Key Congressional Leaders Reach Agreement on Short-Term ATPA Extension
Provided by Jeff Levin - Saul Ewing LLP
The Democratic and Republican leaders of the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committees announced late yesterday afternoon that they have reached an agreement to provide a short-term extension of the Andean Trade Preferences Act (ATPA). The agreement calls for an eight-months extension of the preference program for all four beneficiary countries (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru).
The House of Representatives will take up the proposed extension today under so-called “suspension rules,” which allows for expedited consideration. The Senate is looking to take up the bill, assuming that it is approved by the House, prior to the program’s currently scheduled expiration at midnight, June 30, 2007. The Senate will consider the bill under “unanimous consent” terms. The parliamentary procedures in both chambers present some danger to passage: the House voting procedure will require approval by a two-thirds majority, while the Senate voting procedure could be blocked by a single Senator (who might, for example, be looking to gain negotiating leverage on other matters).
If all goes as planned, ATPA will be extended without a lapse.
As the summertime swelter settles over your nation’s capital, we will be monitoring developments closely, and will keep Members advised on as much of a real-time basis as possible.
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