The House of Representatives passed by voice vote Feb. 27 a bill extending the Andean Trade Preference Act through Dec. 31. It is unclear whether the Senate will act on the bill (H.R. 5264) before ATPA preferences for Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru expire Feb. 29. If the program expires before it is reauthorized, it is likely that provision will be made for retroactive refunds.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and a bipartisan congressional delegation that recently returned from visiting Ecuador and Bolivia submitted letters to House members earlier this week urging them to approve the ATPA extension.