New bipartisan bill wants to boost bike assembly in the US
Two US Congress representatives have brought forward a "US Bicycle Production and Assembly Act," suggesting the removal of import duties on components used to build bikes in the United States, making it more financially viable to assemble bikes domestically. Presented by bipartisan reps. Vern Buchanan and Mike Thompson, the bill covers traditional bikes, e-bikes, and tricycles, and would effectively suspend duties on a wide range of bike parts used in the assembly.
It also includes ambitious targets, suggesting two million bicycles could be assembled annually within five years of the act's passage and five million annually within ten years.
Last year, a similar piece of legislation, the "Domestic Bicycle Production Act," was introduced by then-Representative Earl Blumenauer. However, it failed to gain bipartisan support.
