BCA's Washington Briefing
follow us on facebook follow us on twitter follow us on youtube Oct. 30, 2015


ALABAMA DELEGATION, U.S. HOUSE SEND EX-IM BANK RENEWAL TO SENATE
 
Alabama's U.S. House members who voted to renew the charter of the important Export-Import Bank of the United States are to be commended for their forward-looking initiative to keep Alabama's export economy even with that of other nations.
The House voted overwhelmingly 313-118 on Tuesday to send the legislation to the Senate that previously indicated support for its passage.

Alabama House members who voted in favor of this important legislation are Reps. Robert Aderholt, R-Haleyville, Mo Brooks, R-Huntsville, Bradley Byrne, R-Fairhope, Martha Roby, R-Montgomery, Mike Rogers, R-Saks, and Terri Sewell, D-Birmingham.

"Our members of Congress are due a profound thank you for their votes to support this vital tool that is needed by Alabama and the nation in order to keep exports moving and maintain our competitiveness with other nations with similar financing agencies that act when traditional financing is not available," Business Council of Alabama President and CEO William J. Canary said Wednesday.

The charter of the agency, which promotes exports by U.S. companies, expired this summer. Its loan guarantees support more than 160,000 U.S. jobs and thousands in Alabama.

H.R. 597, the Reform Exports and Expand the American Economy Act, would reauthorize the loan authority of the Bank for five years and now heads to the Senate. President Obama has said he supports renewing the bank's charter that expired June 30.

BCA members who responded to previous requests to urge members of Congress to approve the bank's charter are also due a hearty thank you. The BCA was among hundreds of organizations representing a cross-section of the American economy that urged continuation of the bank's operations. 

National Association of Manufacturers President and CEO Jay Timmons said the overwhelming House vote showed that Americans want the bank to continue.

"The bank helps to sustain and grow manufacturing jobs in America and keep our sector globally competitive," Timmons said. "Our members demand leadership from Congress to ensure this reauthorization gets through the entire legislative process and to President Obama's desk for his signature without further delays."

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said that delay of the bank's renewal has gone on far too long.

"Today's vote in the House to reauthorize Ex-Im proves once more that a clear majority of the Congress is in favor of maintaining and reforming this important program," U.S. Chamber Executive Vice President for Government Affairs Bruce Josten said Tuesday. "Having now passed the House and Senate separately, it is time for Congress to take the necessary steps to send this legislation to the president's desk, because the alternative is risking hundreds of thousands of American jobs and the livelihood of our small- and medium-size businesses."

The Exporters For Ex-Im Coalition also commended the Alabama House delegation for voting to reauthorize the bank.

"We applaud the Alabama lawmakers who fought for U.S. workers and voted to reform and reauthorize the Ex-Im Bank. This vote was long overdue. Nearly all Democrats and the majority of Republicans in the House voted to ensure job creators have the tools they need to compete. The debate over Ex-Im has always been about jobs and whether U.S. manufacturers can continue to compete overseas and hire right here at home.  With an overwhelming majority of members in both the House and Senate now on record in support of reauthorization, we urge Congress to send the Ex-Im reauthorization bill to the President's desk as soon as possible. There is no reason U.S. workers should have to compete with one arm tied behind their backs any longer."

The BCA is the exclusive representative of the NAM and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Alabama and is a member of the Ex-Im Coalition.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MANUFACTURERS OUTLINES REMAINDER OF 2015 CONGRESSIONAL SESSION
 
In a Thursday conference call, the National Association of Manufacturers updated members on the status of several NAM and Business Council of Alabama issues that likely will see action prior to the December congressional recess.

Joe Trauger, NAM's vice president of governmental relations, touched on the election of new House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., who is the 54th speaker and the youngest in 150 years. Ryan earned 236 votes. His election will open the door for a new chair of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, which Ryan formerly chaired.

Alabama's six Republican members of Congress voted for Ryan. They were U.S. Reps. Robert Aderholt, R-Haleyville, Mo Brooks, R-Huntsville, Bradley Byrne, R-Fairhope, Gary Palmer, R-Hoover, Martha Roby, R-Montgomery, and Mike Rogers, R-Saks.

