Trade Adjustment Assistance Improvement Act

Bill: 110-hr-3801
Sponsor: Rep. Smith, Adam [D-WA-9]
Introduced: 2007-10-10 in the House
Policy area: Foreign Trade and International Finance
Subjects: Administrative remedies
Agricultural subsidies
Agriculture and Food
Agriculture in foreign trade
Aquaculture
Authorization
Commerce
Department of Commerce
Department of Labor
Dislocated workers
Economics and Public Finance
Employee health benefits
Executive reorganization
Farmers
Finance and Financial Sector
Fisheries
Government Operations and Politics
Health
Health insurance continuation
Income tax
Job hunting
Labor and Employment
Law
Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
Occupational retraining
Older workers
Ombudsman
Relocation
Retiree health benefits
Service industries
Social Welfare
Tax credits
Taxation
Trade adjustment assistance

Summary:
action_date: 2007-10-10
text: 
Trade Adjustment Assistance Improvement Act - Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to allow the filing of a petition with the Secretary of Labor for certification of eligibility to apply for trade adjustment assistance (TAA) by adversely affected workers in a service sector firm, its subdivision, or a public agency.
 
Revises group eligibility requirements for TAA to cover: (1) a shift, by a public agency to a foreign country, of production of articles or in provision of services, like or directly competitive with articles which are produced, or services which are provided by the workers' firm, subdivision, or public agency; and (2) instances where the workers' firm, subdivision, or public agency obtains or is likely to obtain such services from a foreign country.
 
Provides for industry-wide certification of adversely affected workers for TAA.
 
 
Increases the amount of payments for training of adversely affected workers under the Act.
 
TAA Health Coverage Improvement Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the tax credit for the health insurance costs of certain TAA workers and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) pension recipients.
 
 
Sets forth requirements to prevent a lapse of health care coverage for TAA workers and their families. 
 
Replaces alternative trade adjustment assistance for older workers provisions with eligibility requirements for wage insurance benefits to older workers who have received an industry-wide certification to apply for TAA.
 
Increases the maximum allowance to cover costs of an adversely affected worker for job search expenses and relocation expenses.
 
Establishes an Office of the Trade Adjustment Assistance Ombudsman.
 
Extends the TAA program for workers through FY2012.
 
Revises the TAA program for communities negatively impacted by trade. Establishes a TAA for communities program to coordinate the federal response.
 
 Allows the filing of a petition with the Secretary of Commerce for certification of eligibility to apply for TAA by a service sector firm. Extends the TAA program for firms through FY2012.
 
Extends the TAA program for farmers through FY2012.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2007-11-09
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Trade.
action_date: 2007-10-10
text: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Education and Labor, Energy and Commerce, and Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2007-10-10
text: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Education and Labor, Energy and Commerce, and Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2007-10-10
text: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Education and Labor, Energy and Commerce, and Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2007-10-10
text: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Education and Labor, Energy and Commerce, and Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2007-10-10
text: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Education and Labor, Energy and Commerce, and Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2007-10-10
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2007-10-10
text: Introduced in House