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News Release 17-088
Contact: Peg O'Laughlin, 202-205-1819
The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC or Commission) today submitted to Congressional committees a preliminary report on miscellaneous tariff petitions it received under the 2016 American Manufacturing Competitiveness Act (AMCA).
Under the AMCA, USITC is required to receive, analyze, and report on petitions seeking temporary duty suspensions and reductions. The law requires the Commission to deliver its preliminary report to the House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means and the Senate Committee on Finance. The USITC will ultimately submit a final report to the Committees for their use in developing a miscellaneous tariff bill for Congressional consideration.
The Commission’s preliminary report and other background information can be found here: https://mtbps.usitc.gov/external/.
In the reports, the Commission categorizes petitions as either (a) petitions that meet the requirements of the Act with or without modification (Category I, II, III, or IV petitions), (b) petitions that do not contain the information required by the Act or that were not filed by a likely beneficiary (Category V petitions), or (c) petitions that the Commission does not recommend for inclusion in a miscellaneous tariff bill (Category VI petitions).
The Commission’s preliminary report provides recommendations on 2,536 petitions. The largest product categories were chemicals, accounting for 1,473 petitions; machinery and equipment, accounting for 457 petitions; and textiles, apparel and footwear, accounting for 459 petitions. Of the 2,536 petitions, the Commission assigned 1,719 to Categories I through IV, 54 to Category V, and 763 to Category VI.
Commission seeks limited additional comments
The Commission will re-open its Miscellaneous Tariff Bill Petition System portal on Monday, June 12, 2017, to allow the public to submit additional, limited public comments on petitions that the Commission in its preliminary report has included as Category VI petitions (i.e., petitions that the Commission does not recommend for inclusion in a miscellaneous tariff bill by Congress).
- The Commission will re-open the portal for comments on June 12, 2017, at 8:45 a.m. for a period of 10 days, and will close the portal on June 21, 2017, at 5:15 p.m.
- The Commission will only accept information from the public that relates to its decision to place these petitions into Category VI as part of its preliminary report.
- Should Commission staff have questions about the information submitted during this limited comment period, they will contact the individual listed as a contact in the comment for clarification.
The Commission has issued a notice formally announcing the opening of this comment period. This notice contains further instructions on the type of information that may be filed and the manner in which it can be filed, including the process for handling confidential business information.
The Commission will deliver its final report to the Committees by August 8, 2017.
Enacted in May 2016, the AMCA mandates two petition submission cycles, during which petitioners who can demonstrate that they are likely beneficiaries of a suspension or reduction of duties submit petitions to the USITC. The first cycle began October 15, 2016, and the second will begin by October 15, 2019. Once petitions are submitted, the USITC must then evaluate the petitions and determine whether they meet certain statutory requirements. The USITC will ultimately submit preliminary and final reports to the House Committee on Ways and Means and the Senate Committee on Finance for their use in developing a miscellaneous tariff bill for Congressional consideration.