The HOPE Deception of Haiti

For OpEdNews: Chantal Laurent - Writer


Between 2005 to 2007 the apparel industry of the Dominican Republic was in bad shape. So Charlie Rangel -- who has a superb residence in the Dominican Republic-- introduced legislation to rescue and enrich DR captains. But there was something missing that the earthquake provided. Hence came H.R. 5160 Haiti Economic Lift Program Act of 2010 (HELP). At first, everyone worried about the creation of sweatshop jobs in Haiti. Well, the first to benefit from this bill is not Haiti. Although the bill title leads everyone to believe that it was about Haiti, everywhere in the bill, the real beneficiaries are "Haiti or the Dominican Republic."

Note the bill title: "To extend the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act, to provide customs support services to Haiti, and for other purposes."

Both the Senate and House version of the bill acknowledged that the factories and infrastructure in Haiti were destroyed by the earthquake, so the immediate theater of operations is the Dominican Republic.

There are 168 textile companies in Dominican Republic that are benefiting now from the signing of the HELP Act into law.

In Haiti, there were 24 textile companies before January 12, 2010, but most did not survive the wrath of the quake.



Rangel, the miracle worker for the Dominicans, introduced the bill on 4/28/2010. There was only 40 minutes allocated for debate, enough time for the co-sponsors to speak on behalf of the bill and the measure was passed. Believe it or not, in four weeks, the bill was introduced, voted on and signed into law by the president on 5/24/2010.

It was Congressman Hank Johnson who said something that raised suspicion. He told the speaker of house that the bill will benefit Haiti, the Dominican Republic and their economy. Three weeks earlier, Hank Johnson asked a general if the island of Guam would capsize if the number of soldiers are increased. This time, it was his support of the bill, since there was no recorded vote, which capsized Haiti on the floor of the House. He also let the cat out of the bag. He was the only one of the co-sponsors who mentioned the Dominican Republic on the floor of the House.

Why would a bill design for Haiti/post earthquake be beneficial to the Dominican Republic? Of course, Rangel. Since the president signed the bill into law on 5/24/2010, these companies can now export duty free to the States no matter where the fabric originated from. So the guys in Brazil got their lobbying money's worth and cheap labor. Also, we know that all the big names in clothing in the US have their clothing made in DR.

The president of the DR quietly signed his version of TPS to all Haitians living in the DR. That was probably part of the deal; no more ugly scenes of mass deportations of Haitian nationals from the DR. All Haitians on Dominican soil have a three year permit to stay in the DR legally until they can have permanent residency. All Haitian students in the DR have either a substantial reduction in tuition or free tuition for one year. So the DR gets to keep the labor force in case anyone notices that no Haitian workers benefited from the bill. Rangel successfully rallied members of the black caucus to co-sponsor the bill his retirement package abroad. Since no one asked for a recorded vote, the measure passed with Voice Vote only. So we won't know who else screwed Haiti on the Hill besides the co-sponsors. Well we know, except there is no record of it.

So, although this is a bill to revive Haiti after the quake, there was no mention of it in the media about the president signing the bill into law. The New York Times chose to write about something else. Distrust of the Haitian government and in-fighting within Haitians have always been the tool used to rob Haiti. It is used to empower NGOs and special business interests. In order to overcome the struggle, we must always keep an eye on the money and who stands to benefit from everything. As always, it is rarely the Haitian people. Remember that Brazil was asking for favorable treatment for clothing made in Haiti, but the factories are in the DR. They hired a law firm in DC and they took care of business. Perhaps DC stands for Diabolical Circle and not District of Columbia.

Here are the Senate version and the House version. The language used in both redirect operations to the Dominican Republic, which stands to benefit from the Haiti bill. Note that the bill arrived in the Senate on 5/5/2010 and it passed on 5/6/2010 and I guess they ran to the white house with it before the end of the day.


_________________________________________________
BACKGROUND INFO:


SENATE BILL

[...] (2) The earthquake has devastated Haiti's infrastructure, including homes, offices, factories, roads, ports, communications, and other facilities. The loss of life attributable to the earthquake was massive.

