14965: Hermantin: Miami Herald-Bipartisan effort boosts trade break for Haiti (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>

Posted on Thu, Feb. 27, 2003

Bipartisan effort boosts trade break for Haiti
By FRANK DAVIES
fdavies@herald.com

WASHINGTON - In a bipartisan effort to boost the desperate economy of Haiti,
Floridians in Congress and other legislators began pushing Thursday for a
significant trade break to increase jobs in that country's apparel industry.

A bill to change a 2000 trade law would grant duty-free status to Haitian
apparel items assembled from fabric or yarn that comes from any countries
that have favorable trade agreements with the United States. Currently the
law grants that status only to products made from U.S. fabrics.

Sen. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, who has visited Haiti 12 times, said the apparel
industry in Haiti used to employ about 100,000 people, but that total has
dropped to 30,000. He said the trade benefit would encourage job growth.

Because this work pays about $2 a day, the bill would not take away U.S.
jobs, said DeWine. And the bill would cap the duty-free imports at 1.5
percent of all apparel products, so it would not affect U.S. companies, he
said.

The bill has the strong backing of Florida's two senators, Bob Graham and
Bill Nelson, and Reps. Clay Shaw, a Fort Lauderdale Republican, and Kendrick
Meek, a Miami Democrat.

The Floridians said the trade bill could reduce the number of Haitians
fleeing to South Florida.

''We've all seen the desperate attempts of Haitians to leave,'' Shaw said.
``This bill would, in a small way, unleash our economy to help these
folks.''

Nelson, who recently returned from Haiti, added: ``This will give hope to
the Haitian people.''

Shaw said he was optimistic the measure would pass quickly in the House,
with support from key GOP leaders and the Congressional Black Caucus.

The Bush administration has not taken a position on the bill, and Meek said
the trade legislation ``would be a perfect opportunity for the
administration to show its goodwill toward Haiti.''

For the trade benefit to go into effect, Bush would have to certify that the
Haitian government is making progress toward political pluralism and the
rule of law.



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