[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 98 (Thursday, June 18, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E921]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  MOTION TO CONCUR IN THE SENATE AMENDMENT WITH AN AMENDMENT TO H.R. 
           1295--THE TRADE PREFERENCES EXTENSION ACT OF 2015

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 18, 2015

  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, let me just thank Representative Rangel, a real 
leader and long-time supporter of AGOA, and Representative Karen Bass 
for their leadership on these issues.
   Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1295, to Concur in the Senate 
Amendment with an Amendment to the Trade Preferences Extension Act of 
2015.
   This bipartisan bill provides for a long-term extension of the 
African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), renews the Generalized 
System of Preferences, and extends the HOPE and HELP programs for 
products from Haiti until 2025.
   And as a senior member of the Appropriations Committee and the 
State, Foreign Operations, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, I know 
just how important these types of programs are to the U.S.-African 
relationship and to countries like Haiti.
   As my colleagues have stated, AGOA has been a cornerstone of the 
U.S.-African relationship and has resulted in the creation of thousands 
of jobs--in Africa and the United States. With continued support for 
AGOA, we also have the potential to increase small-and-medium 
businesses between U.S. and African jobs.
   Let me also just mention just how important the extension of the 
HOPE and HELP programs included in this bill are to Haiti. These 
programs have had a tremendous effect on Haiti's economy. Haiti's 
textile sector has made great progress in recent years, increasing 
production by 5.84% and increasing jobs by 15% in 2014 alone.
   And as the author of the Assessing Progress in Haiti Act, which was 
passed into law last year, I know we need to do everything we can to 
continue to support programs that would aid its economic recovery--
particularly after the devastating earthquake in 2010.
   I urge my colleagues to support this important bill.

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