(6) However, the Haitian apparel sector has been hard hit by the January 12, 2010, earthquake. A number of apparel factories based in and around Port-au-Prince have been heavily damaged, including the collapse of one major apparel factory that had employed nearly 4,000 workers.
continued ....he HOPE Deception of Haiti

(7) The Port-au-Prince seaport that had served the apparel trade has been badly damaged. And extensive damage to roads has made it difficult to transport apparel to the Dominican Republic for shipment from ports in that country.

(8) According to estimates by the Department of Commerce, imports of apparel articles from Haiti to the United States in 2010 have decreased by 43 percent as compared to the same period in 2009.

(9) The earthquake has increased significantly the costs and uncertainty of doing business in Haiti. A strong and unequivocal commitment from the United States is needed to help Haiti offset these costs and preserve the gains made under United States trade preference programs, and to encourage buyers and investors to stand with Haiti through this crisis.

[...] SECTION 4. APPAREL AND OTHER ARTICLES SUBJECT TO CERTAIN ASSEMBLY RULES.

[...] (F) CERTAIN OTHER APPAREL ARTICLES-

(i) IN GENERAL- Any of the apparel articles described in clause (ii) that is wholly assembled, or knit-to-shape, in Haiti from any combination of fabrics, fabric components, components knit-to-shape, or yarns and is imported directly from Haiti or the Dominican Republic shall enter the United States free of duty, without regard to the source of the fabric, fabric components, components knit-to-shape, or yarns from which the article is made.



House of Representatives Version (H.R.5160)

SUMMARY AS OF:
5/6/2010--Passed Senate without amendment.
[...] Extends, in each applicable one-year period through FY2020, the duty-free treatment of imported apparel articles made in Haiti or the Dominican Republic.

(Sec. 4) Prescribes duty-free treatment also, without regard to the source of the fabric, fabric components, components knit-to-shape, or yarns from which the article is made, for specified apparel articles or made-up textile articles: (1) wholly assembled, or knit-to-shape, in Haiti from any combination of fabrics, fabric components, components knit-to-shape, or yarns; and (2) imported directly from Haiti or the Dominican Republic.

MAJOR ACTIONS:

4/28/2010

Introduced in House



5/5/2010

Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.



5/6/2010

Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote.



5/6/2010

Cleared for White House.



5/13/2010

Presented to President.



5/24/2010

Signed by President.



5/24/2010

Became Public Law No: 111-171 [Text, PDF]...I WILL POST THE LINK IF YOU WANT IT

Rangel Celebrates Boricua Pride at the National Puerto Rican Day Parade
NEW YORK - Congressman Charles B. Rangel was among the millions of New Yorkers who came out Sunday and flooded Fifth Avenue to celebrate the 15th Annual National Puerto Rican Day Parade.





(Media-Newswire.com) - NEW YORK - Congressman Charles B. Rangel was among the millions of New Yorkers who came out Sunday and flooded Fifth Avenue to celebrate the 15th Annual National Puerto Rican Day Parade.

The parade capped a weekend of activities celebrating Boricua pride and culture that included East Harlem's 116th Street Festival on Saturday.

"This is an exciting parade, a day that embodies all the best that is Puerto Rico," said Rangel whose marching contingent included volunteers from East-Harlem based non-profit organization, Positive Workforce. "Not enough can be said about how they have helped not only transform this city, but also open the door for other ethnic and immigrant groups in politics, in education and other fields."

Rangel has been a tireless advocate of the Puerto Rican people both on and off the island for the last 40 years. As Ways and Means Chairman, he fought successful to increase the amount of money that the commonwealth receives in federal funding and for a variety of tax credits to spur small business growth and jobs in the tourist and retail industry.

Rangel said that while the weekend's events are a great reminder of how much has been and continues to be accomplished, more work is left to be done to ensure that the Puerto Rican people have all the tools to improve the lives of their families and their communities.

"If we have millions of American citizens that live in Puerto Rico, we have an obligation to make certain that they get every right and every privilege of any other citizen," said the Congressman. "They should be able to get a good job and a good education right there on that beautiful island. If they have to leave, it should be because they want to, not because they have to."

