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Bills Introduced In Congress Aim To Benefit U.S. Textile/Apparel Industry |
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2011-6-29
"Swift passage of the DOD Textile and Apparel Procurement Fairness Act will create opportunities for job creation within the U.S. textile and apparel industry," said AAFA President and CEO Kevin M. Burke. "As we explore every option to create and sustain jobs in the United States, our government should not put the employment of federal inmates over the employment of hardworking taxpayers."
According to AAFA, of the more than $2 billion spent by the DOD in 2010 to procure military uniforms, camouflage, training gear and combat footwear, nearly $140 million was paid to FPI, which employed inmates in 24 federal prisons to manufacture the apparel and equipment. AAFA estimates the 5-percent limit on FPI contracts would add more than $40 million to revenues in the private sector. The association also charges that the preferences enjoyed by FPI - which last year brought the program $36 million in profits just for textiles and apparel - have resulted in layoffs and plant closures in the private sector, and have even superceded preferences afforded to businesses that employ blind or disabled workers.
SAVE Act
In the Senate, the Save Our Industries Act of 2011 (SAVE Act) was introduced by Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, and co-sponsored by Sens. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, Roy Blunt, R-Mo., and Harry Reid, D-Nev. The act aims to expand textile and apparel trade between the United States and the Philippines through the elimination of certain duties on apparel products that are made in the Philippines using U.S. fabric. The SAVE Act — the first legislation introduced to enhance U.S.-Philippines trade since 1974 — also has received support from AAFA, which notes the act also offers strong customs enforcement provisions to protect against "abusive transshipment practices."
"This win-win trade legislation provides clear and unmistakable benefits for workers in the United States and the Philippines," Burke said, noting that the elimination of duties provides the Philippines with "a meaningful opportunity to grow its apparel industry" while the act also supports the U.S. textile industry.
Source:Textile World
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