Industry News

Legislative Update: ATPA and TAA Set to Expire February 12th

February 3, 2011


The Andean Trade Preference Act/Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act (ATPA/ATPDEA) and Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) will expire on February 12, 2011 unless extension legislation is passed. On December 30, 2010 the President signed H.R. 6517 (the Omnibus Trade Act), extending ATPA/ATPDEA for Columbia and Ecuador as well as TAA for six weeks. Due to a drafting error in the legislation, the TAA program will expire completely instead of continuing past February 12, 2011 in a scaled-back form, as Congress had intended. While the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee continue to meet regarding trade preference programs, including ATPA/ATPDEA, TAA, and the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), an agreement has not been reached on a plan for extending ATPA/ATPDEA and TAA, or for retroactively extending GSP.

For further information continue to visit http://www.barnsrichardson.com or contact a Barnes/Richardson attorney.