Charlie Rangel to Puerto Rico: Wouldn’t it be a shame if something happened to your grandmother
Posted by Soren Dayton (Profile)
Monday, October 19th at 11:29AM EDT
4 Comments
Earlier, we noted that Charlie Rangel has been getting huge numbers of contributions from the Virgin Islands, and we tied it to his blocking legislation that cuts payments to rum producers in the Virgin Islands.
Several weeks ago, the Washington Times reported that Puerto Rico has turned on the contributions also. What’s going on?
The answer is that Charlie Rangel is holding Puerto Rican grandmothers hostage (via Medicare payments) to protect his rum buddies.
First, let’s start with the Washington Times. There’s a lot of Puerto Rican money going into Rangel coffers:
Donors in Puerto Rico poured $36,600 into Mr. Rangel’s war chest, an amount surpassed only by the $138,400 from donors in his home state of New York.

In four of the five previous years, the Virgin Islands ranked in the top 10 sources for contributions to Mr. Rangel. Puerto Rico didn’t make the list in any of those years.

Contributions to Mr. Rangel from the Virgin Islands totaled more than $167,00 between 1999 and 2008. More than half of that - $84,800 - was given during the 2007-08 election cycle, just as the islands sealed the deal to relocate Captain Morgan and give the liquor company about $2.7 billion in tax credits and other subsidies over 30 years.

The Times notes that there are two bills, a bill that extends a system that gives Diageo and other rum companies more subsidy per unit rum than it takes to produce it (supported by the Virgin Islands), or one that ends the subsidy system (supported by Puerto Rico).
Sounds like a boring, good ole’ corporate smackdown, right? Wrong.
You see, there’s another issue in play. Puerto Rico gets much lower Medicare reimbursements than the rest of the country. Pushing this is a top priority. There have been promises that this would come as part of any health care reform bill.
So Charlie Rangel has opened up a new front on the Puerto Ricans. Or, really, on their grandmas. He has told several people now that if Puerto Rico doesn’t stop pushing for changes to the rum laws (that help his buddies), he will not address the Puerto Rican Medicare situation.
In other words, Charlie Rangel is holding Puerto Rican grandmas hostage for his rum-running buddies. An interesting inversion of the historical pattern.

Good ones Blut.

Thank you Atabey read between the lines on this one its very long though
111th CONGRESS--H.R.5160 - Haiti Economic Lift Program Act of 2010
Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act, to provide customs support services to Haiti,
To extend the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act, to provide customs support services to Haiti, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 28, 2010
Mr. Rangel (for himself, Mr. Levin, and Mr. Camp) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

A BILL
To extend the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act, to provide customs support services to Haiti, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Haiti Economic Lift Program Act of 2010”.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:

(1) On January 12, 2010, Haiti was hit by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake, the worst earthquake to affect Haiti in recorded history. Aftershocks from the earthquake, measuring up to 6.0 on the Richter scale, continued for days afterwards.

(2) The earthquake has devastated Haiti’s infrastructure, including homes, offices, factories, roads, ports, communications, and other facilities. The loss of life attributable to the earthquake was massive.

(3) Even before the earthquake, Haiti was the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, ranking 149 out of 182 countries according to the United Nation’s Human Development Index.

(4) In recent years, however, the Government and people of Haiti had taken important steps forward to promote economic growth and development, including making strides towards establishing a competitive apparel sector.

(5) United States trade preference programs, including the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (as amended by the United States-Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act, the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement Act of 2006 (“HOPE Act”), and the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement Act of 2008 (“HOPE II Act”)), which extend duty-free tariff treatment to certain apparel produced in Haiti, have made an important contribution to Haiti’s economic development efforts.

(6) However, the Haitian apparel sector has been hard hit by the January 12, 2010, earthquake. A number of apparel factories based in and around Port-au-Prince have been heavily damaged, including the collapse of one major apparel factory that had employed nearly 4,000 workers.

(7) The Port-au-Prince seaport that had served the apparel trade has been badly damaged. And extensive damage to roads has made it difficult to transport apparel to the Dominican Republic for shipment from ports in that country.

