For more information on pursuing trade policy interests through the legislative process, please contact Nicole Bivens Collinson at (202) 730-4956 or via email.
Tariffs. H.J. Res. 134 (introduced Dec. 12 by Rep. Ross, D-N.C.) would terminate the national emergency declared to impose tariffs on articles imported from India.
H.R. 6619 (introduced Dec. 11 by Rep. Case, D-Hawaii) would authorize preferential treatment for certain imports from the Pacific Islands.
Trade preferences. The House Ways and Means Committee approved Dec. 10 legislation that would reauthorize through Dec. 31, 2028, the African Growth and Opportunity Act (H.R. 6500) and the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity Through Partnership Encouragement (HOPE) Act and the Haiti Economic Lift Program Act (H.R. 6504).
Exports. The Biological IP Protection Act (S. 3452, introduced Dec. 11 by Sens. Cotton, R-Ark., and Hassan, D-N.H.; and H.R. 6624, introduced Dec. 11 by Reps. Davidson, R-Ohio, and Houlahan, D-Pa.) would restrict exports of U.S. intellectual property and sensitive information related to synthetic biology. This bill would (1) require a license before the export, reexport, or in-country transfer of a designed synthetic DNA sequence to a foreign entity of concern, like China or Russia, and (2) allow exemptions to ensure individuals can continue to conduct fundamental research, teach courses, or publish academic work.
Critical minerals. The Critical Minerals Trade Security Act (H.R. 6659, introduced Dec. 11 by Rep. Moore, R.N.C.) would establish within the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative a chief critical minerals negotiator charged with (1) coordinating a national strategy on critical minerals, (2) negotiating and enforcing trade agreements focused on securing stable and fair mineral supply chains, (3) identifying and addressing unfair or coercive trade practices that pose risks to U.S. economic and national security, and (4) reporting annually to Congress on global supply chain vulnerabilities and appropriate U.S. responses.
Digital trade. The Digital Trade Promotion Act (S. 3399, introduced Dec. 9 by Sens. Young, R-Ind., and Coons, D-Del.) would authorize the president to negotiate, enter into, and enforce digital trade agreements with trusted partners that meet specified rule-of-law, openness, and intellectual property protections. Any such agreement would have to cover all sectors and include key negotiating priorities, including nondiscrimination for digital goods and services, bans on discriminatory digital taxes and data localization, free cross-border data flows, strong protections for source code and algorithms, interoperable privacy and consumer protections, cooperation on artificial intelligence and emerging technology, cybersecurity cooperation, and support for open, voluntary international standards. The bill would establish congressional oversight of digital trade agreements, with advance notice, consultation during negotiations, a pre-signing report, and a defined review window in which Congress can block an agreement. Finally, the bill would require ongoing monitoring of partner compliance and provide tools for responding to violations, including suspending or withdrawing agreement benefits, negotiating corrective and compensatory arrangements, or taking other actions to push partners back into compliance.
IPR. The House Ways and Means Committee approved Dec. 10 legislation (H.R. 4930) that would (1) give U.S. Customs and Border Protection explicit authority to share key information with relevant private-sector stakeholders when a shipment contains suspected counterfeit or pirated products, (2) expand the range of information that CBP is allowed to share, including images of the product and packaging of a suspected counterfeit product, and (3) allow CBP to share information with a range of parties who may be affected by the importation of illicit goods and may help CBP in determining whether the shipment is legitimate, including rights holders, ecommerce retailers, and shipping companies.
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