Member of both the U.S. House of Representative and the U.S. Senate this week introduced the U.S. OUTDOOR Act addressing high tarrifs on outdoor outerwear. The bill was introduced in the House Reps Dave Reichert (R-WA) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and in the U.S. Senate by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Kelly Ayotte (R-NH). Developed in close consultation with the outdoor industry, the U.S. textile industry, and congressional representatives, this bipartisan piece of legislation will lower costs for outdoor industry businesses, prevent rising retail prices for consumers and spur innovation by U.S. companies, says its proponents.
Among other things, creates unique classifications specific to recreation performance outerwear high-tech apparel, designed especially for outdoor recreation such as hiking, biking, skiing or snowboarding, hunting, fishing, paddling and other recreational activities, in the U.S. Harmonized Tariff Schedule, and eliminates onerous duties on these new classifications
According to the International Trade Commission, there is no commercially viable manufacturing of recreational performance outwear in the U.S.　 In fact, the bill has been thoroughly vetted with the domestic textile and apparel industry to ensure that none of the products covered by the bill are produced in the U.S.
The high tariffs that remain (some as high as 30 percent) make it harder for millions of Americans to enjoy outdoor recreation in our parks and public lands and, at the same time, stifle innovation, economic growth and the creation of new jobs.　If enacted, the bill will add to the $646 billion in consumer spending and the 6.1 million jobs generated by the outdoor industry, says OIA, which supports the bill.
Original co-sponsors of the legislation include Representatives Greg Walden (R-OR), Mike Thompson (D-CA), Erik Paulsen (R-MN), and Jared Polis (D-CO) in the House and Senators Roy Blunt (R-MO), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Rob Portman (R-OH), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) in the Senate.
