* Bill extends third-country fabric provision three years
* Secretary of State Clinton on seven-nation African tour
By Doug Palmer
WASHINGTON, Aug 2 (Reuters) – The U.S. Congress voted on
Thursday to renew a trade measure supporting hundreds of
thousands of jobs in Africa’s clothing sector, just two months
before the measure expires.
Both the Senate and the House of Representatives approved
the legislation on a voice vote, sending it to President Barack
Obama to sign into law.
U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk, who heard pleas for
action on the bill last month at a clothing factory in Ghana
that makes medical scrubs for Wal-Mart, said Obama was
ready to sign it “as soon as it reaches his desk.”
“The African apparel industry, which has been hammered in
the last few months with uncertainty about extension of the
(trade) provisions, can breathe a sigh of relief,” said
Representative Charles Rangel, a Democrat.
The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), first passed
by Congress in 2000, allows eligible countries in sub-Saharan
Africa to ship thousands of goods to the United States without
paying import duties.
A provision that expires Sept. 30 waives duties on clothing
from most AGOA countries, even if the yarn or fabric is made in
a “third country” such as China, South Korea or Vietnam.
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