(8) According to estimates by the Department of Commerce, imports of apparel articles from Haiti to the United States in 2010 have decreased by 43 percent as compared to the same period in 2009.

(9) The earthquake has increased significantly the costs and uncertainty of doing business in Haiti. A strong and unequivocal commitment from the United States is needed to help Haiti offset these costs and preserve the gains made under United States trade preference programs, and to encourage buyers and investors to stand with Haiti through this crisis.

SEC. 3. EXTENSION OF CARIBBEAN BASIN ECONOMIC RECOVERY ACT.
The Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (19 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.) is amended—
Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act, to provide customs support services to Haiti, and for other purposes.

Page .....2 SEC. 4. APPAREL AND OTHER ARTICLES SUBJECT TO CERTAIN ASSEMBLY RULES.
(a) Certain Other Apparel Articles.—Section 213A(b)(3) of the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (19 U.S.C. 2703a(b)(3)) is amended by adding at the end the following:


“(F) CERTAIN OTHER APPAREL ARTICLES.—

“(i) IN GENERAL.—Any of the apparel articles described in clause (ii) that is wholly assembled, or knit-to-shape, in Haiti from any combination of fabrics, fabric components, components knit-to-shape, or yarns and is imported directly from Haiti or the Dominican Republic shall enter the United States free of duty, without regard to the source of the fabric, fabric components, components knit-to-shape, or yarns from which the article is made.

“(ii) ARTICLES DESCRIBED.—Apparel articles described in this clause are apparel articles in the following category numbers that fall within the following statistical reporting numbers of the HTS (as in effect on the day before the date of the enactment of this subparagraph):


“(iii) CATEGORY DEFINED.—In this subparagraph, the term ‘category’ has the meaning given that term in paragraph (2A)(E) of this subsection.”.

(b) Made-Up Textile Articles.—Section 213A(b)(3) of the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (19 U.S.C. 2703a(b)(3)), as amended by subsection (a), is further amended by adding at the end the following:


“(G) MADE-UP TEXTILE ARTICLES.—

“(i) IN GENERAL.—Any of the made-up textile articles described in clauses (ii) and (iii) that is wholly assembled, or knit-to-shape, in Haiti from any combination of fabrics, fabric components, components knit-to-shape, or yarns and is imported directly from Haiti or the Dominican Republic shall enter the United States free of duty, without regard to the source of the fabric, fabric components, components knit-to-shape, or yarns from which the article is made.

“(ii) ARTICLES DESCRIBED.—Made-up textile articles described in this clause are articles in the following category numbers that fall within the following statistical reporting numbers of the HTS (as in effect on the day before the date of the enactment of this subparagraph):



“(iii) OTHER ARTICLES DESCRIBED.—Made-up textile articles described in this clause are articles that fall within the following statistical reporting numbers of the HTS (as in effect on the day before the date of the enactment of this subparagraph):


“(iv) CATEGORY DEFINED.—In this subparagraph, the term ‘category’ has the meaning given that term in paragraph (2A)(E) of this subsection.”.

SEC. 5. MODIFICATION OF TARIFF PREFERENCE LEVELS; VERIFICATION WITH RESPECT TO TRANSSHIPMENT FOR CERTAIN APPAREL ARTICLES.
Section 213A(b) of the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (19 U.S.C. 2703a(b)) is amended—



(2) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:


“(2A) SPECIAL RULE FOR CERTAIN WOVEN ARTICLES AND CERTAIN KNIT ARTICLES ENTERED DURING FISCAL YEAR 2010 AND SUCCEEDING 1-YEAR PERIODS.—

“(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in subparagraphs (B) and (C) and subject to subparagraph (D), if 52,000,000 square meter equivalents of apparel articles described in paragraph (2)(A)(i) or (2)(B)(i) enter the United States during the 1-year period beginning October 1, 2009, or any of the succeeding 1-year periods, the President shall extend the preferential treatment described in paragraph (2)(A)(i) or (2)(B)(i) (as the case may be) to not more than 200,000,000 square meter equivalents of apparel articles described in paragraph (2)(A)(i) or (2)(B)(i) (as the case may be) during that 1-year period, and shall publish notice of the extension in the Federal Register.

