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Smith Statement on Passage of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and the Dominican Republic - Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR)

August 3, 2012

Congressman Adam Smith (WA-09) made the following statement regarding passage of legislation in the House and Senate extending expiring provisions of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) implementing technical corrections to the textile provisions of the Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) and renewing expiring sanctions on Burma:
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Congressman Adam Smith (WA-09) made the following statement regarding passage of legislation in the House and Senate extending expiring provisions of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) implementing technical corrections to the textile provisions of the Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) and renewing expiring sanctions on Burma:

“This legislation is significant step in boosting our trade and investment ties with Africa and Central America while supporting job growth in the United States.

“AGOA is the cornerstone of our trade policy with sub-Saharan Africa and underscores our commitment to sustainable development in the region. This bill extends the third country fabric provision that is crucial to the sustainability of Africa’s textile and apparel industry, aiding in the continued success of the AGOA program. It also makes the world’s newest country, the Republic of South Sudan eligible to participate in AGOA.

“With the corrections and modifications to the rules of origin for textile and apparel products, CAFTA will help create American jobs and improve trade integration by encouraging greater use of U.S. inputs in CAFTA-DR countries.

“While Burma has made progress on critical reforms over the past year, more must be done. Extending the President’s authority to ban imports from the country will encourage further action, particularly with regard to respect for human rights.

“I’m pleased at the bi-partisan support for passage of this legislation. I will work with my colleagues to ensure we continue to advance policies that support and strengthen our domestic economy while strengthening and expanding critical trade relationships with countries around the world.”

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Smith Receives Corporate Voices for Working Families and Working Mother Media Best of Congress Award

July 26, 2012

Congressman Adam Smith (WA-09), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, has been chosen as a 2012 Best of Congress Award recipient by Corporate Voices for Working Families and Working Mother Media for his demonstrated leadership on and support of policies that create opportunities and improve the quality of life for working Americans and their families.
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Congressman Adam Smith (WA-09), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, has been chosen as a 2012 Best of Congress Award recipient by Corporate Voices for Working Families and Working Mother Media for his demonstrated leadership on and support of policies that create opportunities and improve the quality of life for working Americans and their families.

Winning Members of Congress were chosen by the Best of Congress Steering Committee based on their achievements, voting records, office policies and advocacy efforts to advance economically sound policies that support the following issues: Workplace Flexibility, Family Economic Stability, Work and Family balance and Workforce Readiness.

“All people should have the opportunity to work and still be there to meet their family’s needs,” said Congressman Smith. “Policies that support the balance between work and family are critical to maintaining a healthy quality of life for all Americans and to enhancing productivity in the workplace.” 

Notable working-family friendly policies sponsored and supported by Congressman Smith include:

  • H.R. 6046 – Military Spouses Equal Treatment Act of 2012 – Ensures equality of military and veteran benefits for all military spouses.
  • H.R. 687 - Military Spouses Employment Act - Gives tax incentives to employers for hiring spouses of active duty members.
  • H.R. 865 - Veteran Employment Transition Act of 2011- Increases the eligibility of veterans to receive the Work Opportunity Tax Credit
  • H.R.1519 - Paycheck Fairness Act - Amends the portion of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) known as the Equal Pay Act to revise remedies for, enforcement of, and exceptions to prohibitions against sex discrimination in the payment of wages.
  • H.R. 2364 - Family and Medical Leave Inclusion Act - Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 to provide for employee leave to care for a domestic partner or his or her child, parent-in-law, adult child, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, son-in-law, or daughter-in-law (as well as for a spouse, child, or parent), if such person has a serious health condition.
  • H.R. 1537 - Uniting American Families Act of 2011 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to include a "permanent partner" within the scope of such Act.

The 2012 Best of Congress Winner profiles can be seen online at WorkingMother.com and will be included in the August/September issue of Working Mother magazine.

For more information on Congressman Smith’s efforts on behalf of working families, visit www.AdamSmith.House.gov/AmericasWorkers. 

