[House Document 107-96]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



107th Congress, 1st Session - - - - - - - - - - - House Document 107-96 


 
 NOTIFICATION TO ADD THE REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA TO THE LIST OF COUNTRIES 
           UNDER THE GENERALIZED SYSTEM OF PREFERENCES (GSP)

                               __________

                             COMMUNICATION

                                  from

                   THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

                              transmitting

NOTIFICATION OF HIS INTENTION TO ADD THE REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA TO THE 
  LIST OF BENEFICIARY DEVELOPING COUNTRIES UNDER THE GENERALIZED SYSTEM 
  OF PREFERENCES (GSP), PURSUANT TO PUB. L. 104-188, SEC. 1952(a) (110 
  STAT. 1917)




July 10, 2001.--Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means and ordered 
                             to be printed
                               __________

                    U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
89-011                     WASHINGTON : 2001

                                           The White House,
                                         Washington, June 29, 2001.
Hon. J. Dennis Hastert,
Speaker of the House of Representatives,
Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Speaker: Pursuant to section 502(f) of the Trade 
Act of 1974, as amended (the ``Act''), I am writing to notify 
you of my intent to add the Republic of Georgia to the list of 
beneficiary developing countries under the Generalized System 
of Preferences (GSP). The GSP program offers duty-free access 
to the U.S. market for a wide range of products from 
beneficiary developing countries.
    I have considered the criteria set forth in sections 501 
and 502 of the Act and have determined that it is appropriate 
to extend GSP benefits to Georgia.
            Sincerely,
                                                    George W. Bush.
     To Modify Duty-Free Treatment Under the Generalized System of 
                              Preferences

                              ----------                              


            By the President of the United States of America

                             A PROCLAMATION

    1. Sections 501 and 502 of the Trade Act of 1974, as 
amended (the ``1974 Act'') (19 U.S.C. 2461 and 2462), authorize 
the President to designate countries as beneficiary developing 
countries for purposes of the Generalized System of Preferences 
(GSP).
    2. Section 503(c)(2)(A) of the 1974 Act (19 U.S.C. 
2463(c)(2)(A)) provides that beneficiary developing countries, 
except least-developed beneficiary developing countries or 
beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries, are subject to 
competitive need limitations on the preferential treatment 
afforded under the GSP to eligible articles.
    3. Section 503(c)(2)(C) of the 1974 Act (19 U.S.C. 
2463(c)(2)(C)) provides that a country that is no longer 
treated as a beneficiary developing country with respect to an 
eligible article may be redesignated as a beneficiary 
developing country with respect to such article if imports of 
such article from such country did not exceed the competitive 
need limitations in section 503(c)(2)(A) during the preceding 
calendar year.
    4. Section 503(c)(2)(F) of the 1974 Act (19 U.S.C. 
2463(c)(2)(F)) provides that the President may disregard the 
competitive need limitation provided in section 
503(c)(2)(A)(i)(II) (19 U.S.C. 2463(c)(2)(A)(i)(II)) with 
respect to any eligible article from any beneficiary developing 
country if the aggregate appraised value of the imports of such 
article into the United States during the preceding calendar 
year does not exceed an amount set forth in section 
503(c)(2)(F)(ii) (19 U.S.C. 2463(c)(2)(F)(ii)).
    5. Section 503(d) of the 1974 Act (19 U.S.C. 2463(d)) 
provides that the President may waive the application of the 
competitive need limitations in section 503(c)(2)(A) with 
respect to any eligible article of any beneficiary developing 
country if certain conditions are met.
    6. Pursuant to sections 501 and 502 of the 1974 Act, and 
having due regard for the eligibility criteria set forth 
therein, I have determined that it is appropriate to designate 
Georgia as a beneficiary developing country for purposes of the 
GSP.
    7. Pursuant to section 503(c)(2)(A) of the 1974 Act, I have 
determined that certain beneficiary countries should no longer 
receive preferential tariff treatment under the GSP with 
respect to certain eligible articles imported in quantities 
that exceed the applicable competitive need limitation.
    8. Pursuant to section 503(c)(2)(C) of the 1974 Act, I have 
determined that certain countries should be redesignated as 
beneficiary developing countries with respect to certain 
eligible articles that previously had been imported in 
quantities exceeding the competitive need limitations of 
section 503(c)(2)(A). For certain articles, I have decided that 
the effective date of the redesignation shall be determined by 
the United States Trade Representative (USTR).
    9. Pursuant to section 503(c)(2)(F) of the 1974 Act, I have 
determined that the competitive need limitation provided in 
section 503(c)(2)(A)(i)(II) should be waived with respect to 
certain eligible articles from certain beneficiary developing 
countries. For certain articles, I have decided that the 
effective date of the waiver shall be determined by the USTR.
    10. Pursuant to section 503(d) of the 1974 Act, I have 
determined that the competitive need limitations of section 
503(c)(2)(A) should be waived with respect to certain eligible 
articles from a beneficiary developing country. I have received 
the advice of the International Trade Commissionon whether any 
industries in the United States are likely to be adversely affected by 
such waivers, and I have determined, based on that advice and on the 
considerations described in sections 501 and 502(c), that such waivers 
are in the national economic interest of the United States. I have 
decided that the effective date of the waivers shall be determined by 
the USTR.
    11. Section 604 of the 1974 Act (19 U.S.C. 2483) authorizes 
the President to embody in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of 
the United States (HTS) the substance of the relevant 
provisions of that Act, and of other acts affecting import 
treatment, and actions thereunder, including the removal, 
modification, continuance, or imposition of any rate of duty or 
other import restriction.
    NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United 
States of America, acting under the authority vested in me by 
the Constitution and the laws of the United States, including 
section 301 of title 3, United States Code, and title V and 
section 604 of the 1974 Act, do proclaim that:
    (1) In order to reflect in the HTS the addition of Georgia 
as a beneficiary developing country under the GSP, general note 
4(a) to the HTS is modified as provided in section A(1) of 
Annex I to this proclamation.
    (2) In order to provide that one or more countries that 
have not been treated as beneficiary developing countries with 
respect to one or more eligible articles should be redesignated 
as beneficiary developing countries with respect to such 
article or articles for purposes of the GSP, and in order to 
provide that one or more countries should no longer be treated 
as beneficiary developing countries with respect to one or more 
eligible articles for purposes of the GSP, general note 4(d) to 
the HTS is modified as provided in section A(2) of Annex I and 
paragraph (1) of Annex III to this proclamation.
    (3)(a) In order to provide preferential tariff treatment 
under the GSP to a beneficiary developing country that has been 
excluded from the benefits of the GSP for certain eligible 
articles, the Rates of Duty 1--Special subcolumn for each of 
the HTS subheadings enumerated in section A(3)(a) of Annex I 
and paragraph (2) of Annex III to this proclamation is modified 
as provided in such section and paragraph.
    (b) In order to provide that one or more countries should 
not be treated as beneficiary developing countries with respect 
to certain eligible articles for purposes of the GSP, the Rates 
of Duty 1-Special subcolumn for each of the HTS subheadings 
enumerated in section A(3)(b) of Annex I to this proclamation 
is modified as provided in such section.
    (4) A waiver of the application of section 
503(c)(2)(A)(i)(II) of the 1974 Act shall apply to the eligible 
articles in the HTS subheadings and to the beneficiary 
developing countries listed in section B of Annex I to this 
proclamation.
    (5) A waiver of the application of section 503(c)(2)(A) of 
the 1974 Act shall apply to the eligible articles in the HTS 
subheadings and to the beneficiary developing country set forth 
in Annex II to this proclamation.
    (6) Any provisions of previous proclamations and Executive 
Orders that are inconsistent with the actions taken in this 
proclamation are superseded to the extent of such 
inconsistency.
    (7)(a) The modifications made by Annex I to this 
proclamation shall be effective with respect to articles 
entered, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or 
after July 1, 2001.
    (b) The action taken in paragraph (5) of this proclamation 
shall be effective on the date of signature of this 
proclamation.
    (c) The modifications made by Annex III to this 
proclamation shall be effective with respect to articles 
entered, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or 
after a date to be announced in the Federal Register by the 
USTR.
    IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
twenty-ninth day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand 
one, and of the Independence of the United States of America 
the two hundred and twenty-fifth.

                                                    George W. Bush.


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