Textile Enforcement and Security Act of 2011
Latest action. Referred to the subcommitteeA smaller panel inside a standing committee with jurisdiction over a slice of its subject matter. Most hearings and the first markup usually happen here.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) on Trade.
Textile Enforcement and Security Act of 2011 - Expresses the sense of Congress that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Textile and Apparel Policy and Programs (TAPP) division of the Office of International Trade within CBP should ensure that seizures, detentions, special operations, and Textile Product Verification Teams (TPVTs) remain the primary focus of their efforts to enforce U.S. customs laws with respect to imports of textile or apparel articles, particularly as they relate to enforcement of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR), and other free trade agreements and trade preference programs to prevent transshipments and origin fraud.
Requires the seizure and forfeiture of an imported textile or apparel article for which a trade preference has been claimed in cases where the importer: (1) has either misdescribed, not verified the article's country of origin, or used accompanying false documentation; or (2) provides false information as to his or her address or does not meet certain documentation or informational requirements upon entry of an article.
Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary), the CBP Commissioner, or the Secretary of the Treasury to use amounts from fines, penalties, and forfeitures of articles due to violations of the U.S. customs laws to pay for expenses directly related to the investigation and enforcement of such violations, including expenses related to training and education of certain specialists who participate in the enforcement of such laws. Authorizes the use of such amounts also to pay for a reward of the lesser of at least 20% of that amount or $20,000 to any person who furnishes information that leads to an arrest, conviction, civil penalty assessment, or forfeiture of articles due to violations enforced by the Secretary, the Commissioner, or the Secretary of the Treasury.
Directs the Commissioner to ensure specified staffing of the Textile Operations Branch of TAPP, of TAPP, and of the Quota Branch of TAPP.
The summary continues for 6 more paragraphs. Read it in full on Congress.gov
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on August 1, 2011. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on August 5, 2011: Referred to the Subcommittee on Trade.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 112th Congress (2011-12), 283 of the 10,618 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.7 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Larry Kissell (D-NC) introduced it on August 1, 2011, and 18 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 9 Democrats, 9 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on August 1, 2011, 5519 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 5515 days ago, on August 5, 2011.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 112th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2013 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers