DR1 Daily News - Dominican Republic

The Haiti Economic Lift Program Extension Act (H.R. 6504) bill passed the Ways and Means Committee of the US House of Representatives with a vote of 37-3. The Ways and Means approval is considered a step forward for congressional approval.

Haiti receives US trade preferences for textile and apparel products through several trade programs, including the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement Act (HOPE) and Haiti Economic Lift Program Act (HELP).

The legislators voted in favor considering that an extended lapse in these programs could jeopardize Haiti’s apparel manufacturing industry, exacerbating the current political instability in the country and increasing security concerns in the United States.

The bill renews duty-free treatment provided with respect to certain imports from Haiti under the HOPE/HELP program for...