WASHINGTON — July 17, 2013 — Cass Johnson, President of the National Council of Textile
Organizations (NCTO), released the following statement today in anticipation of the House Ways
& Means Committee’s upcoming hearing on President Obama’s trade policy agenda with United
States Trade Representative (USTR) Michael Froman.

“With the 18th Round of Trans-Pacific Partnership trade negotiations now underway in
Malaysia, the timing of this hearing, and opportunity for Ways & Means Committee Members to
seek clear, unambiguous answers from the USTR on President Obama’s trade policy agenda, could not
be more appropriate,” Cass Johnson stated.

“Given the vital role of this agreement in sustaining American jobs and bolstering our
national economy, NCTO believes that trade negotiators must remain committed to supporting standard
provisions that have made previous U.S. free trade agreements successful for all parties; including
the ‘yarn forward’ rule of origin, reasonable tariff reduction formulas that provide stability for
domestic manufacturers, and a short supply list supported by U.S. textile industry experts. As more
than 167 members of Congress have already made clear, anything less than full support of these
principles by the Obama Administration and Ambassador Froman will undermine fair trade principles
in the Trans-Pacific Partnership and further serve to threaten hundreds of thousands of U.S.
textile jobs, and over a million more in the Western Hemisphere,” Johnson said.

Just last week, congressional leaders released a letter backed by NCTO to the United States
Trade Representative (USTR) signed by 167 members of the U.S. House of Representatives – it include
10 members of the House Ways & Means Committee.  The letter calls for strong textile
rules, including the “Yarn Forward” rule of origin and long tariff phase-outs for sensitive
products to be included in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement currently being negotiated
by the United States and 11 other nations.

“The USTR’s continued support of the ‘yarn forward’ rule and other strong textile provisions,
including long tariff phase-outs, in this and future rounds of TPP negotiations will ensure that
third parties, such as China, do not take advantage of the final agreement, and send a clear
message that the United States is committed to a strong textile manufacturing sector at home,
across the western hemisphere and in Africa,” Johnson concluded.




The House Ways & Means Committee is slated to convene a hearing to discuss President
Obama’s trade policy agenda with USTR Froman on Thursday, July 18th at 9:00 a.m. ET.  The
hearing will take place in Room 1100 in the Longworth House Office Building.

Source: NCTO

CARY, N.C. — July 22, 2013 — INDA, Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry applauded the July
17 introduction of H.R. 2708, the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB), by House Ways and Means
Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) and Ranking Member Sander Levin (D-MI), along with Trade
Subcommittee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-CA) and Ranking Member Charles Rangel (D-NY).

“The Miscellaneous Tariff Bill is absolutely vital to the U.S. nonwoven fabrics industry and
countless U.S. manufacturers’ ability to maintain global competitiveness, productivity, and
employment,” said INDA Director of Government Affairs Jessica Franken.  “INDA commends this
bipartisan group of House lawmakers for introducing this commonsense, pro-manufacturing
legislation.”

The MTB is a package of thoroughly vetted bills that either eliminate or reduce import
tariffs on raw materials and intermediate products needed by U.S. manufacturers that are not
available domestically. The duty relief under the last MTB passed by Congress expired at the end of
2012, imposing significant costs on U.S. manufacturers since that time.

“The last MTB package Congress considered in 2010 was estimated to support 90,000 American
manufacturing jobs and expand U.S. GDP by $3.5 billion. Failure to pass the current MTB measure
will mean a tax hike on manufacturers of $748 million and economic losses of $1.857 billion over
the next three years alone,” Franken said.  “INDA urges House and Senate lawmakers to act
quickly on this bipartisan legislation to ensure U.S. manufacturers are able to maintain their
global competitiveness.”

Posted July 23, 2013

Source: INDA

ARLINTON, Va. — July 18, 2013 — The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) today
welcomed the introduction of the U.S. Job Creation and Manufacturing Competitiveness Act of 2013
(H.R. 2708), legislation that would reinstate recently expired tariff suspensions on inputs used by
U.S. apparel and footwear manufacturers or products no longer made in the United States. Often
known as the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB), H.R. 2708 was introduced yesterday by House Ways and
Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) and Ranking Member Sander Levin (D-MI).

“The U.S. Job Creation and Manufacturing Competitiveness Act of 2013 not only helps U.S.
apparel and footwear manufacturers, it also benefits more than four million U.S. apparel and
footwear industry workers,” said AAFA President and CEO Kevin M. Burke. “This bill will provide
U.S. manufacturers with access to critical inputs to remain competitive in the global market while
also suspending or reducing duties on over a dozen types of footwear no longer made in the United
States. I look forward to working with Chairman Camp and Ranking Member Levin on this important
legislation.”

Source: AAFA

PARIS — July 17, 2013 — Première Vision S.A., a leading worldwide organiser of trade shows for the
fashion industry, and Eurovet SAS, a leading worldwide organiser of trade shows for the
lingerie-swimwear sector, have just signed an agreement which should in the coming weeks, after all
required approvals have been obtained, lead to the acquisition by Première Vision of the Eurovet
“fashion” shows. This action comprises the fashion manufacturing shows Fatex, Zoom by Fatex, and
“Made in France” by Fatex, as well as Tissu Premier and Collections, shows dedicated to fabrics and
products positioned around the short term and updating. This represents a group of 8 shows per
year, organised in both Paris and Lille (France). 

Serving textile professionals, Première Vision and Eurovet, particularly due to their
respective ownership structures, believe this action will strengthen the sector by making it
possible to develop the full potential of the shows involved, which can thus more fully benefit
from existing synergies within Première Vision’s portfolio of trade fairs.  

Posted July 23, 2013

Source: Première Vision S.A.

WASHINGTON — July 18, 2013 — The National Retail Federation issued the following statement from
Senior Vice President David French on the introduction of a bipartisan bill aimed at renewing the
U.S. Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) trade program, which provides preferential duty-free
entry for a wide variety of goods and inputs from designated developing countries. The program is
set to expire on July 31.

“The American retail industry, an industry that supports one in four U.S. jobs, applauds the
leadership of the House Ways and Means Committee for introducing this bipartisan bill that would
extend the GSP program for an additional two years.

“With only two weeks left until GSP is set to expire, it is imperative that Congress move on
this important trade priority, which benefits developing nations around the world and U.S. jobs,
businesses and consumers.

“If Congress fails to extend GSP before the deadline, American retailers, mostly small- and
medium-sized businesses, will face an extra $2 million per day in new taxes on everyday goods and
inputs, like jewelry and sporting goods, which will translate into higher costs and prices for
consumers.

“NRF encourages Congress to renew this important trade program before August 1.”

As the world’s largest retail trade association and the voice of retail worldwide, NRF
represents retailers of all types and sizes, including chain restaurants and industry partners,
from the United States and more than 45 countries abroad. Retailers operate more than 3.6 million
U.S. establishments that support one in four U.S. jobs – 42 million working Americans. Contributing
$2.5 trillion to annual GDP, retail is a daily barometer for the nation’s economy. NRF’s This is
Retail campaign highlights the industry’s opportunities for life-long careers, how retailers
strengthen communities, and the critical role that retail plays in driving innovation.



Posted July 23, 2013

Source: NRF