[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 241 (Wednesday, December 16, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Page 78172]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-31598]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
Limitation of Duty-Free Imports of Apparel Articles Assembled in
Haiti Under the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (CBERA), as
Amended by the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity Through Partnership
Encouragement Act (HOPE)
AGENCY: International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of
Commerce.
ACTION: Notification of Annual Quantitative Limit on Imports of Certain
Apparel from Haiti.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: CBERA, as amended, provides duty-free treatment for certain
apparel articles imported directly from Haiti. One of the preferences
is known as the ``value-added'' provision, which requires that apparel
meet a minimum threshold percentage of value added in Haiti, the United
States, and/or certain beneficiary countries. The provision is subject
to a quantitative limitation, which is calculated as a percentage of
total apparel imports into the United States for each 12-month annual
period. For the annual period from December 20, 2015 through December
19, 2016, the quantity of imports eligible for preferential treatment
under the value- added provision is 350,962,661 square meters
equivalent.
DATED: Effective Date: December 20, 2015.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laurie Mease, International Trade
Specialist, Office of Textiles and Apparel, U.S. Department of
Commerce, (202) 482-3400.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Authority: Section 213A of the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery
Act (19 U.S.C. 2703a)
(``CBERA''), as amended by the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity
through Partnership Encouragement Act of 2006 (``HOPE'') (Title V of
the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006), the Haitian Hemispheric
Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement Act of 2008 (``HOPE II'')
(Subtitle D of Title XV of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of
2008), the Haiti Economic Lift Program Act of 2010 (``HELP''), and the
Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015; and as implemented by
Presidential Proc. No. 8114, 72 FR 13655 (March 22, 2007), and No.
8596, 75 FR 68153 (November 4, 2010).
Background: Section 213A(b)(1)(B) of CBERA, as amended (19 U.S.C.
2703a(b)(1)(B)), outlines the requirements for certain apparel articles
imported directly from Haiti to qualify for duty-free treatment under a
``value-added'' provision. In order to qualify for duty-free treatment,
apparel articles must be wholly assembled, or knit-to-shape, in Haiti
from any combination of fabrics, fabric components, components knit-to-
shape, and yarns, as long as the sum of the cost or value of materials
produced in Haiti or one or more beneficiary countries, as described in
CBERA, as amended, or any combination thereof, plus the direct costs of
processing operations performed in Haiti or one or more beneficiary
countries, as described in CBERA, as amended, or any combination
thereof, is not less than an applicable percentage of the declared
customs value of such apparel articles. Pursuant to CBERA, as amended,
the applicable percentage for the period December 20, 2015 through
December 19, 2016 is 55 percent. For every 12-month period following
the effective date of CBERA, as amended, duty-free treatment under the
value-added provision is subject to a quantitative limitation. CBERA,
as amended, provides that the quantitative limitation will be
recalculated for each subsequent 12- month period. Section 213A
(b)(1)(C) of CBERA, as amended (19 U.S.C. 2703a(b)(1)(C)), requires
that, for the 12-month period beginning on December 20, 2015, the
quantitative limitation for qualifying apparel imported from Haiti
under the value-added provision will be an amount equivalent to 1.25
percent of the aggregate square meter equivalent of all apparel
articles imported into the United States in the most recent 12-month
period for which data are available. The aggregate square meters
equivalent of all apparel articles imported into the United States is
derived from the set of Harmonized System lines listed in the Annex to
the World Trade Organization Agreement on Textiles and Clothing
(``ATC''), and the conversion factors for units of measure into square
meter equivalents used by the United States in implementing the ATC.
For purposes of this notice, the most recent 12-month period for which
data are available as of December 20, 2015 is the 12-month period
ending on October 31, 2015.
Therefore, for the one-year period beginning on December 20, 2015
and extending through December 19, 2016, the quantity of imports
eligible for preferential treatment under the value- added provision is
350,962,661 square meters equivalent. Apparel articles entered in
excess of these quantities will be subject to otherwise applicable
tariffs.
Dated: December 10, 2015.
Joshua Teitelbaum,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Textiles, Consumer Goods and Materials.
[FR Doc. 2015-31598 Filed 12-15-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DR-P