Legislative Update: Senate Looks to Food Safety, Sponsors Seek to Move China Bill

(World Trade Interactive)

A number of trade-related measures are currently working their way through the legislative process. A bill to overhaul the U.S. food safety system could come up for a vote in the Senate by the end of this month. Standing in the way is a financial reform bill that includes a provision that could increase enforcement efforts against violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. And supporters of legislation addressing the value of China’s currency are looking to add it to another bill moving through Congress, possibly a jobs bill lawmakers could take up later this summer.

Food Safety:
Senate leaders, including Majority Leader Harry Reid and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Tom Harkin, continue to say they are working to have the Senate approve a food safety reform bill by the end of May.

China:
Supporters of legislative action against China’s alleged manipulation of the value of its currency say they remain intent on sending a measure to the president this year and that they are searching for an appropriate legislative vehicle. According to Inside US Trade, one such measure could be an upcoming bill to increase domestic employment. Other options are being discussed as well.

Free-Trade Agreements:
There continues to be little movement on the pending FTAs with Korea, Colombia and Panama, and there appear to be few prospects for action in the near future. Inside US Trade cited informed sources as saying that House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Sander Levin told Colombian Trade Minister Luis Plata recently that over the last four years Colombia has made “no progress” in improving its labor rights situation, the key issue that has held up consideration of the Colombia FTA in Congress. The White House, meanwhile, has still given Colombia no indication of the benchmarks it should meet to help move the FTA forward.

There have been sporadic reports that Congress could take up the Panama FTA after the elections in November. According to CongressDaily, Panamanian ambassador to the U.S. Jaime Aleman said recently that his country is working to address U.S. lawmakers’ outstanding concerns so that a vote could take place at that time. “We have made substantial movement on the labor front,” the article quoted Aleman as saying, “and we have implemented or are in the process of implementing all of the changes” needed to remove Panama from a list of tax havens maintained by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Read the complete article at WTA here.