Stephanie Salmon, Artemis Strategies; Jeff Hannapel & Christian Richter, The Policy Group, Washington, D.C. WASHINGTON ALERT
Lawmakers Focus Again on Currency Manipulation
CONGRESS HAS REINTRODUCED BIPARTISAN LEGISLATION THAT PASSED IN THE SENATE IN 2011 BUT STALLED IN THE HOUSE.
With the latest trade deficit
figures showing a 34% jump in the U.S.-China trade deficit, members of Congress once again have introduced bipartisan legislation that would reform and enhance oversight of currency exchange rates. Te measure, the Currency Exchange Rate Oversight Reform Act of 2013 (S. 1114), aims to use U.S. trade law to counter the economic harm to U.S. manufacturers caused by currency manipulation, and provide consequences for countries that fail to adopt appropriate policies to eliminate currency misalignment. Te Senate cosponsors are Sherrod
Brown (D-Ohio), Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Robert Casey (D-Pa.). Tis bill passed the Sen- ate in 2011 by a vote of 63-35 but was not taken up by the House of Represen- tatives. No hearings have been scheduled yet to review the measure.
ON THE HILL
OSHA Issues New Initiative to Enforce Exit Route Standards
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued a national memorandum on exit routes directing field inspectors to care- fully examine whether employers have provided and maintained adequate exit routes from work areas.
This comes in response to a massive fire and explosion at a Chinese poultry processing plant in early June, in which 121 employees perished due to exits being locked or blocked. The memorandum di- rects compliance officers to pay particular attention to the following during an OSHA inspection: whether an adequate number of exit routes are provided; that the exit routes are free and unobstructed; and
that exit doors are not locked. OSHA has listed the key elements that an employer must have in place to provide safe exit routes in OSHA’s Emer- gency Exit Routes Fact Sheet.
Coalition Letter Calls for End to India’s Discriminatory Trading Practices
On June 6, AFS joined with more than a dozen other leading business associations including the National Association of Manu- facturers (NAM), National Electrical Manu- facturers Association and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in a letter calling on President Obama to take immediate action to address and resolve discriminatory trade practices in India they say are hurting manufacturing exports. According to the letter, “The courts and policymakers in India have engaged
in a persistent pattern of discrimination designed to benefit India’s business com- munity at the expense of American jobs.” Some metalcasters report being blocked from the Indian market in recent years. AFS joined forces with NAM and 13 other U.S. business groups to form the Alliance for Fair Trade in India (AFTI), which is pushing for high-level action from the Obama administration. Some U.S. lawmak- ers have suggested removing India from the U.S. Generalized System of Preferenc- es program to express U.S. concern over its trade practices. The program waives du- ties on billions of dollars of India’s exports to the U.S.
For additional information, contact Stephanie Salmon, AFS Washington Off ice,
202/842-4864,
ssalmon@afsinc.org. August 2013 MODERN CASTING | 19
Asia-Pacific trade deal. More than 200 Representatives from the House sent a letter on the matter to Presi- dent Obama in June. The bipartisan group of lawmakers noted that a number of major currencies remain significantly undervalued and provi- sions need to be included in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) to deal with the issue. Te letter to President Obama
House lawmakers have also asked
for currency manipulation to be addressed in negotiations over an
comes after the 11 TPP nations agreed to let Japan join the talks despite strong opposition from some domestic manufacturers. Te auto sector has argued that the falling value of the Japanese yen will further add to the U.S. auto trade imbalance with Japan and needs to be addressed in the TPP. Te letter was led by a bipartisan group of lawmakers including Reps. Mike Michaud (D-Maine) and Sam Graves (R-Mo.), chairman of the House Small Business Committee, along with John Dingell (D-Mich.) and Rick Crawford (R-Ark.).
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