WASHINGTON,
DC – Today
, U.S.
Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) hosted a news conference call to discuss recent
developments on his
Eliminating Global Market Distortions to Protect
American Jobs Act – also called
Leveling the Playing Field 2.0 – which
would help
Ohio manufacturers and their workers
fight back against unfair competition from countries like China. The
legislation recently
passed
the House of Representatives as part of the larger competition package, the
America
COMPETES Act of 2022. The Senate passed its version of the
COMPETES
Act, called the
U.S.
Innovation and Competition Act, last summer.
“Ohio
companies face unfair foreign competition. And China is always coming up with
new ways to skirt the rules and distort the global market. Our bill will help
us address new problems with new, innovative tools. It will allow us to crack
down on repeat offenders and serial cheaters,” said Brown. “Ohio companies and
Ohio jobs are depending on us to get this done. Senator Portman and I are
working together on this, and we will push to make sure Leveling the Playing
Field is in any final bill the House and Senate negotiate.”
Brown
and Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH)
introduced
the legislation in April, which would strengthen U.S. trade remedy laws and
ensure they remain effective tools to fight back against unfair trade practices
and protect American workers. Brown’s legislation builds on the success of his
2015 legislation, the original
Leveling
the Playing Field Act,
which led to key wins for Ohio companies. The new law would establish the new
concept of “successive investigations” to improve how effective the U.S. trade
remedy system is in responding to repeat offenders and serial cheaters –
helping to level the playing field for American workers.
Brown
was joined on the call by P. Jeffrey Pizzola, who is the Chief Financial
Officer and Chief Operating Officer for the American Kenda Rubber Industrial
Company and the Chief Commercial Officer and Chief
Financial Officer for Americana Development Incorporated.
“Now more than ever our country’s manufacturers rely on a level
playing field to compete against growing unfair trade practices. At Americana
Development, Inc. and our Dexstar division, our company and our employees know
the importance of the trade laws and we applaud Congress for moving the America
COMPETES Act of 2022 forward,” said Pizzola. “We are especially grateful to Senator Sherrod
Brown for his leadership and commitment to Ohio manufacturers and workers to
move this legislation forward. We will work with the Senate to ensure this
measure crosses the finish line.”
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