[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 57 (Tuesday, May 6, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S3999]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. BREAUX:
  S. 699. A bill to suspend temporarily the duty on Diiodomethly-p-
tolylsulfone; to the Committee on Finance.


               temporary duty-free treatment legislation

  Mr. BREAUX. Mr. President, I rise today to offer legislation that 
would temporarily suspend, through the year 2000, the rate of duty 
applicable to imports of Diiodomenthyl-p-tolylsulfone, commonly 
referred to as ``DMTS.'' Commercially, DMTS is known by the brand name 
AMICAL 48. It is a fungicide/mildewcide that is used in caulks, 
adhesives, plastics, textiles, and for other purposes. The preservative 
is of indisputable benefit to a host of industries engaged in the 
production, storage, and use of products subject to microbial 
degradation.
  The current rate of duty on DMTS is 10.7 percent ad valorem. Under 
the Uruguay Round, this rate is scheduled to decrease by 0.6 percent 
per year until 2004, when it will reach and remain at 6.5 percent. The 
proposed legislation would provide for duty-free treatment of imports 
of DMTS from the date of enactment through the last day of the year 
2000, and it is estimated that if this legislation is enacted, the 
reduction in duty collection will be a de minimis amount of about 
$250,000 to $350,000 per year.
  Furthermore, because there is no substitute domestic product 
currently benefiting from the present rate of duty on DMTS, no adverse 
impact on the domestic preservatives industry is anticipated. It may 
also be that such a temporary suspension in the rate of duty will 
result in savings being passed along to the consumers of AMICAL 48. I 
therefore urge my colleagues to support the passage of this bill.
                                 ______