[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 616 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







104th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 616

 To amend the Tariff Act of 1930 to provide parity between the United 
 States and certain free trade agreement countries with respect to the 
   exemption for personal and household effects purchased abroad by 
              returning residents, and for other purposes.


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                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

               March 24 (legislative day, March 23), 1995

 Mr. Bingaman introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
                  referred to the Committee on Finance

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                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Tariff Act of 1930 to provide parity between the United 
 States and certain free trade agreement countries with respect to the 
   exemption for personal and household effects purchased abroad by 
              returning residents, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. DUTY-FREE TREATMENT FOR PERSONAL AND HOUSEHOLD GOODS.

    (a) In General.--Section 321(b) of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 
U.S.C. 1321(b)) is amended by striking ``The Secretary'' and inserting 
``(1) The Secretary'', and by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph:
            ``(2) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, in the 
        case of returning residents and nonresidents arriving in the 
        United States from a country--
                    ``(A) that is contiguous to the United States, and
                    ``(B) with respect to which the United States has a 
                free trade agreement,
        the amount of the exemption provided pursuant to this section 
        shall not exceed an amount equal to the exemption for personal 
        and household effects acquired in the United States provided by 
        such country to residents returning to (or nonresidents 
        arriving in) such country.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by this section shall apply 
to goods described in section 321(a)(2) of the Tariff Act of 1930, that 
are entered or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption on or after the 
date that is 15 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.
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