement functions and programs.\n\n(Sec. 104) The ...","summarized":true,"cost":null,"cost_commentary":"A CBO cost estimate is unavailable. ","impact":"U.S. workers, their employers, all businesses and organizations importing goods into the U.S., CBP, ICE, DHS, other related federal agencies. ","argument_for":"Trade agreements need strong enforcement provisions to keep other countries from breaking the rules of the deal. These will help protect American workers from unscrupulous competition. ","argument_against":"Politicians should be more worried about how many jobs the U.S. is going to lose with these trade agreements than how they can keep other countries from finding clever ways to dodge the trade rules. 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If TPP and Other Trade Agreements Pass, Does the U.S. Need a Plan for Enforcing the Rules?