Cramer: House Passes H.R. 644 Conference Report to the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015

Press Release

Congressman Kevin Cramer announced today the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 644 Conference Report to the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015. The legislation authorizes U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which has been operating without authorization; provides tools to facilitate legitimate trade; improves trade enforcement; measures progress within CBP; strengthens Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation by prohibiting a trade agreement from changing U.S. immigration policy, or altering U.S. law with respect to greenhouse gases; and bolsters U.S.-Israel trade and commercial ties.

"Free trade is important to North Dakota. 108,340 jobs in our state are dependent upon trade and exports have grown from $1 billion in 2004 to $5.29 billion in 2014," said Cramer. "This legislation strengthens our ability to monitor and to enforce our current free trade agreements which ensure our producers and businesses are able to compete on a level playing field in countries across the globe."

The conference report includes provisions to protect North Dakota's honey industry from unfair Chinese trading practices. "China's shipment of honey through other countries to evade duties harms North Dakota's honey producers," said Cramer. "I am glad this legislation cracks down on this process and ensures our producers compete on a fair playing field."

Source