Wednesday, May 30, 2012

U.S. Trade Promotion Legislation Co-authored By Manzullo Heads To Senate For Approval

The U.S. House of Representatives tonight unanimously approved legislation designed to strengthen U.S. trade promotion efforts to help American companies sell more of their goods overseas and create more American jobs.

The Export Promotion Reform Act (H.R. 4041) would integrate the Administration’s export promotion agenda by giving the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee budget review authority over the numerous export promotion programs managed by the Administration.


The bill would also deploy U.S. Commercial Service personnel and budgets to help U.S. firms win sales in the markets with the best opportunities.  H.R. 4041 requires performance assessments of the effectiveness of our embassies in carrying out commercial diplomacy and helping U.S. exporters. The legislation, co-authored by U.S. Reps. Howard Berman (D-CA) and Don Manzullo (R-IL), now heads to the Senate for consideration.


“Currently, each trade promotion agency submits its budget to the President and is judged on its own,” Manzullo said. “The Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee should be able to review each agency budget first and determine how it fits in with other export promotion programs to implement the trade promotion agenda of the Administration. The TPCC could then recommend to the President an integrated trade promotion budget that works most efficiently on behalf of U.S. exporters to create American jobs.”


Manzullo, who represents the heavy exporting 16
th Congressional District of Illinois, introduced legislation in 2006 and 2008 to reform the TPCC and move its responsibilities to the Executive Office of the President. Many of those reforms were realized when the President formed the Export Cabinet in 2010 and adopted many of the reforms included in Manzullo’s earlier bills.

In 2010, Manzullo joined with former Rep. Gabby Giffords in introducing legislation to remedy the current problem. Rep. Berman continued Giffords’ legacy by joining Manzullo on the legislation the House approved tonight.

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