Hatch-Wyden Bill Promotes Trade Facilitation; Bolsters U.S. Trade Enforcement

Bipartisan Measure Facilitates the Legitimate Trade of Goods and Combats Violations of U.S. Trade Laws

WASHINGTON – Today, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) announced bipartisan trade legislation to strengthen trade enforcement efforts at the border and to streamline legal trade in goods.

The Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 modernizes Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to buttress enforcement of trade laws and identity and interdict counterfeit and other imports that infringe intellectual property rights in order to protect American jobs, safety, and innovation. The measure also aims to facilitate legitimate trade so that goods can move more efficiently over the border.

“Recognizing the new challenges of a 21^st century global economy, this legislation ensures trade facilitation and enforcement are a top priority for CBP,” said Hatch. “It puts in place the right tools to keep out pirated and counterfeit products that threaten American innovation, and the health and safety of the American people. The bill also helps bolster American exports by ensuring other countries comply with U.S. trade laws and protect intellectual property rights. This is yet another bipartisan bill that will help advance America’s trade agenda and create better jobs and a stronger economy at home.”

"This legislation will improve trade facilitation at America’s points of entry, while including meaningful new measures to protect American manufacturers and workers by ensuring that anti-dumping and countervailing duties (AD/CVD) are actually collected. I’m pleased that this bill includes the bipartisan ENFORCE Act while, at the same time, we are working with our House counterparts to strengthen and improve our approach to AD/CVD enforcement,” Wyden said. “Importantly, this legislation creates a new framework for how the administration will prioritize the nation’s approach to trade enforcement and remain engaged and accountable to the Congress and American workers for addressing these priorities.  It is difficult to see how new trade agreements can pass the Congress unless it has confidence that past trade agreements — and the nation’s trade remedy laws — are enforced to the fullest extent possible."

The Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over international trade, is expected to markup the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 on Wednesday, April 22^nd. 

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