Congress Mulling Two-Tiered Approach for MTBs

January 15, 2010

Staff on key Senate and House Committees are considering a two-tiered plan that could lead to passage of scaled back Omnibus Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB) early this year. Under the plan, only certain House extensions of expired suspensions and reductions, Senate extensions of expired suspension and reductions, and new suspensions and reductions that both the House and Senate have cleared would be included in the initial MTB.

The remaining new suspension, technical customs amendment, and liquidation/reliquidation bills, which have not yet been fully vetted by the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), would be consolidated into a second omnibus later in the year.

Although nothing has been formally agreed to, at least one Committee staffer expects the initial MTB to be ready for Senate consideration by the end of the month. The staffer is also hopeful that the second MTB could be ready by the end of March, but emphasized that depended on how long the ITC takes to complete its vetting process.