Max Baucus: “one of Aesop's Fables teaches us, ``In union there is strength.'' In 2009, Haiti's future was beginning to strengthen. A…”

“one of Aesop's Fables teaches us, ``In union there is strength.'' In 2009, Haiti's future was beginning to strengthen. A U.S. trade preference program, known as the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement Act, or HOPE II, created incentives to increase textile and apparel production in Haiti. As a result, Haiti's textile and apparel sector was growing, creating new jobs and a viable economic future. But on January 12, 2010, Haiti was struck by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that took hundreds of thousands of lives, left a million people homeless, and shattered Haiti's burgeoning economy. As Haiti recovers from this devastation, we must unite with our neighbor to help provide the strength that it needs to recover and rebuild. Today, Senator Grassley and I introduce the Haiti Economic Lift Program Act of 2010--the HELP Act--to strengthen Haiti's path to economic recovery. The HELP Act would build on the success of the HOPE Act by expanding access to the U.S. market for textile and apparel products from Haiti.”