The House vote on renewing the charter of the important Export-Import Bank of the United States was a top issue this week, Trauger said. The Ex-Im Bank got 313 votes for renewal - an "overwhelming" number - and it was sent to the Senate for consideration where it needs support from BCA members.

Trauger said reauthorization might be attached to a transportation bill that passed the Senate earlier this summer and which the House may soon take up.

Support for Ex-Im is vital to the nearly 90 Alabama companies that rely on the bank for export financing.

Renewing the bank's charter has been a priority of the BCA, the NAM, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Trauger said the Senate could consider legislation to force the Environmental Protection Agency to revise its Waters of the U.S. Rule that has legal questions surrounding it. The BCA is opposed to the rule because it harms private property owners and the nation's economy.

Trauger said a requirement to equip passenger and freight locomotives with positive control devices has been taken care of for three years, averting disruption in rail transportation.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT 
Senate Steps Up to Defend America's Cyber Networks
U.S. Chamber of Commerce (Harrison 10/28) "The Senate took a big step toward protecting U.S. businesses and consumers from the rising threat of cyberattacks by passing the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA) on Tuesday. The legislation would provide legal protections to businesses that voluntarily share cybersecurity-related information with other companies and with the government. One must look no further than the recent spike in cyberattacks - including notable breaches at Sony and the Office of Personnel Management - to understand the urgent need for such legislation.

"'Cyberattacks aimed at U.S. businesses and government entities are being launched from various sources, including sophisticated hackers, organized crime, and state-sponsored groups', Bruce Josten, U.S. Chamber of Commerce executive vice president for government affairs, wrote in a key vote letter to the Senate. CISA, he added, would 'help companies achieve timely and actionable situational awareness to improve the business community's and the nation's detection, mitigation, and response capabilities'.

"The vote comes six months after the House approved similar legislation, and the two chambers will now head to conference to reconcile the differences between the two measures. 'We urge the Senate and House to quickly work out the differences in their respective cybersecurity bills and send necessary legislation to the president," U.S. Chamber President and CEO Tom Donohue said in a statement this week, noting that the Senate bill 'contains provisions to guard and respect individuals' privacy and civil liberties'. Nation states or their proxies and criminal groups are attacking American enterprise with impunity, and that has got to stop."

(The National Association of Manufacturers Vice President of Tax and Domestic Economic Policy, Dorothy Coleman, reacted to Senate passage of S. 754, the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015: "Manufacturers are operating in an increasingly digital world as they are entrusted with more and more highly sensitive data and intellectual property. Our members understand how intertwined our nation's economic security is with cybersecurity and consider this issue among our highest priorities. CISA will provide much-needed cybersecurity framework between the government and private sector, without granting the government any new authority to monitor or censor private networks." See more here.

The BCA is the sole state representative of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers in Alabama.
Committee to Consider Highway Bill on Monday
The Hill Laing (10/30) "The House Rules Committee will consider a bill to spend up to $325 billion on transportation projects over the next six years on Monday, clearing the way for a potential floor vote on the measure later next week. The measure, titled the Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2015, calls for spending $261 billion on highways, $55 billion on transit and approximately $9 billion on safety programs - but only if Congress can come up with a way to pay for the final three years.

"The bill was approved last week by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Lawmakers are trying get it signed into law before a new Nov. 20 deadline for renewing federal infrastructure funding that was set up by a temporary patch passed this week to prevent a highway funding stoppage. Supporters of the House's long-term highway funding measure have said they are hopeful the lower chamber can resolve its difference with the Senate in time to get a multiyear transportation bill to President Obama's desk by the end of next month.

"Republicans in the House have been facing pressure to pass a multiyear highway bill since they rejected an infrastructure funding measure that was approved by Senate this summer. GOP House leaders balked at that bill, in part, because it contained six years' worth of transportation commitments but only three years' worth of funding.  Both chambers' highway bills would maintain the federal government's current spending level of about $50 billion per year for transportation projects, adjusted for inflation. To reach that level of spending, however, Congress will have to come up with approximately $16 billion per year to supplement revenue from the federal gas tax."
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 U. S. Rep. Gary Palmer
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