Hatch, Wyden, Brady, Neal Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Miscellaneous Tariff Bill

WASHINGTON –Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas) and Ranking Member Richard Neal (D-Mass.) today introduced the bipartisan, bicameral Miscellaneous Tariff Bill Act of 2017 (MTB) (H.R. 4318). After reviewing the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC)’s final report to Congress, the lawmakers have prepared this legislation to implement the ITC’s recommendations.

“We are pleased to introduce the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill Act of 2017 (MTB), a bipartisan bill to empower American manufacturers to compete effectively around the world, create new jobs at home, and grow our economy. This legislation is based on recommendations provided to Congress by the independent and nonpartisan International Trade Commission (ITC) after a transparent and open process established through legislation to comply with our rules.

“Congress designed the MTB to address the problem faced by many American manufacturers who require certain inputs that simply are not made in the United States. Requiring those manufacturers to pay tariffs for such inputs increases their manufacturing costs and makes them less competitive internationally. The MTB will temporarily suspend or reduce these burdensome tariffs.

“The Committees appreciate the tremendous amount of time and resources that the Department of Commerce (DOC), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and, especially, the ITC dedicated to the MTB. We look forward to moving swiftly on this legislation to deliver much-needed tariff relief to American manufacturers this year.”

Background:

Last year, Congress overwhelmingly passed the bipartisan American Manufacturing Competitiveness Act of 2016 (AMCA) to establish an open and transparent process for consideration of the MTB. Pursuant to the AMCA, American businesses were able to petition for tariff relief from the ITC. The ITC then determined whether each petition met the requirements of the AMCA, including the requirement that there be no domestic producer of a like product who objects to the tariff reduction or suspension at issue.

In August, the ITC, with input from DOC and CBP, provided a final report to Congress that included recommendations concerning more than 2,500 petitions. The ITC recommended that more than 1,800 of the petitions be included in MTB legislation to be considered by Congress.

The Committees have reviewed the ITC’s final report and prepared this legislation to implement the ITC’s recommendations. Pursuant to the AMCA, Congress may not include products that were not recommended by the ITC, and only non-controversial provisions will be included in the MTB.

CLICK HERE to view the ITC’s final report.

CLICK HERE to view the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill Act of 2017 (H.R. 4318).

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