House votes to extend Africa trade preferences

The House voted Thursday morning to extend trade benefits for the textile and apparel industries in Africa for three more years, and also extend those benefits to South Sudan.

Members approved H.R. 5986 by a voice vote, after a debate in which members of both parties congratulated themselves for maintaining these benefits through the end of fiscal 2015. The bill extends preferred access to the U.S. market for textiles and apparel under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).

"AGOA has succeeded in deepening trade and investment ties with sub-Saharan Africa and underscoring U.S. commitment to the region," House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.) said. "The apparel industry has been a major driver of employment growth in Africa under AGOA."

The bill also makes a technical fix to the Dominican Republican-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement, and allows for extended sanctions against Burma.