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Feignhold Legislation Protects American Jobs
Legislation Eliminates Loopholes That Allow the Government to Purchase
Products Manufactured Outside the United States
July 29, 2003 Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Russ Feingold today introduced
legislation aimed at strengthening the 1933 Buy American Act and protecting
jobs both in Wisconsin and across the country. Feingold's bill would
strengthen the Buy American Act by making it harder to waive the Act's
requirements that the government buy American made goods. It would also
require that information be provided to Congress and to the American people
about how often the Act is waived by federal departments and agencies. A
summary of the bill is attached.
"The erosion of our manufacturing base needs to be stopped, and Congress
should support policies that help to ensure hat we do not continue to lose
jobs in this vital segment of our economy, "Feingold said. "It only makes
sense for the federal government to make every effort to purchase goods that
are made in America." Numbers from Wisconsin's Department of Workforce of
Workforce Development indicate that the state has lost more than 77,000
manufacturing jobs in two-and-a-half years.
"The goal of the Buy American Act is for the federal government to buy goods
that are made in America, whether it's Wisconsin or another state, "Feingold
said. "American companies deserve to know that they are not being shut out
of this process by the loopholes that exist in the current law. With
American jobs heading overseas at an alarming rate, the government should be
doing all it can to make sure that U.S. taxpayer dollars are spent to
support American jobs."
The Buy American Improvement Act of 2003
Under current law, the federal government is supposed to protect American
jobs by buying goods made in the U.S. But the law is full of loopholes. The
Buy American Improvement Act of 2003, introduced by Senator Russ Feingold on
July 29, 2003, will strengthen American manufacturing by making it harder to
waive the Buy American requirement.
The bill also:
Requires all federal agencies to submit annual reports on items
purchased from foreign sources, including an itemized list of all waivers
under the Act, with dollar
values. Currently, only the Department of Defense is required to submit such
a report.
Increases the Buy American Act qualifying content standard from the current
50 percent to 75 percent.
Requires the General Accounting Office to report to Congress with
recommendations for defining the terms "inconsistent with the public
interest" and "unreasonable cost" for purposes of invoking the corresponding
waivers in the Act. These broad terms, which grant wide latitude to agency
heads, are not defined in federal law.
Addresses the crucial issue of dual-use technologies by prohibiting the
awarding of a contract or sub-contract to a foreign company to manufacture
goods containing any item that is classified as a dual-use item on the
Commerce Control List unless approval for such a contract has been obtained
through the Export Administration Act process.
CONTACT YOUR SENATORS TODAY TO
SUPPORT THE BILL.
Feignhold Legislation Protects American Jobs
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