[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 241 (Wednesday, December 16, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Page 78172]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-31598]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration


Limitation of Duty-Free Imports of Apparel Articles Assembled in 
Haiti Under the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (CBERA), as 
Amended by the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity Through Partnership 
Encouragement Act (HOPE)

AGENCY: International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of 
Commerce.

ACTION: Notification of Annual Quantitative Limit on Imports of Certain 
Apparel from Haiti.

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SUMMARY: CBERA, as amended, provides duty-free treatment for certain 
apparel articles imported directly from Haiti. One of the preferences 
is known as the ``value-added'' provision, which requires that apparel 
meet a minimum threshold percentage of value added in Haiti, the United 
States, and/or certain beneficiary countries. The provision 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, 2015 through December 
19, 2016, the quantity of imports eligible for preferential treatment 
under the value- added provision is 350,962,661 square meters 
equivalent.

DATED:  Effective Date: December 20, 2015.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laurie Mease, International Trade 
Specialist, Office of Textiles and Apparel, U.S. Department of 
Commerce, (202) 482-3400.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

    Authority: Section 213A of the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery 
Act (19 U.S.C. 2703a)

    (``CBERA''), as amended by the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity 
through Partnership Encouragement Act of 2006 (``HOPE'') (Title V of 
the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006), the Haitian Hemispheric 
Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement Act of 2008 (``HOPE II'') 
(Subtitle D of Title XV of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 
2008), the Haiti Economic Lift Program Act of 2010 (``HELP''), and the 
Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015; and as implemented by 
Presidential Proc. No. 8114, 72 FR 13655 (March 22, 2007), and No. 
8596, 75 FR 68153 (November 4, 2010).
    Background: Section 213A(b)(1)(B) of CBERA, as amended (19 U.S.C. 
2703a(b)(1)(B)), outlines the requirements for certain apparel articles 
imported directly from Haiti to qualify for duty-free treatment under a 
``value-added'' provision. 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 beneficiary countries, as described in 
CBERA, as amended, or any combination thereof, plus the direct costs of 
processing operations performed in Haiti or one or more beneficiary 
countries, as described in CBERA, as amended, or any combination 
thereof, is not less than an applicable percentage of the declared 
customs value of such apparel articles. Pursuant to CBERA, as amended, 
the applicable percentage for the period December 20, 2015 through 
December 19, 2016 is 55 percent. For every 12-month period following 
the effective date of CBERA, as amended, duty-free treatment under the 
value-added provision is subject to a quantitative limitation. CBERA, 
as amended, provides that the quantitative limitation will be 
recalculated for each subsequent 12- month period. Section 213A 
(b)(1)(C) of CBERA, as amended (19 U.S.C. 2703a(b)(1)(C)), requires 
that, for the 12-month period beginning on December 20, 2015, the 
quantitative limitation for qualifying apparel imported from Haiti 
under the value-added provision 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 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, 2015 is the 12-month period 
ending on October 31, 2015.
    Therefore, for the one-year period beginning on December 20, 2015 
and extending through December 19, 2016, the quantity of imports 
eligible for preferential treatment under the value- added provision is 
350,962,661 square meters equivalent. Apparel articles entered in 
excess of these quantities will be subject to otherwise applicable 
tariffs.

    Dated: December 10, 2015.
Joshua Teitelbaum,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Textiles, Consumer Goods and Materials.
[FR Doc. 2015-31598 Filed 12-15-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DR-P