HELP Act blessing for DR free zones

[NewsWhore]

The H.R. 5160 Haiti Economic Lift Program Act of 2010 (HELP), passed after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, is benefiting manufacturing in the DR. Both the United States Senate and House versions of the bill acknowledged at the time that as almost all factories and infrastructure in Haiti were destroyed by the earthquake, the most practical solution would be to transfer manufacturing operations to DR factories, which were already lacking contract work. There are more than 168 textile companies in the DR, many of which can now benefit from the HELP Act. Some 24 textile companies operated in Haiti before 12 January, but most did not survive the earthquake. The bill was introduced on 28 April 2010, and signed into law by US President Barack Obama on 24 May. The bill makes it possible for companies to export duty free to the States regardless of the origin of the fabric. Many big names in clothing in the US manufacture clothing in the DR.
The Act was submitted by New York representative Charles Rangel. The DR is already the largest employer of Haitians, with hundreds of thousands of illegal migrants living and working in the DR. Haitian students are given the same treatment as Dominican citizens, with free education in public schools and local universities since before the earthquake.
www.dominican-garment-and-regional-textile-database.org/ (http://www.dominican-garment-and-regional-textile-database.org/)
http://thomas.loc.gov/home/gpoxmlc111/h5160_ih.xml
www.beheard.com/bills/BillText.aahx?id=11113275&draft=is (http://www.beheard.com/bills/BillText.aahx?id=11113275&draft=is)

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