“(B) EXCEPTION FOR CERTAIN WOVEN ARTICLES.—

“(i) IN GENERAL.—In the case of apparel articles described in clause (ii), subparagraph (A) shall be applied by substituting ‘70,000,000’ for ‘200,000,000’.

“(ii) APPAREL ARTICLES DESCRIBED.—Apparel articles described in this clause are apparel articles described in paragraph (2)(A)(i) that are the following:

“(I) CATEGORY 347.—Apparel articles in category 347 that fall within the following statistical reporting numbers of the HTS (as in effect on the day before the date of the enactment of this paragraph):

“(II) CATEGORY 348.—Apparel articles in category 348 that fall within the following statistical reporting numbers of the HTS (as in effect on the day before the date of the enactment of this paragraph):

“(III) CATEGORY 647.—Apparel articles in category 647 that fall within the following statistical reporting numbers of the HTS (as in effect on the day before the date of the enactment of this paragraph):


“(IV) CATEGORY 648.—Apparel articles in category 648 that fall within the following statistical reporting numbers of the HTS (as in effect on the day before the date of the enactment of this paragraph):



“(i) IN GENERAL.—In the case of apparel articles described in clause (ii), subparagraph (A) shall be applied by substituting ‘85,000,000’ for ‘200,000,000’.

“(ii) APPAREL ARTICLES DESCRIBED.—Apparel articles described in this clause are apparel articles described in paragraph (2)(B)(i) that fall within the following statistical reporting numbers of the HTS (as in effect on the day before the date of the enactment of this paragraph), other than shirts with plackets and pointed collars:


“(D) VERIFICATION WITH RESPECT TO TRANSSHIPMENT FOR CERTAIN APPAREL ARTICLES.—

“(i) IN GENERAL.—Not later than April 1, July 1, October 1, and January 1 of each year, the Commissioner responsible for U.S. Customs and Border Protection shall verify that apparel articles imported into the United States under this paragraph are not being unlawfully transshipped (within the meaning of subsection (f)) into the United States.

“(ii) REPORT TO PRESIDENT.—If the Commissioner determines pursuant to clause (i) that apparel articles imported into the United States under this paragraph are being unlawfully transshipped into the United States, the Commissioner shall report that determination to the President.

“(iii) A

Page 3 .........................UTHORITY TO REDUCE QUANTITATIVE LIMITATION.—If, in any 1-year period with respect to which the President extends preferential treatment as described in this paragraph, the Commissioner reports to the President pursuant to clause (ii) regarding unlawful transshipments, the President—

“(I) may modify the quantitative limitation under this paragraph as the President considers appropriate to account for such transshipments; and

“(II) if the President modifies the limitation under subclause (I), shall publish notice of the modification in the Federal Register.

“(E) CATEGORY DEFINED.—In this paragraph, the term ‘category’ means the number assigned under the U.S. Textile and Apparel Category System of the Office of Textiles and Apparel of the Department of Commerce, as listed in the HTS under the applicable heading or subheading (as in effect on the day before the date of the enactment of this paragraph).”.

SEC. 6. EARNED IMPORT ALLOWANCE RULE.
Section 213A(b)(4)(B)(ii)(I) of the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (19 U.S.C. 2703a(b)(4)(B)(ii)(I)) is amended by striking “three” and inserting “two”.

SEC. 7. EXTENSION OF VALUE-ADDED RULE.
Section 213A of the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (19 U.S.C. 2703a), as amended by this Act, is further amended—

(1) in subsection (a), by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the following:


“(1) INITIAL APPLICABLE 1-YEAR PERIOD.—The term ‘initial applicable 1-year period’ means the 1-year period beginning on December 20, 2006.”; and

(2) in subsection (b)(1)—

(A) in subparagraph (A), by striking “an applicable 1-year period” and inserting “the initial applicable 1-year period and any 1-year period thereafter”;

(B) in subparagraph (B)—

(i) in clause (i)—

(I) by striking “any applicable 1-year period” and inserting “the initial applicable 1-year period and any 1-year period thereafter”; and

