TechAmerica supports bipartisan legislation introduced today in both the Senate and House by Senators Hatch and Wyden and Congressman Ryan. The “Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015” (TPA-2015) would renew Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), which allows the administration to submit negotiated trade agreements to Congress for an up or down vote, which provides more assurance in the negotiation process.
Since the 1930′s, such authority has been critical to the opening of new markets for American companies and workers. However, TPA was last enacted in 2002 and lapsed in 2007. By reenacting and updating TPA, Congress can address new issues and challenges to doing business in the global marketplace that have emerged since the last iteration drafted over ten years ago. This will be critical to the completion of current trade negotiations, such as the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) between the United States and Asia-Pacific region, which will remove barriers to increased U.S. international trade.
TechAmerica supports this legislation, which will facilitate access to expanded markets for U.S. for technology companies, boosting the U.S. economy and increasing American jobs.
