Ambassador Charles Manatt told Dominican journalists that he is optimistic that the US Congress will pass the bill that would grant textile parity to Dominican free zone exports in the present legislative session. Luis Manuel Pellerano, a former president of the Dominican Association of Free Zone, also told journalists covering an American Chamber of Commerce luncheon that the bill should pass at the end of March or beginning of April. The bill has the support of the Clinton Administration and continues to gain supporters within the US Congress. Representatives and US senators need to reconcile textile provisions. The Senate version conditions benefits for apparel goods on the use of US fabric and US yarn. At present, DR free zone apparel exports are already limited to the use of US materials. If it passes, the local textile industry is expected to receive a boost. Several industries had relocated to Mexico to take advantage of the tariff and quota-free trade preferences that would be applicable to DR exports if the bill passes.
