Monday, February 25, 2008
Tweet[IWS] CRS: TRADE ADJUSTMENT ASSISTANCE (TAA) for WORKERS: Current Issues and Legislation [20 February 2008]
IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
Congressional Research Service (CRS)
Order Code RL34383
Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) for Workers: Current Issues and Legislation
February 20, 2008
John J. Topoleski, Analyst in Income Security, Domestic Social Policy Division
http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RL34383_20080220.pdf
[full-text, 12 pages]
Summary
Trade Adjustment Assistance consists of several programs: Trade Adjustment
Assistance for Workers (TAA), Alternative Trade Adjustment Assistance (ATAA),
Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms, Trade Adjustment Assistance for Farmers,
and a Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC). This report addresses the TAA and
ATAA programs, as well as the HCTC. TAA and ATAA provide income support
and other assistance to qualifying workers who lose their jobs directly due to
increased imports or shifts in production out of the United States. The HCTC
provides a refundable tax credit to offset 65% of the health insurance premiums of
TAA- and ATAA-eligible workers.
The Trade Adjustment Assistance programs were set to expire on September 30,
2007. P.L. 110-89 extended the programs through December 31, 2007. H.R. 4341,
which would further extend the programs through March 31, 2008, was passed by the
House on December 11, 2007. As of February 20, 2008, the Senate has not acted on
the measure. However, P.L. 110-161, signed by President George W. Bush on
December 26, 2007, fully funds TAA and ATAA through September 30, 2008. The
Department of Labor has indicated that this is sufficient to continue the programs
through the end of the fiscal year, including issuing new certifications of eligible
workers.
This report provides background on TAA and ATAA, summarizes key issues
related to reauthorization, and briefly describes bills in the 110th Congress that affect
the TAA and ATAA programs. These bills are H.R. 3920, H.R. 2764, H.R. 4341,
H.R. 3375, H.R. 3943, H.R. 3801, H.R. 910, S. 1848, S. 122, H.R. 1729, S. 1652, S.
1739, H.R. 3589, and H.R. 3843. This report will be updated as legislative activity
warrants.
Contents
Background on Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) and
Alternative Trade Adjustment Assistance (ATAA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
TAA and ATAA Reauthorization Issues in the 110th Congress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
TAA and ATAA Legislation in the 110th Congress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Bills to Temporarily Extend TAA and ATAA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Bills to Reauthorize TAA and ATAA in the House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Bills to Reauthorize TAA and ATAA in the Senate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Other Related Bills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
Congressional Research Service (CRS)
Order Code RL34383
Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) for Workers: Current Issues and Legislation
February 20, 2008
John J. Topoleski, Analyst in Income Security, Domestic Social Policy Division
http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RL34383_20080220.pdf
[full-text, 12 pages]
Summary
Trade Adjustment Assistance consists of several programs: Trade Adjustment
Assistance for Workers (TAA), Alternative Trade Adjustment Assistance (ATAA),
Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms, Trade Adjustment Assistance for Farmers,
and a Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC). This report addresses the TAA and
ATAA programs, as well as the HCTC. TAA and ATAA provide income support
and other assistance to qualifying workers who lose their jobs directly due to
increased imports or shifts in production out of the United States. The HCTC
provides a refundable tax credit to offset 65% of the health insurance premiums of
TAA- and ATAA-eligible workers.
The Trade Adjustment Assistance programs were set to expire on September 30,
2007. P.L. 110-89 extended the programs through December 31, 2007. H.R. 4341,
which would further extend the programs through March 31, 2008, was passed by the
House on December 11, 2007. As of February 20, 2008, the Senate has not acted on
the measure. However, P.L. 110-161, signed by President George W. Bush on
December 26, 2007, fully funds TAA and ATAA through September 30, 2008. The
Department of Labor has indicated that this is sufficient to continue the programs
through the end of the fiscal year, including issuing new certifications of eligible
workers.
This report provides background on TAA and ATAA, summarizes key issues
related to reauthorization, and briefly describes bills in the 110th Congress that affect
the TAA and ATAA programs. These bills are H.R. 3920, H.R. 2764, H.R. 4341,
H.R. 3375, H.R. 3943, H.R. 3801, H.R. 910, S. 1848, S. 122, H.R. 1729, S. 1652, S.
1739, H.R. 3589, and H.R. 3843. This report will be updated as legislative activity
warrants.
Contents
Background on Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) and
Alternative Trade Adjustment Assistance (ATAA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
TAA and ATAA Reauthorization Issues in the 110th Congress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
TAA and ATAA Legislation in the 110th Congress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Bills to Temporarily Extend TAA and ATAA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Bills to Reauthorize TAA and ATAA in the House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Bills to Reauthorize TAA and ATAA in the Senate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Other Related Bills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************
# posted by SBasefsky : 9:27 AM
