03/09/2012

Legislative News from the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM)

March 2012

Senate Transportation Bill Moves Forward with Key Manufacturing Amendments

The Senate reached a long-awaited agreement to move its transportation bill, Moving Ahead Progress for the 21st Century (S. 1813), last week. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) hammered out the details late on Wednesday, March 7, and agreed upon 30 amendments that will be under consideration on Thursday, March 8. Final legislation could be concluded later this week.

In the House, Republican leaders are now pressing ahead with their four-and-a-half year version of a surface transportation authorization following several days of behind-the-scenes twists and turns concerning the future direction of the legislation. In a move to achieve needed support, Republicans have returned to financing the Mass Transit Account from the Highway Trust Fund.

Legislation Levels the Playing Field for Manufacturers

Last week, Congress passed NAM-supported legislation clarifying that the Department of Commerce (DOC) has the authority to apply U.S. countervailing duty statutes to imports from non-market economies such as China and Vietnam. This fixed a court decision that, in the absence of legislation, would have forced the DOC to discontinue applying countervailing duties to non-market economies, leaving manufacturers exposed to subsidized imports from China.

The Senate approved the legislation by unanimous consent on Monday, March 5, and the House passed the legislation on Tuesday, March 6, by a vote of 370-39. The NAM figured very prominently in the campaign for the vote, with the House Ways and Means Committee posting the NAM’s statement of support on its website and widely promoting the NAM’s key vote letter. The legislation is a major win for manufacturers in terms of removing foreign government distortions and ensuring trade takes place on a market-oriented basis.