[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 975 Engrossed in House (EH)]


  1st Session

                               H. R. 975

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT

   To provide for a reduction in the volume of steel imports, and to 
     establish a steel import notification and monitoring program.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 975

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
   To provide for a reduction in the volume of steel imports, and to 
     establish a steel import notification and monitoring program.

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

SECTION 1. REDUCTION IN VOLUME OF STEEL IMPORTS.

    (a) Reduction.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, within 
60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President 
shall take the necessary steps, by imposing quotas, tariff surcharges, 
negotiated enforceable voluntary export restraint agreements, or 
otherwise, to ensure that the volume of steel products imported into 
the United States during any month does not exceed the average volume 
of steel products that was imported monthly into the United States 
during the 36-month period preceding July 1997.
    (b) Enforcement Authority.--Within 60 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Treasury, through the 
United States Customs Service, and the Secretary of Commerce shall 
implement a program for administering and enforcing the restraints on 
imports under subsection (a). The Customs Service is authorized to 
refuse entry into the customs territory of the United States of any 
steel products that exceed the allowable levels of imports of such 
products.
    (c) Applicability.--
            (1) Categories.--This section shall apply to the following 
        categories of steel products: semifinished, plates, sheets and 
        strips, wire rods, wire and wire products, rail type products, 
        bars, structural shapes and units, pipes and tubes, iron ore, 
        and coke products.
            (2) Volume.--Volume of steel products for purposes of this 
        section shall be determined on the basis of tonnage of such 
        products.
    (d) Expiration.--This section shall expire at the end of the 3-year 
period beginning 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 2. STEEL IMPORT NOTIFICATION AND MONITORING PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 30 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with 
the Secretary of the Treasury, shall establish and implement a steel 
import notification and monitoring program. The program shall include a 
requirement that any person importing a product classified under 
chapter 72 or 73 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States 
obtain an import notification certificate before such products are 
entered into the United States.
    (b) Steel Import Notification Certificates.--
            (1) In general.--In order to obtain a steel import 
        notification certificate, an importer shall submit to the 
        Secretary of Commerce an application containing--
                    (A) the importer's name and address;
                    (B) the name and address of the supplier of the 
                goods to be imported;
                    (C) the name and address of the producer of the 
                goods to be imported;
                    (D) the country of origin of the goods;
                    (E) the country from which the goods are to be 
                imported;
                    (F) the United States Customs port of entry where 
                the goods will be entered;
                    (G) the expected date of entry of the goods into 
                the United States;
                    (H) a description of the goods, including the 
                classification of such goods under the Harmonized 
                Tariff Schedule of the United States;
                    (I) the quantity (in kilograms and net tons) of the 
                goods to be imported;
                    (J) the cost insurance freight (CIF) and free 
                alongside ship (FAS) values of the goods to be entered;
                    (K) whether the goods are being entered for 
                consumption or for entry into a bonded warehouse or 
                foreign trade zone;
                    (L) a certification that the information furnished 
                in the certificate application is correct; and
                    (M) any other information the Secretary of Commerce 
                determines to be necessary and appropriate.
            (2) Entry into customs territory.--In the case of 
        merchandise classified under chapter 72 or 73 of the Harmonized 
        Tariff Schedule of the United States that is initially entered 
        into a bonded warehouse or foreign trade zone, a steel import 
        notification certificate shall be required before the 
        merchandise is entered into the customs territory of the United 
        States.
            (3) Issuance of steel import notification certificate.--The 
        Secretary of Commerce shall issue a steel import notification 
        certificate to any person who files an application that meets 
        the requirements of this section. Such certificate shall be 
        valid for a period of 30 days from the date of issuance.
    (c) Statistical Information.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of Commerce shall compile 
        and publish on a weekly basis information described in 
        paragraph (2).
            (2) Information described.--Information described in this 
        paragraph means information obtained from steel import 
        notification certificate applications concerning steel imported 
        into the United States and includes with respect to such 
        imports the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States 
        classification (to the tenth digit), the country of origin, the 
        port of entry, quantity, value of steel imported, and whether 
        the imports are entered for consumption or are entered into a 
        bonded warehouse or foreign trade zone. Such information shall 
        also be compiled in aggregate form and made publicly available 
        by the Secretary of Commerce on a weekly basis by public 
        posting through an Internet website. The information provided 
        under this section shall be in addition to any information 
        otherwise required by law.
    (d) Fees.--The Secretary of Commerce may prescribe reasonable fees 
and charges to defray the costs of carrying out the provisions of this 
section, including a fee for issuing a certificate under this section.
    (e) Single Producer and Exporter Countries.--Notwithstanding any 
other provision of law, the Secretary of Commerce shall make publicly 
available all information required to be released pursuant to 
subsection (c), including information obtained regarding imports from a 
foreign producer or exporter that is the only producer or exporter of 
goods subject to this section from a foreign country.
    (f) Regulations.--The Secretary of Commerce may prescribe such 
rules and regulations relating to the steel import notification and 
monitoring program as may be necessary to carry the provisions of this 
section.

            Passed the House of Representatives March 17, 1999.

            Attest:

                                                                 Clerk.