Source: PRESS RELEASE, 11/20/13

The co-chair of the Congressional Textile Caucus joined with 23 of his House colleagues today in introducing legislation strengthening trade enforcement tools to protect American textile and apparel jobs.  U.S. Rep. Howard Coble (R-NC) and his colleagues today introduced the Textile Enforcement and Security Act (TESA).

According to the legislation, TESA will provide U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) with increased authority to combat fraudulent textile and apparel goods from entering the U.S., which threatens the livelihoods of 600,000 Americans employed in the industries.

“This bipartisan measure,” Coble said, “will strengthen CBP’s ability to stop illegal textile trade and collect more duties and penalties from those importers trying to bring their goods to our shores.”  Rep. Coble said the bill has many features including:  
•        Pays for itself. Already the second largest revenue generator for the federal government, CBP’s enhanced capabilities will yield even more revenue through fines and penalties on trade violators.
•        Increases the number of CBP specialists in the Textile and Trade Agreements division and at over a dozen U.S. ports. Also assigns staff to train trade partners.
•        Clarifies that CBP has the authority to seize fraudulent textile and apparel goods imported under Trade Preference Area and Free Trade Agreement rules.
•        Establishes centralized databases so CBP can more effectively and efficiently identify high risk importers and supply chains.
•        Establishes an Electronic Verification Program to track yarn and fabric inputs in free trade agreements. Currently, inputs are tracked through paper documentation, a process that can easily be exploited.
•        Uses revenue from fines and penalties to reward informants who expose import violations.
•        Requires the U.S. government to publish names of companies that intentionally violate the rules of textile and apparel trade agreements.
•        Directs the Homeland Security and Treasury Departments to use revenue from fines and penalties collected from textile and apparel import violations to pay for expenses directly related to customs enforcement and training.

Original cosponsors of TESA are Reps. Tom Graves (R-GA-14), Mike McIntyre (D-NC-7), Dan Lipinski (D-IL-3), Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA-3), Mike Michaud (D-ME-2), Renee Ellmers (R-NC-2), Jim McGovern (D-MA-2), Richard Hudson (R-NC-8), Charles Rangel (D-NY-13), Walter Jones (R-NC-3), Sanford Bishop (D-GA-2), Mark Meadows (R-NC-11), Hank Johnson (D-GA-4), Robert Pittenger (R-NC-9), Linda Sanchez (D-CA-38), George Holding (R-NC-13), David Scott (D-GA-13), Trey Gowdy (R-SC-4), Joe Wilson (R-SC-2), Bill Pascrell (D-NJ-9), Patrick McHenry (R-NC-10), Doug Collins (R-GA-9), and Virginia Foxx (R-NC-5).