Haiti Economic Lift Program Extension Act
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Murphy (for himself and Mr. Smith of Nebraska) introduced …
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Haiti Economic Lift Program Extension Act extends duty-free trade preferences for Haitian goods, particularly apparel, through December 31, 2028. The bill continues a long-standing program that allows certain Haitian products to enter the US without paying import tariffs, helping to support Haiti's economy and manufacturing sector.
Who Benefits and How
Haitian apparel manufacturers and textile workers benefit from continued access to the US market without tariffs, allowing them to remain competitive. US retailers and apparel importers that source from Haiti (like many major clothing brands) benefit through lower costs on imported goods, which can translate to lower prices for consumers. The bill also restores eligibility for Haitian products that lost preferential treatment due to technical tariff schedule changes since 2006.
Who Bears the Burden and How
US domestic apparel manufacturers face increased competition from duty-free Haitian imports. The US Treasury loses tariff revenue that would otherwise be collected on these imports. US Customs and Border Protection faces additional administrative work processing retroactive refund claims for duties paid during the gap period when preferences had lapsed (after September 30, 2025).
Key Provisions
- Extends duty-free treatment for Haitian apparel under the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act until December 31, 2028
- Maintains the 60% domestic content threshold and 1.25% quantitative cap on duty-free apparel imports
- Restores eligibility for Haitian products that lost preferential status due to Harmonized Tariff Schedule revisions after December 2006
- Provides retroactive relief allowing importers to claim refunds on duties paid between September 30, 2025 and the bill's enactment
- Requires refund claims to be filed within 180 days, with payments made within 90 days
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Extends and restores duty-free preferential trade treatment for apparel and other articles imported from Haiti under the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act through December 31, 2028.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Extend existing preferential trade program for Haiti beyond its expiration date to continue supporting Haitian apparel manufacturing and economic development through duty-free access to US markets"
Likely Beneficiaries
- Haitian apparel manufacturers
- US apparel importers and retailers sourcing from Haiti
- Haitian textile workers
- US consumers (lower prices on Haitian goods)
Likely Burden Bearers
- US Treasury (forgone tariff revenue)
- Domestic US apparel manufacturers (increased competition from duty-free imports)
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_president"
- → President of the United States
- "the_commissioner"
- → Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
An article from Haiti
Includes a withdrawal from warehouse for consumption
60 percent or more on and after December 20, 2017
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology