[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 39 (Thursday, April 11, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2583-S2584]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. ROCKEFELLER (for himself, Mr. Byrd, and Mr. Specter):
  S. 2113. A bill to reduce temporarily the duty on N-
Cyclohexylthiophthalimide; to the Committee on Finance.
  Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Madam President, I am pleased to introduce this bill 
today with Senators Specter and Byrd to temporarily suspend a portion 
of the tariff applicable to a specific chemical product, N-
(Cyclohexylthio)-phthalimide, which is usually referred to as ``PVI,'' 
and thereby provide for greater economic growth.
  Import duties are intimately related to the tax and trade policies of 
the United States. Just as Congress expressly imposes duties on 
imported goods to protect specific domestic industries and at the same 
time raise revenue, Congress abolishes, reduces, or suspends duties to 
encourage domestic business enterprise and export activity, 
particularly if a specific domestic industry will not be harmed. This 
is the situation applicable to PVI.
  PVI stands for ``Pre-Vulcanization Inhibitor,'' which means that PVI 
retards the onset of the vulcanization when rubber is being processed. 
In other words, PVI functions as a safeguard when rubber articles are 
being manufactured. There is no direct substitute product for PVI.
  As you might expect, there is a reasonable demand for this product in 
the U.S. rubber industry, particularly in the tire industry. To meet 
this demand, various companies around the world now manufacture PVI and 
export it to the United States; however, PVI is not manufactured in the 
United States.
  Therefore, the U.S. economy is paying a duty for the use of PVI, but 
no domestic industry is being protected. Therefore, this tariff should 
be suspended to the maximum extent possible. This legislation would 
suspend the tariff above the 2 percent level, which will provide for 
greater economic growth for the United States.
  I encourage my colleagues to support this initiative. I ask unanimous 
consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 2113

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

     SECTION 1. N-CYCLOHEXYLTHIOPHTHALIMIDE.

       (a) In General.--Subchapter II of chapter 99 of the 
     Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States is amended by 
     inserting in numerical sequence the following new heading:

       

[[Page S2584]]



``      9902.29.82        N-                      3%        No change       No change       On or before 12/
                           Cyclohexylthiophthali                                             31/2005          ''
                           mide (CAS No. 17796-                                                                .
                           82-6) (provided for
                           in subheading
                           2930.90.24)..........

       (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) 
     applies to articles entered, or withdrawn from warehouse for 
     consumption, on or after the 15th day after the date of 
     enactment of this Act.
                                 ______