[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 172 (Thursday, September 5, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72421-72424]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-19891]


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INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION

[Investigation No. 332-599]


Distributional Effects of Trade and Trade Policy on U.S. Workers, 
2026 Report

AGENCY: International Trade Commission.

ACTION: Notice of scheduling of community conversations and a symposium 
in connection with the investigation.

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SUMMARY: The Commission has established a schedule and procedure, set 
forth below, for conducting community-based open conversations, which 
will include roundtables, focus group meetings, and small-group 
conversations, among other events, and a symposium in connection with 
this investigation. The Commission will hold six virtual roundtable 
discussions between January 15 and February 12, 2025; in-person 
roundtables and focus group meetings during March-May 2025; and an 
academic symposium on June 5-6, 2025. Additional in-person and virtual 
events may be held during October 2024-May 2025.
    These events will focus on the potential distributional effects of 
goods and services trade and trade policy on U.S. workers and 
underrepresented and underserved communities, including but not limited 
to examining distributional effects by race and ethnicity; gender; 
gender identity and orientation; age; and skill, wage, and income, as 
well as effects on persons with disabilities, persons who live in rural 
areas or urban areas and persons otherwise adversely affected by 
persistent poverty, and members of religious minorities. The events 
will afford an opportunity for interested persons to present 
information and views relating to the investigation, and the academic 
symposium will afford an opportunity for researchers and data experts 
to present work relevant to the investigation.

DATES: Relating to the virtual roundtables:
January 8, 2025: Deadline for summitting requests to participate in the 
Roundtable on Gender and Gender Identity
January 15: Roundtable on Gender and Gender Identity
January 15: Deadline for summitting requests to participate in the 
Roundtable on Skill, Wage, and Income
January 22: Roundtable on Skill, Wage, and Income

[[Page 72422]]

January 22: Deadline for summitting requests to participate in the 
Roundtable on Age and Disability
January 29: Roundtable on Age and Disability
January 29: Deadline for summitting requests to participate in the 
Roundtable on Race and Ethnicity
February 5: Roundtable on Race and Ethnicity
February 5: Deadline for summitting requests to participate in the 
Roundtable on Rural Persistent Poverty
February 5: Deadline for summitting requests to participate in the 
Roundtable on Urban Persistent Poverty
February 10: Roundtable on Rural Poverty
February 12: Roundtable on Urban Poverty
    Relating to other community-based open conversations:
    The USITC is planning to hold in-person community conversations in 
the vicinity of five U.S. cities during March-May 2025:
March 2025: Tulsa, OK
April 2025: El Paso, TX
April 2025: Seattle, WA
May 2025: Youngstown, OH
May 2025: Atlanta, GA
    Additional in-person and virtual events may be held during October 
2024-May 2025. Dates for these events will be posted on the USITC 
investigation-specific web page, found at https://www.usitc.gov/research_and_analysis/ongoing/distributional_effects_332, as they 
become available.
    Relating to the academic symposium:
April 15: Deadline for requests to participate
June 5-6: Washington, DC (virtual and in person)
    Relating to written submissions:
July 11: Deadline for receipt of written submissions and summaries to 
written submissions.
    All dates are subject to change, and events may be removed or added 
to the calendar as issues and opportunities arise. For the most up-to-
date information on investigation events, please see the USITC 
investigation-specific web page at https://www.usitc.gov/research_and_analysis/ongoing/distributional_effects_332.

ADDRESSES: All Commission offices, including the Commission's hearing 
rooms, are located in the U.S. International Trade Commission Building, 
500 E Street SW, Washington, DC. All written submissions should be 
addressed to the Secretary, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E 
Street SW, Washington, DC 20436. The public record for this 
investigation may be viewed on the Commission's electronic docket 
(EDIS) at https://edis.usitc.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Project Leader Saad Ahmad (202-205-
3331 or [email protected]), Deputy Project Leader Theron Gray (202-
205-3132 or [email protected]), Co-Community-Based Open 
Conversations Coordinator Tamar Khachaturian (202-205-3299 or 
[email protected]) or Co-Community-Based Open Conversations 
Coordinator Jennifer Powell (202-205-3450, [email protected]) 
for information specific to this investigation. For information on the 
legal aspects of this investigation, contact Brian Allen (202-205-3034 
or [email protected]) or William Gearhart (202-205-3091 or 
[email protected]) of the Commission's Office of the General 
Counsel. The media should contact Jennifer Andberg, Office of External 
Relations (202-205-3404 or [email protected]). Hearing-
impaired individuals are advised that information on this matter can be 
obtained by contacting the Commission's TDD terminal on 202-205-1810. 
General information concerning the Commission may also be obtained by 
accessing its website (https://www.usitc.gov). Persons with mobility 
impairments who will need special assistance in gaining access to the 
Commission should contact the Office of the Secretary at 202-205-2000.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Commission instituted this investigation 
under section 332(g) of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1332(g)) on 
July 12, 2003, following receipt on January 25, 2023, of a request from 
the U.S. Trade Representative. The Commission published notice of its 
investigation in the Federal Register on July 12, 2023 (86 FR 67970).
    The Trade Representative, referring to the Commission's 2022 report 
(USITC, Distributional Effects of Trade and Trade Policy on U.S. 
Workers, Investigation No. 332-587, USITC Publication 5374, October 
2022, https://www.usitc.gov/sites/default/files/publications/332/pub5374.pdf), requested that the Commission, building on that report, 
conduct a further investigation on the potential distributional effects 
of goods and services trade and trade policy on U.S. workers and 
underrepresented and underserved communities. The Trade Representative 
requested that the Commission prepare a series of five reports that 
synthesize and critically review information on this topic. The Trade 
Representative asked that the Commission deliver the first of these 
reports on January 20, 2026, and deliver the remaining reports at 3-
year intervals, on January 20, 2029; January 20, 2032; January 20, 
2035; and January 20, 2038. The Commission will institute 
investigations and publish notices of investigation relating to the 
remaining reports at the appropriate time.
    The Trade Representative asked that the Commission, in identifying 
these effects, gather information through:
    1. Community-based open conversations targeted to the interests and 
concerns of specific underrepresented and underserved demographic and 
geographic communities. These conversations may take a variety of forms 
(including, but not limited to, group discussions and informal one-on-
one interviews) and may be on- or off-the-record. They should include 
individual community members, workers, and representatives of 
organizations that represent and serve specific underrepresented and 
underserved communities. Other participants could include members or 
representatives of think tanks; academic and other research 
institutions; labor unions; State and local governments; non-Federal 
governmental entities; civil society organizations; community-based 
stakeholders such as minority-owned businesses; business incubators; 
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); Hispanic-Serving 
Institutions (HSIs); Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs); Asian 
American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions 
(AANAPISIs); other Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs); community 
colleges; and local and national civil rights organizations;
    2. A symposium focused on academic or similar research on the 
distributional effects of trade and trade policy on underrepresented 
and underserved communities, including results of existing analysis, 
evaluation of methodologies, the use of public and restricted data in 
current analysis, identification of gaps in data and/or in the economic 
literature, and proposed analysis that could be done with restricted 
data; and
    3. Economic literature on the distributional effects of trade and 
trade policy on underrepresented and underserved communities including, 
among other things, the data limitations raised in these analyses.
    Persons participating in the academic symposium and community-based 
open conversations should not include confidential business information 
(CBI) in any written submissions, statements,