(II) by striking “the applicable 1-year period” and inserting “that 1-year period”;

(ii) in clause (iv)(II)—

(I) in the subclause heading, by striking “APPLICABLE”;

(II) by striking “In each of the second, third, fourth, and fifth applicable 1-year periods” and inserting “In any 1-year period after the initial applicable 1-year period”; and

(III) by striking “applicable 1-year period” each place it appears and inserting “1-year period”;

(iii) in clause (v)(I)—

(I) in item (aa), by striking “, the second applicable 1-year period, and the third applicable 1-year period” and inserting “and the succeeding 8 1-year periods”;

(1) RAPID RESPONSE TEAM.—The Commissioner responsible for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (in this section referred to as the “Commissioner”) shall, in consultation with the United States Coast Guard, the Drug Enforcement Agency, and other Federal agencies, as appropriate, seek to send a rapid response team to Haiti—

(A) to assess the short-term and long-term technical, capacity-building, and training needs of the authorities of the Government of Haiti responsible for customs services; and

(B) to provide immediate assistance, as warranted, particularly with respect to—

(i) reestablishing full capacity for commercial port operations at the seaport at Port-au-Prince;

(ii) facilitating trade between the United States and Haiti under the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act, as amended by this Act;

(iii) preventing unlawful transshipment of goods through Haiti to the United States; and

(iv) otherwise strengthening cooperation between the customs authorities of the United States, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic with respect to trade facilitation and economic development, customs compliance and law enforcement, and efforts to combat unlawful trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.

(2) REPORT.—Not later than 75 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Commissioner shall prepare and submit to the Committee on Finance of the Senate and the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives a nonconfidential report summarizing the results of the assessment required by paragraph (1)(A), including—

(A) a description of the short-term and long-term technical, capacity-building, and training needs of the authorities of the Government of Haiti responsible for customs services, including a prioritization of immediate infrastructure needs;

(B) a multi-year plan for supplying technical, capacity-building, and training assistance to those authorities, including specific responsibilities to be undertaken by the support team authorized by subsection (b); and

(C) a statement of the amount and purpose for which any funds were expended by the rapid response team in Haiti to administer the provisions of this section, including any expenditure of funds authorized to be appropriated pursuant to subsection (c)(1).

(b) Support Team.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—The Commissioner shall, in consultation with other Federal agencies, as appropriate, seek to establish a support team in Haiti for the purpose of helping to meet the short-term and long-term technical, capacity-building, and training needs of the authorities of the Government of Haiti responsible for customs services, as described in this section.

(2) TERMINATION.—The support team authorized by paragraph (1) shall terminate on September 30, 2020.

(c) Authorization Of Appropriations.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be appropriated to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency, to remain available until expended—

(A) $100,000 to help meet the immediate infrastructure needs of the authorities of the Government of Haiti responsible for customs services for the purpose of facilitating trade between the United States and Haiti under the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act, as amended by this Act; and

(B) $750,000 for each of the fiscal years 2011 through 2020 for the purpose of maintaining the support team authorized by subsection (b).

(2) SUPPLEMENT AND NOT SUPPLANT.—The amounts authorized to be appropriated by paragraph (1) shall supplement and not supplant any other funds authorized to be appropriated to the Department of Homeland Security.

SEC. 10. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
(a) Regional Cooperation.—It is the sense of Congress that the United States Trade Representative should seek to enter into consultations with representatives of countries with which the United States has a trading relationship for the purpose of encouraging those countries to establish bilateral trade preference programs with respect to textile and apparel articles produced in Haiti.

(b) Transshipment.—It is the sense of Congress that the Commissioner responsible for U.S. Customs and Border Protection should, in consultation with the United States Trade Representative and the Secretary of Commerce, seek to enter into consultations with representatives of countries with which the United States has a trading relationship for the purpose of preventing the unlawful transshipment of textile and apparel articles from those countries through Haiti.

This Bill has been edited for brevity Please refer to original if you really get pissed about something

As Ethics Cloud Hovers, Rangel Carries On
by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — Just about everyone likes Charlie Rangel.

Republicans pump his hand, Democrats put their arms around his shoulders and women of all political persuasions give him pecks on the cheek.

