TRADE Act of 2005
Latest action. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Tariff Relief Assistance for Developing Economies Act of 2005 (TRADE Act of 2005) - Authorizes the President to designate Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Kiribati, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Maldives, Nepal, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Yemen, and Sri Lanka or their successor political entities (TRADE Act of 2005 countries) as beneficiary TRADE Act of 2005 countries eligible to receive duty-free treatment for certain articles that are the growth, product, or manufacture of such countries, if after receiving the advice of the International Trade Commission (ITC) the President determines that such articles are not import-sensitive in the context of imports from such countries.
Conditions such designation upon eligibility requirements of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and the Trade Act of 1974.
Prescribes the rule of origin for the articles for the duty-free treatment.
Applies duty-free treatment, without any quantitative limitations, granted to textile and apparel articles under AGOA to articles imported directly into the U.S. customs territory from a beneficiary TRADE Act of 2005 country if their assembly meets specified U.S. origin requirements.
Grants AGOA preferential treatment for apparel articles assembled in one or more beneficiary TRADE Act of 2005 countries or such former countries, or both, from regional fabric from yarn originating either in the United States or one or more of such countries.
Establishes: (1) limitations on such preferential treatment; and (2) special rules for apparel articles wholly assembled in one or more beneficiary TRADE Act of 2005 countries or former beneficiary countries, or both, regardless of the country of origin of the yarn or fabric used to make such articles; and (3) applicable percentages of such benefits.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on January 26, 2005. 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 January 26, 2005: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- 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 109th Congress (2005-06), 482 of the 10,701 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 4.5 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?
GORDON SMITH (R-OR) introduced it on January 26, 2005, and 11 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 3 Democrats, 8 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 January 26, 2005, 7897 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 7897 days ago, on January 26, 2005.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 109th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2007 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
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers