[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 240 (Monday, December 15, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74067-74068]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-29253]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration


Limitation of Duty-Free Imports of Apparel Articles Assembled in 
Haiti Under the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity Through Partnership for 
Encouragement Act (HOPE)

AGENCY: International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notification of Annual Quantitative Limit on Certain Apparel 
under HOPE.

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SUMMARY: HOPE provides for duty-free treatment for certain apparel 
articles imported directly from Haiti. One of the preferences under 
HOPE is known as the ``value-added'' program, which requires that 
apparel meet a minimum threshold percentage of value added in Haiti, 
the United States, and/or certain beneficiary countries. The program is 
subject to a quantitative limitation, which is calculated as a 
percentage of total apparel imports into the United States for each 12-
month annual period. For the annual period from December 20, 2014 
through December 19, 2015, the quantity of imports eligible for 
preferential treatment under the value-added program is 332,915,916 
square meters equivalent.

DATES: Effective Date: December 20, 2014.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Maria Dybczak, International Trade 
Specialist, Office of Textiles and Apparel, U.S. Department of 
Commerce, (202) 482-3651.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

    Authority: The Caribbean Basin Recovery Act (``CBERA''), as 
amended by the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity Through Partnership 
for Encouragement Act of 2006 (``HOPE''), Title V of the Tax Relief 
and Health Care Act of 2006 and the Food, Conservation, and Energy 
Act of 2008 (``HOPE II''); the Haiti Economic Lift Program Act of 
2010 (``HELP''); and implemented by Presidential Proc. No. 8114, 72 
FR 13655, 13659 (March 22, 2007), and No. 8596, 75 FR 68153 
(November 4, 2010).

    HOPE provides for duty-free treatment for certain apparel articles 
imported directly from Haiti. Section 213A(b)(1)(B) of HOPE outlines 
the requirements for certain apparel articles to qualify for duty-free 
treatment under a ``value-added'' program. In order to qualify for 
duty-free treatment, apparel articles must be wholly assembled, or 
knit-to-shape, in Haiti from any combination of fabrics, fabric 
components, components knit-to-shape, and yarns, as long as the sum of 
the cost or value of materials produced in Haiti or one or more 
countries, as described in HOPE, or any combination thereof, plus the 
direct costs of processing operations performed in Haiti or one or more 
countries, as described in HOPE, or any combination thereof, is not 
less than an applicable percentage of the declared customs value of 
such apparel articles. Pursuant to HELP, the applicable percentage for 
the period December 20, 2014 through December 19, 2015, is 50 percent.
    For every twelve month period following the effective date of HOPE, 
duty-free treatment under the value-added program is subject to a 
quantitative limitation. HOPE provides that the quantitative limitation 
will be recalculated for each subsequent 12-month period. Section 
213A(b)(1)(C) of HOPE, as amended by HOPE II and HELP, requires that, 
for the twelve-month period beginning on December 20, 2014, the 
quantitative limitation for qualifying apparel imported from Haiti 
under the value-added program will be an amount equivalent to 1.25 
percent of the aggregate square meter equivalent of all apparel 
articles imported into the United States in the most recent 12-month 
period for which data are available. The aggregate square meters 
equivalent of all apparel articles imported into the United States is 
derived from the set of Harmonized System lines listed in the Annex to 
the World Trade Organization Agreement on Textiles and Clothing 
(``ATC''), and

[[Page 74068]]

the conversion factors for units of measure into square meter 
equivalents used by the United States in implementing the ATC. For 
purposes of this notice, the most recent 12-month period for which data 
are available as of December 20, 2014 is the 12-month period ending on 
October 31, 2014.
    Therefore, for the one-year period beginning on December 20, 2014 
and extending through December 19, 2015, the quantity of imports 
eligible for preferential treatment under the value-added program is 
332,915,916 square meters equivalent. Apparel articles entered in 
excess of these quantities will be subject to otherwise applicable 
tariffs.

    Dated: December 9, 2014.
Joshua Teitelbaum,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Textiles, Consumer Goods and Materials.
[FR Doc. 2014-29253 Filed 12-12-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DR-P