Spend some time with the 80-year-old congressman from New York City who's been striding the Capitol's halls for four decades on behalf of residents of Harlem, and there's little evidence he's become someone to avoid because of an ethics cloud that's more likely than not going to darken in days to come.


EnlargeHarry Hamburg/AP
Rep. Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y.
Colleagues in both parties still gravitate to the gravelly voiced, outgoing, backslapping Rangel four months after fellow Democrats persuaded — and Republicans hounded — him to relinquish one of the most powerful jobs in Washington: chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee.

"Amiga," he shouts in the Capitol subway to Cuban-born, Florida Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, using the Spanish word for female friend. "Amigo," she belts out in return.

"Hey Ritchie," Rangel booms as he passes Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., who's seen by many as a Ways and Means chairman in the future.

Behind the scenes, it's a different story. A few Democrats have returned money that Rangel raised for them. His influence is sapped.

His wife, Alma, warns him not to be naive about the glad-handling.

"You know," she tells him, "they're putting you on."

How did it come to this?

Rangel follows in a tradition of Ways and Means chairmen such as Reps. Dan Rostenkowski, D-Ill., and Wilbur Mills, D-Ark., who waited decades to become congressional titans, then lost that perch through ethical lapses. "Some members are old school," said Stanley Brand, a former House counsel and a defense lawyer for many politicians in trouble. "As they rise in seniority ... they think less about (rules) changes that occur under their nose."

Rangel lost his post because his conduct gave Republicans an ethics issue that's ripe for exploitation, just as Democrats in 2006 and 2008 successfully seized on GOP ethical lapses.

Nervous about losing House seats this year, Democrats persuaded Rangel to step down after the House ethics committee concluded in February in a relatively minor case that Rangel violated the chamber's rules on gifts. The committee said Rangel should have known that corporate money paid for two trips to Caribbean conferences. Rangel insists he didn't know. There was no punishment.

More ominous is an investigation into activities far more likely to touch the nerve of voters: Rangel's failure to pay taxes on income from a Dominican Republic vacation villa; his rent-subsidized apartments in New York; using official stationery to raise money for a college center bearing his name; and his belated disclosure of assets revealing he was far richer than people thought.

It's times like this when I have to reinforce the facts: I'm alive, I'm well, and 60 years ago I could have died when I was surrounded by hundreds of Chinese.
- Rep. Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y.
Rangel joined the Ways and Means Committee in 1974 and ascended to chairman more than three decades later. He says the pain of having his integrity questioned is terrible, but he tries hard not to show it.

He dresses immaculately, his gray hair neatly combed back, the color matching his mustache, and his pocket handkerchief matching his suit. He walks with a spry step. He remains a workaholic, sometimes forgetting breakfast even though he scoops oatmeal into a cardboard cup at a House cafeteria each morning and carries it back to the office. Some busy days, he warms it in the microwave for lunch.

"There's been a force out there. People feel they have to say something supportive," Rangel says as he walks through the Capitol's underground subway.

"She says it's unseemly," Rangel says of his wife's advice. "I say, 'Suppose it's not real. As long as they keep saying these things until I die, what difference does it make?' "

But he admits, "It's still painful. It's times like this when I have to reinforce the facts: I'm alive, I'm well, and 60 years ago I could have died when I was surrounded by hundreds of Chinese" in the Korean War.

'I Haven't Had A Bad Day Since'

Rangel came back from that war a Harlem hero with a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. He says he's constantly measuring his current troubles against the 20-degree below zero days of Nov. 29 to Dec. 1, 1950, when he was wounded, but survived while fellow soldiers died all around him.

He always falls back on the title of his autobiographical book, which comes from his wartime experience: And I Haven't Had A Bad Day Since.

Long before he was chairman, Rangel took care of his Harlem constituents, many of them poor. He sponsored empowerment zones with tax credits for businesses moving into economically depressed areas and developers of low income housing. As chairman, he pushed bills with tax relief for victims of Hurricane Katrina, tax breaks for small business and stronger environmental and labor rules in trade agreements, tax rebates for consumers and an increase in the minimum wage. He was a major player in passage of President Barack Obama's $862 billion stimulus program, one-third of it tax cuts.

