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CSC, Fortna Inc.,GT Nexus, Gerber Technology, Innov-X, Intertek Consumer Goods North America, Jockey Int’l., Jones Apparel Group, MicroPak Ltd, New Generation Computing, SAP, SGS U.S. Testing Company, Siemens, Siriani & Associates, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and TradeCard Inc. 
AFFORDABLE FOOTWEAR ACT IN PLAY AS PART OF SENATE JOBS PACKAGE BEING CONSIDERED THIS WEEK - NEED YOUR HELP NOW! Senate sponsors of the AAFA-supported Affordable Footwear Act (AFA) on March 4 introduced the legislation as an amendment to the jobs package (click on "Amendments" and go to S.AMDT.3423) the Senate is considering this week. AAFA continues to lobby for support for the amendment when it comes to a vote, as early as tomorrow. Meanwhile, US Trade Representative Ron Kirk provided the most positive statement yet from the Obama administration on the Affordable Footwear Act when he responded to a question from AFA lead sponsor Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) during a March 3 Senate Finance Committee hearing on the Obama administration's trade policy (Click on "View Archive Webcast" under "3-3-10 Hearing on the 2010 Trade Agenda". Cantwell's statement starts at minute 170:50). Please contact your Senators NOW! to urge them to co-sponsor and support the Affordable Footwear Act amendment to the jobs package -- S.AMDT. 3423. (Nate Herman)
CPSC COMMISSIONERS TESTIFY ON CPSC FY 2011 BUDGET Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Chairman Inez Tenenbaum and Commissioner Nancy Nord testified March 4 before the House Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government on the CPSC’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 budget. The hearing brought up many of the implementation issues the CPSC and industry have been facing as a result of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). Subcommittee Chairman Jose Serrano (D-NY) acknowledged that while the CPSIA was necessary to revamp the consumer product safety regulatory framework, Congress would be open to looking at how to tweak the legislation to give the CPSC more flexibility to implement the law. Prior to the hearing, AAFA submitted comments requesting that Congress fully fund the agency. As a result of inadequate funding in the past, the CPSC has been overwhelmed and has been unable to fulfill some of the provisions of the CPSIA. Additional funding would help to provide the CPSC the necessary resources it needs to carry out efficient product safety enforcement, implement the product safety database and fully address other critical parts of the CPSIA. (Rebecca Mond) CPSC ANNOUNCES TWO VOLUNTARY RECALLS OF CHILDREN'S UPPER OUTERWEAR DUE TO DRAWSTRING VIOLATIONS The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on March 3 announced voluntary recalls for 75 boys' hooded jackets manufactured by Ten West Apparel sold at Burlington Coat Factory and 2,700 Children's Hooded Sweatshirt Sets manufactured by LELE & Company sold at various retail outlets. The garments were recalled due to violations of the volutary drawstring standard. There were no reported injuries related to any of these products. The CPSC has already announced six voluntary apparel recalls this year alone – five due to drawstring violations and one due to a small parts violation. (Rebecca Mond) SENATE PUSHES PATENT REFORM FORWARD Reports coming out of the Senate Judiciary Committee last week continue to say that Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Ranking Member Jeff Sessions (R-AL) have reached an agreement on new legislative language for the Patent Reform Act of 2010 (S. 515). The Committee plans to release an official version of the compromise language by mid-March so that it may go to the Senate floor by early April. Discussions with Judiciary Committee staff reveal that the compromise will impact patent holders in a number of key areas, including patent litigation reform, patent quality and administrative procedures at the US Patent and Trademark Office. (Kurt Courtney) SENATE SMALL BUSINESS COMMITTEE APPROVES FEDERAL CONTRACTING LEGISLATION The Senate Small Business Committee on March 4 unanimously approved legislation to give small businesses more access to federal contracts and close loopholes that have traditionally allowed large companies to gain the awards instead. The bill, titled the Small Business Contracting Revitalization Act of 2010 (S 2989), would require agencies to start setting aside a share of their bundled, multiple-award contracts for small businesses. In addition, agencies would be required to post a list of bundled contracts online and explain the justification for their consolidation. The agencies would also have to make determinations on whether their bundling polices leave room for small businesses to successfully bid as prime and subcontractors. It remains unclear when the full Senate will vote on the measure. (Kurt Courtney)
NORM DICKS TAKES DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS GAVEL Last week, 17-term Congressman Norm Dicks (D-WA) took over as Chairman of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee following the passing of long-time Chairman John Murtha (D-PA) on February 8. Dicks, 69, has served on the defense subcommittee since 1979 alongside Murtha. The subcommittee controls half of the discretionary spending in the federal budget, to the tune of $708 billion for 2011. Dicks is a much more expansive personality than Murtha was, the type who instinctively holds elevator doors ajar for late dashers. Dicks said he intends to hold more hearings as well as seek more active participation from his fellow committee members, some of whom are relatively new to the panel and less familiar with complex weapons, intelligence and other issues. (Kurt Courtney) NEW JOBS LEGISLATION EXTENDS EXPIRED SBA LOAN PROVISIONS, BUT DOESN'T INCLUDE OTHER AAFA-SUPPORTED PROVISIONS Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid introduced a new jobs package March 1 that, among other things, would renew recently expired provisions enabling the US Small Business Administration (SBA) to increase guarantees on small business loans