Legislative Update: Senate to Consider GSP/TAA Reauthorization Tonight

September 19, 2011

The Senate is currently scheduled to resume consideration of H.R. 2832, a bill to reauthorize the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), at 4:30pm today, and a roll call vote to invoke cloture is scheduled for 5:30pm. Senate leaders reached unanimous agreement this past Friday to conduct the cloture vote today. The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 2832 on September 7, 2011, by unanimous voice vote. The Senate is expected to attach a Trade Adjustment Assistance Amendment to the GSP bill before sending it back to the House.

Approval of GSP is expected to initiate a series of steps culminating in long-awaited votes on the South Korea, Colombia, and Panama Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). Once the House and Senate pass the GSP/TAA bill, the House is expected to wait to adopt an enrollment rule until it passes the implementing legislation for the three pending FTAs. After the House passes the FTA implementing legislation, this legislation would move to the Senate and the GSP bill would be sent to the President to sign into law. Although President Obama has yet to submit implementing legislation for the FTAs to Congress, renewal of the Andean Trade Preferences Act (ATPA) is expected to be included in the Colombia FTA. Senate Majority Leader Reid (D-NV) may also push forward China currency legislation in the Senate once it completes consideration of H.R. 2832.

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