[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 518 Introduced in House (IH)]
107th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 518
To amend the Trade Act of 1974, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 7, 2001
Mr. Regula introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Ways and Means
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Trade Act of 1974, 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. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Trade Fairness Act of 2001''.
SEC. 2. RELIEF FROM INJURY.
(a) Test for Positive Adjustment to Import Competition.--Section
201(a) of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2251(a)) is amended by
striking ``substantial''.
(b) Investigations and Determinations.--Section 202 of such Act (19
U.S.C. 2252) is amended--
(1) in subsection (b)(1)(A), by striking ``substantial'';
(2) by amending subsection (b)(1)(B) to read as follows:
``(B) Imports shall be considered to be a `cause of serious
injury, or the threat thereof,' if a causal link is established
between imports and injury to the domestic industry.'';
(3) by amending subsection (c)(1)(A) to read as follows:
``(A) with respect to serious injury--
``(i) the rate and amount of the increase
in imports of the product concerned in absolute
and relative terms;
``(ii) the share of the domestic market
taken by increased imports;
``(iii) changes in the level of sales;
``(iv) production;
``(v) productivity;
``(vi) capacity utilization;
``(vii) profits and losses; and
``(viii) employment.'';
(4) in subsection (c)(1)(C), by striking ``with respect to
substantial cause'' and inserting ``with respect to whether
there is a causal link between imports and serious injury'';
and
(5) in subsection (c)(3), by striking ``substantial''.
(c) Action Regarding ITC Investigation of Injury.--Section 264(c)
of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2354(c)) is amended by striking
``substantial''.
SEC. 3. STEEL IMPORT PERMIT AND MONITORING PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--Not later than 30 days after the date of enactment
of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the
Secretary of the Treasury, shall establish and implement a steel import
permit 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
permit before such products are entered into the United States.
(b) Steel Import Permits.--
(1) In general.--In order to obtain a steel import permit,
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 permit 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
permit shall be required before the merchandise is entered into
the customs territory of the United States.
(3) Issuance of permit.--The Secretary of Commerce shall
issue a steel import permit to any person who files an
application that meets the requirements of this section. Such
permit 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 permit
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 permit 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 permit and
monitoring program as may be necessary to carry the provisions of this
section.
<all>