from 75 percent to 90 percent and eliminate fees charged on small business loans. While AAFA strongly supports these provisions, the jobs package did not include other key provisions that AAFA believes are critical to expanding access to credit for small business during the current credit crunch. The US Senate is expected to vote on the jobs package this week. (Kurt Courtney) CANADA REDUCES OR ELIMINATES DUTIES ON APPAREL & TEXTILES Thanks in large part to the efforts of AAFA's colleagues at the Canadian Apparel Federation (CAF), the Canadian government announced that, effective March 5, it has eliminated import duties on a wide range of textiles and apparel and significantly reduced duties on a wide range of apparel and textiles. The Canadian government is expected to announced elimination of or reductions in import duties on another large tranche of apparel and textiles on January 1, 2011. (Nate Herman) BRAZIL IMPOSES DUMPING DUTIES ON IMPORTS OF CHINESE FOOTWEAR Brazil announced March 3 that Brazilian imports of footwear from China are now subject to dumping duties of US $13.85 per pair. The dumping duties will remain in place for five years. The dumping duties are the result of a December 2008 petition filed by the Brazilian footwear industry. (Nate Herman) BRAZIL COTTON RETALIATION LIST INCLUDES US TEXTILES/APPAREL, BUT BRAZIL AGREES TO DELAY RETALIATION FOR ONE MONTH Brazil released its final retaliation list on Brazilian imports of US-made goods on March 8 (scroll to bottom of page for English translation of announcement and actual list). Brazil is authorized to retaliate against US goods a result of a World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement case Brazil won against US cotton subsidies and export loan guarantees. US-made apparel, textiles and textile products figure prominently on the retaliation list, which includes over $1 billion in US products imported by Brazil. US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met with Brazil Foreign Minister Amorim March 3 where they agreed to forestall retaliation until early April while high-level discussions take place on a solution to this dispute. The United States exported $120 million worth of US-made apparel, textiles and textile products to Brazil in 2009. (Nate Herman) NAFTA - MEMBERS OF CONGRESS URGE OBAMA TO REINSTATE MEXICAN TRUCKING PROGRAM WHILE OTHERS INTRODUCE BILL TO PULL US OUT OF NAFTA 56 members of Congress sent a letter March 1 to Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and US Trade Representative (USTR) Ron Kirk urging them to find a solution to the dispute over allowing Mexican trucks access to US highways. The end of the AAFA-supported pilot cross-border trucking program in March 2009 resulted in a rise of tariffs from 10 percent to 45 percent on almost 100 US-made products, cost the United States over 25,000 jobs and has raised the cost of trade between the United States and Mexico at a time when neither country can afford it. Meanwhile, at the other extreme, Congressman Gene Taylor (D-MS) led 28 members of Congress in introducing legislation March 4 that would pull the United States out of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Both actions continue an ongoing discussion about the merits of NAFTA. (Kurt Courtney) US REQUESTS WTO REVIEW OF INDIA'S EXPORT SUBSIDIES The United States last week challenged India's apparel and textile export subsidies at the World Trade Organization (WTO). If the WTO finds in favor of the United States, India would have eight years to remove all of its apparel and textile export subsidies. (Nate Herman)
AAFA AMERICAN IMAGE AWARDS PARTNERS WITH AUTISM SPEAKS 
Each year the AAFA American Image Awards (AIA) partners with a charity or organization that makes a difference and positive impact in the lives of those around us. AAFA is proud to announce that Autism Speaks,
the leading charity for autism research and awareness, is our partnering charity for our annual gala benefit on May 26 at the Grand Hyatt, New York City. Autism is an almost epidemic disease amongst children today, with 1 in 58 children affected, and boys 1 in 19! It's really unfathomable. So mark your calendars and lend us your support in honoring Li & Fung, Steve Madden, Shopbop.com; John Bartlett, Fern Mallis, and Bob & Suzanne Wright, founders of Autism Speaks so we can help make a
difference too! (Mary Howell)
Democrats' EPA Legislation a Way to Vent on Clean-Air Rule from Congressional Quarterly At first glance, a pair of bills introduced this week by two West Virginia Democrats - Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV and Rep. Nick J. Rahall II - look like fresh attempts to rebuff a White House plan to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. More EPA Piecing Together Regulatory Framework for Greenhouse Gas Rules from The New York Times U.S. EPA has submitted the first piece of its suite of greenhouse gas rules to the White House for review, a signal that the agency is on schedule to finalize its first regulations to curb the heat-trapping emissions. More New Normal Becomes Old Normal as Exports Propel U.S. Recovery from Bloomberg via BusinessWeek The "new mix" is out to topple the "new normal" as the paradigm for America’s economic future. More Votes Uncertain as U.S. Health Care Endgame Looms from Reuters President Barack Obama's top healthcare official on Sunday seized on a new report to urge quick passage of healthcare reform legislation, but a top Democrat said they did not yet have the votes in Congress. More Opinion: China Sitting on Biggest of All Economic Bubbles? from The Washington Times When Prime Minister Wen Jiabao trotted out his litany of promised reforms to the annual rubber-stamp parliament this month, they reconfirmed growing suspicions of the Chinese economy's fragility. Now more veteran observers are joining that little band that has predicted an implosion of the jerry-built system. More Chinese Factory Workers Cash in Sweat for Prosperity from Oregon Live Years after activists accused Nike and other Western brands of running Third World sweatshops, the issue has taken a surprising turn. More |
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