Owens co-sponsors ENFORCE Act

U.S. Rep. Bill Owens, D-Plattsburgh, announced today he is co-sponsoring the Enforcing Orders and Reducing Circumvention and Evasion (ENFORCE) Act.

The bill would hold "foreign nations accountable who explicitly evade international trade laws and hurt American manufacturers," according to a press release issued by Owens spokesman Sean Magers.

"If passed, this bill will be a big win for domestic manufacturers," Owens said in a prepared statement. "China continues to evade U.S. trade enforcement policies that are designed to protect domestic manufacturers. This legislation sends a clear message that we will not stand by as other countries break the rules and undercut American manufacturers."

Owens said foreign exporters from China and other countries "have been known to intentionally mislabel shipments and reroute products through third-party countries in an effort to deceive U.S. customs officials and circumvent U.S. trade laws."

The bill has bipartisan support, Owens said. It would target countries that evade customs payments by "speeding up the investigation process through shorter enforcement timelines and requiring larger bond postings from evasion suspects." It would also create a framework to investigate misidentified foreign goods, and allow domestic companies to petition customs to investigate perceived illegal practices.