But Rangel lacked the power of some of his predecessors.

Passed Over

He was a longtime advocate of health care reform, but Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., passed him over for guiding Obama's overhaul to passage. An important part of the House's climate change legislation was given to another committee, when it could have gone primarily to Ways and Means. House leaders forced him to reverse himself and manage a bill to tax away Wall Street bonuses after he told reporters that would be a misuse of tax law.

Leadership aides said those decisions were part of the strategy to pass important legislation and didn't represent a loss of confidence in Rangel. Other committee lawmakers, however, believe Rangel was hobbled by his ethics problems — and these decisions reflected that view.

Says Rangel: "There's no way I could have taken it personally. The speaker is more hands on in committee work than before."

But, chatting outside a House elevator, he recalls how things used to be, how the legendary Rostenkowski, who ran the committee from 1981 to 1994, would never have stood for a loss of power. When Rangel was given a leadership post of deputy whip, Rostenkowski asked him whether he was loyal to the committee or the leadership. "You can't do both," Rangel said he was warned.

In 1970 Rangel upset a Harlem legend, Rep. Adam Clayton Powell Jr. — a pastor, civil rights leader and a man known for his womanizing and his absence from his district. This year, Rangel announced his re-election bid days before his birthday. One of his Sept. 14 primary opponents is a son of Powell, Adam Clayton Powell IV.

In Harlem, Rangel ruled as one of the Gang of Four African-American politicians who achieved top political posts: David Dinkins, a one-time New York mayor; Basil Paterson, who rose to deputy mayor and New York secretary of state; and the late Percy Sutton, Manhattan Borough president. He marched with Martin Luther King. He was a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus.

At a meeting of New York political leaders after the February ethics report, Dinkins spoke about his friend. "Mayor Dinkins was very emotional," recalled Lloyd Williams, president and chief executive officer of the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce. "He said if not for Charlie Rangel, there would not have been a Mayor Dinkins."

Dinkins declined in an interview to talk about Rangel's troubles. "He is my brother, my friend. My interest is in his welfare," he said.

Williams momentarily seemed worried about Rangel's future. "I fear these mistakes will become too much of his legacy," he said. Quickly, he switched to a more optimistic tone. "When the venom is out of the air, Charlie will be remembered as one of the most extraordinary political leaders in the history of this country."

Congressman Charles Rangel Pledges Support For Jamaica
Published: Friday | July 2, 2010

Ambassador Audrey Marks has the attention of Congressman Charles Rangel during discussions at his Capitol Hill office yesterday. - Contributed
Senior Democratic Congressman Charles Rangel has reaffirmed his support for Jamaica and says he is looking forward to playing a roll in the island's development agenda.

"I firmly believe that job creation can dramatically reduce and even erase many of the current problems that now face the country," he said.

The congressman was speaking during a meeting with Jamaica's ambassador to the United States, Audrey Marks, on Capitol Hill yesterday.

Rangel further reiterated the long and continuing friendship between himself and Jamaica that went back to the 1970s, and said, "I have warm feelings for Jamaica and will continue to be a friend to Jamaica."

The ambassador said she began the congressional meetings with Rangel, one of Jamaica's longest-standing United States supporters, because "it is important to show appreciation and friendship at this time in his career".

Rangel, who was awarded the Order of Jamaica last year, has been embroiled in controversy since the launch of an ethics investigation regarding alleged gift violations and belated disclosure of assets.

He took leave from the chairmanship of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee in March.

Macroeconomic reform

Marks said plans were being finalised on an initiative for the pre-clearance facility for cargo and passengers from Jamaica to the United States. She updated the congressman on some of the agenda items being pursued by the Golding administration, including changes in the macroeconomic model that have resulted in the fiscal deficit for 2010-11 now standing at 6.5 per cent of gross domestic product, down from 10.9 per cent.

Since arriving in Washington just over a month ago, Marks has spent the time focusing on interaction with the State Department and other areas of the administrative branch of the US government. In the weeks ahead, the main focus will be on visiting congressional representatives.