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Smith to Receive AUSA Outstanding Legislator Award

July 25, 2012

Congressman Adam Smith (WA-09), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, will receive the 14th Annual Outstanding Legislator Award from the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) on Wednesday July 25, 2012. AUSA President Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan, USA, Ret. will present the award during the organization’s Capitol Hill ceremony.
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Congressman Adam Smith (WA-09), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, will receive the 14th Annual Outstanding Legislator Award from the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) on Wednesday, July 25, 2012.  AUSA President Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan, USA, Ret. will present the award during the organization’s Capitol Hill ceremony.

Congressman Smith will receive the award for his advocacy on behalf of military personnel and their families. He is also being awarded for his efforts to improve efficiencies and the elimination of waste, fraud and abuse in the Department of Defense.  Previous AUSA Outstanding Legislator Award recipients include Rep. Norm Dicks and Sen. Patty Murray.

“It is an honor to work on behalf of the men and women of our military,” said Congressman Smith. “I thank the AUSA for this award and will continue my efforts to ensure our military has the resources it needs to fulfill its missions and to make sure our veterans and their families know their service is not taken for granted once they return home.”

AUSA is a private, non-profit educational organization that supports America's Army - Active, National Guard, Reserve, Civilians, Retirees, Government Civilians, Wounded Warriors, Veterans, and family members. AUSA provides numerous Professional Development Opportunities at a variety of events both local and national. Since 1950, the Association of the United States Army has worked to support all aspects of national security while advancing the interests of America's Army and the men and women who serve.

For more information on Congressman Smith’s efforts on behalf of the military, visit www.AdamSmith.House.gov/armedservices. 

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Smith Statement on Gov. Gregoire's Appointment of Brigadier General Bret Daugherty as Adjutant General of Washington State

July 23, 2012

Congressman Adam Smith (WA-09) made the following statement after Gov. Chris Gregoire announced Brigadier General Bret D. Daugherty as Adjutant General of the State of Washington. General Daugherty will replace Major General Timothy J. Lowenberg who is retiring after 44 years of military service:
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Congressman Adam Smith (WA-09) made the following statement after Gov. Chris Gregoire announced Brigadier General Bret D. Daugherty as Adjutant General of the State of Washington. General Daugherty will replace Major General Timothy J. Lowenberg who is retiring after 44 years of military service:

“General Daugherty is a respected leader whose lifetime of service and background in military issues will allow him to serve the soldiers and airmen within the Washington National Guard well. He has proven his commitment to the training and development of our troops and will now use his skills to maintain the high quality of our state’s emergency preparedness.

“I congratulate General Daugherty on his appointment and thank General Lowenberg for four decades of outstanding service to our state. I also look forward to working closely with General Daugherty within the coming months."

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Smith Statement on Introduction of House Bipartisan Legislation on PNTR for Russia and Moldova

July 20, 2012

Congressman Adam Smith (WA-09), Ranking Member of the Armed Services Committee, made the following statement after the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Ways and Means Committee announced they are cosponsoring legislation to terminate Jackson-Vanik status for Russia and Moldova, allowing Permanent Normal Trade Relations to be granted. They expect to mark up the legislation next week.
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Congressman Adam Smith (WA-09), Ranking Member of the Armed Services Committee, made the following statement  after the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Ways and Means Committee announced they are cosponsoring legislation to terminate Jackson-Vanik status for Russia and Moldova, allowing Permanent Normal Trade Relations to be granted. They expect to mark up the legislation next week.

"While this legislation removes Russia from the Jackson-Vanik amendment, I am pleased the leadership of the Ways and Means Committee has indicated they support including the Magnitsky legislation on human rights before it comes to the floor. The underlying bill promotes rule of law in Russia and addresses significant enforcement concerns, particularly on the protection of intellectual property rights and Russia’s compliance with WTO obligations. If Russia joins the WTO in the next few weeks as expected, passage of this legislation will mean growth for American industry and workers by taking advantage of reduction in barriers to U.S. exports from the beginning.

"While this is a positive step forward for American job growth, I remain particularly concerned about Russian international engagement and the ongoing violence in Syria. Russia must continue to work diligenty with the international community to arrive at an acceptable solution to the humanitarian crisis."

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