[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 182 (Wednesday, September 21, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-23363]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: September 21, 1994]


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INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION
[Investigation No. 1205-3]

 

Proposed Modifications to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the 
United States, Pursuant to Section 1205 of the Omnibus Trade and 
Competitiveness Act of 1988 (Addendum)

AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission.

ACTION: Re-opening of investigation: request for comments on draft 
addendum to the Commission's report on investigation No. 1205-3 of 
August 24, 1993.

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EFFECTIVE DATE: September 1, 1994.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Eugene A. Rosengarden, Director, 
Office of Tariff Affairs and Trade Agreements (O/TA&TA) (telephone 202-
205-2592) or Holm J. Kappler, Deputy Director (O/TA&TA) (202-205-2598), 
U.S. International Trade Commission, Washington, DC 20436.

Background and Scope of Investigation

    The Commission has reopened investigation No. 1205-3, Proposed 
Modifications to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, 
Pursuant to Section 1205 of the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act 
of 1988 to address (1) the non-acceptance by contracting parties to the 
Harmonized System Convention of certain proposed amendments to the 
Harmonized System nomenclature and (2) changes in the tariff treatment 
accorded by the U.S. Customs Service to certain other products covered 
by the Commission's August 1993 report on this investigation.
    Section 1205 (19 U.S.C. 3005) directs the Commission to keep the 
Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS) under continuous 
review and to recommend modifications of the HTS to the President (1) 
when amendments to the International Convention on the Harmonized 
Commodity Description and Coding System (Harmonized System or HS) are 
recommended by the Customs Co-operation Council (CCC) for adoption and 
(2) as other circumstances warrant.
    In July 1993, the CCC recommended certain amendments to the 
nomenclature of the international Harmonized System, in accordance with 
Article 16 of the Harmonized System Convention. The Commission's report 
on investigation No. 1205-3 addressed the CCC recommended amendments. 
However, since the issuance of the Commission's report, a number of HS 
contracting parties have entered objections with the CCC with respect 
to certain of the proposed amendments to the HS Convention. As a 
result, the CCC withdrew those amendments from its final 
recommendation. The modifications in the recommended amendments to the 
HS Convention will necessitate conforming changes in the Commission's 
recommendations made in its report of August 1993.
    In addition, the Commission has received further information 
concerning the tariff treatment accorded by the U.S. Customs Service to 
certain other products covered by the August 1993 report. This 
additional information and certain technical corrections should also be 
reflected in the Commission's report.
    For these reasons, the Commission has decided to re-open its 
investigation in this matter for the purpose of issuing an addendum to 
its report on investigation No. 1205-3 with respect to the matters 
described above. The Commission's August 1993 report on investigation 
No. 1205-3 (USITC Publication 2673) and the addendum proposed to be 
appended thereto are available from the Office of the Secretary, Room 
112, United States International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW., 
Washington, DC 20436 (telephone (202) 205-2000).
    The majority of the proposed modifications to the Commission's 
report result from the non-acceptance by the contracting parties of 
certain proposed amendments to the Harmonized System nomenclature and 
from technical and editorial amendments appearing in the final CCC 
recommendation. These amendments principally concerned:

--subdivision of refined petroleum products under heading 27.10,
--revision of the subheadings for oxygen-function amino compounds under 
heading 29.22,
--subdivision of the provision for acrylic polymers under subheading 
3906.90,
--modification of the chapter 61 and 62 notes concerning the definition 
of ensembles,
--creation of new subdivisions for high-definition television apparatus 
under headings 85.28 and 85.40, and
--transfer of certain optical fiber cables from heading 85.44 to 
heading 90.01.

    Other proposed modifications to the Commission's report concern the 
classification of:

--snowboard boots,
--still image video cameras,
--power supplies for automatic data processing machines, and
--cordless handset telephones.

    The Commission must solicit, and give consideration to, the views 
of interested Federal agencies and the public before proposing 
recommendations to the HTS under section 1205. Further, the 
Commission's report to the President must present its recommendations, 
summarize the information on which its recommendations are based, and 
provide a statement of the probable economic effects of recommended 
changes on any industry in the United States. A copy of all written 
comments received from Federal agencies and a copy (or Commission-
prepared summary) of the views of other interested parties must also be 
included.
    Pursuant to section 1206 of the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness 
Act of 1988 (19 U.S.C. 3006), the President may proclaim modifications 
to the HTS (on the basis of recommendations by the Commission under 
section 1205) if he determines that the modifications are in conformity 
with U.S. obligations under the HS Convention and do not run counter to 
the U.S. economic interest. The President may proclaim such 
modifications only after the expiration of a 60 legislative day lay-
over period beginning on the date he submits a report to the House Ways 
and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee that sets forth 
the proposed modifications and the reasons therefor. Modifications 
proclaimed by the President may not become effective before the 15th 
day after the proclamation is published in the Federal Register.
    Notice of institution of the original investigation and scheduling 
of a hearing was published in the Federal Register of May 20, 1993 (58 
F.R. 29433).

Written Submissions

    Interested parties, including other Federal agencies, are invited 
to submit written statements concerning the subject of the draft 
addendum. Each statement must be submitted by not later than October 
28, 1994, in order to be considered by the Commission. Commercial or 
financial information that a party desires the Commission to treat as 
confidential must be submitted on separate sheets of paper, each 
clearly marked ``Confidential Business Information'' at the top. All 
submissions requesting confidential treatment must conform with the 
requirements of section 201.6 of the Commission's Rules of Practice and 
Procedure (19 CFR 201.6). All written submissions, except for 
confidential business information, will be made available for 
inspection by interested persons. All submissions should be addressed 
to the Secretary, United States International Trade Commission, 500 E 
Street SW., Washington, DC 20436.
    Hearing-impaired individuals are advised that information on this 
matter can be obtained by contacting our TDD terminal on (202) 205-
1810.

    Issued: September 13, 1994.
    By order of the Commission.
Donna R. Koehnke,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 94-23363 Filed 9-20-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7020-02-P