As the USITC prepares for the second cycle of the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB) petition process required by the American Manufacturing Competitiveness Act of 2016, it has been reviewing the 2016-2017 cycle and considering improvements.

The Commission made its interim MTB rules final in December 2018.  It is now proposing amendments to these rules and seeking public comment.

The proposed amendments seek to clarify what is required of both petitioners and commenters who expect to participate in the upcoming 2019-2020 cycle.

The public will have until April 15, 2019, to review the proposed amendments and file comments.  The Commission will consider all comments received and then publish a notice of final rulemaking in the Federal Register.  The Commission expects to publish the final rules by early Summer 2019.

Any comments submitted should include the following identifying information:  “Docket Number MISC-046, Rulemaking Regarding Petitions for Duty Suspensions/Reductions.”  All comments received will be posted, without change, to the Commission’s Electronic Document Information System (EDIS) on the Commission’s web site.  Comments may be filed directly with the Commission through EDIS at https://edis.usitc.gov; users should follow instructions for submitting comments as noted on the site.  The Commission will also accept comments filed through the Federal eRulemaking Portal (https://www.regulations.gov), by mail, or by hand delivery/courier.  Details can be found in the “ADDRESSES” section of the Federal Register notice below.

View the proposed amendments to the MTB rules here:  https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/03/14/2019-04095/submission-and-consideration-of-petitions-for-duty-suspensions-and-reductions