[[Page 72423]]

or presentations intended for use at these events.
    Community-based open conversations: The Commission will hold 
multiple events for the purpose of seeking information and views from 
representatives of U.S. workers and underrepresented and underserved 
communities on the distributional effects of trade and trade policy by 
race and ethnicity; gender; gender identity and orientation; age; and 
skill, wage, and income, as well as effects on persons with 
disabilities, persons who live in rural areas or urban areas and 
persons otherwise adversely affected by persistent poverty, and members 
of religious minorities. Certain events will have a theme (for example, 
as specified in the Dates section of this notice); however, any 
interested person is welcome to present views in accordance with this 
investigation at these events, regardless of theme.
    The virtual roundtables will be open to the public, and will be 
held via an online videoconferencing platform, beginning at 1 p.m. 
Eastern Standard Time (EST) on the dates specified in the Dates section 
of this notice. The virtual roundtables will be recorded, transcribed, 
and be publicly accessible. Those wishing to attend or participate in a 
virtual roundtable should register by 5:15 p.m. EST on the day 
specified in the Dates section above by emailing [email protected]. 
Attendees and participants will receive further information upon 
registration. Additional details about individual roundtables will be 
posted on the investigation-specific website listed above, and 
interested parties should check that website periodically for updates.
    In-person roundtables and focus group conversations will be made 
accessible to in-person and virtual observers to the extent that 
resources permit. The conversations will also be recorded and 
transcribed for purposes of aiding in the generation of the 
Commission's final report as resources permit. Additional details about 
these events will be posted on the investigation-specific website as 
they become available, and those wishing to participate in these events 
should register by emailing [email protected].
    Individuals that wish to provide input to this investigation but 
are unable or unwilling to participate in public events should contact 
project staff by emailing [email protected].
    Symposium: The Commission will hold the academic symposium 
beginning at 9:00 a.m. EST on June 5, 2025. Persons interested either 
in presenting work (published or ongoing) or serving on a panel 
discussion at the symposium should submit their request by emailing 
[email protected]. Requests to participate in the academic symposium should 
include the participant's background on research related to analyzing 
the distributional effects of trade and trade policy on U.S. workers 
and underrepresented and underserved communities and be emailed by 5:15 
p.m. on April 15, 2025.
    Written submissions: In lieu of or in addition to participating in 
events related to this investigation, interested persons are invited to 
file written submissions concerning this investigation. All written 
submissions should be addressed to the Secretary, and should be 
received no later than 5:15 p.m., July 11, 2025. All written 
submissions must conform to the provisions of section 201.8 of the 
Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure (19 CFR 201.8), as 
temporarily amended by 85 FR 15798 (March 19, 2020). Under that rule 
waiver, the Office of the Secretary will accept only electronic filings 
at this time. Filings must be made through the Commission's Electronic 
Document Information System (EDIS, https://edis.usitc.gov). No in-
person, paper-based filings or paper copies of any electronic filings 
will be accepted until further notice. Persons with questions regarding 
electronic filing should contact the Office of the Secretary, Docket 
Services Division (202-205-1802), or consult the Commission's Handbook 
on Filing Procedures.
    Definitions of types of documents that may be filed; Requirements: 
This notice provides for the possible filing of one type of document: 
written submissions.
    Written submissions refers to any written submissions that 
interested persons wish to make, regardless of whether they appeared at 
an event related to this investigation, and may include new information 
or updates of information previously provided.
    In accordance with the provisions of section 201.8 of the 
Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure (19 CFR 201.8), the 
document must identify on its cover (1) the investigation number and 
title and the type of document filed (i.e., written submission), (2) 
the name and signature of the person filing it, (3) the name of the 
organization that the submission is filed on behalf of, and (4) whether 
it contains CBI. If it contains CBI, it must comply with the marking 
and other requirements set out below in this notice relating to CBI. 
Submitters of written documents are encouraged to include a short 
summary of their position or interest at the beginning of the document, 
and a table of contents when the document addresses multiple issues.
    Confidential business information: Any submissions that contain CBI 
must also conform to the requirements of section 201.6 of the 
Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure (19 CFR 201.6). Section 
201.6 of the rules requires that the cover of the document and the 
individual pages be clearly marked as to whether they are the 
``confidential'' or ``non-confidential'' version, and that the CBI is 
clearly identified by means of brackets. All written submissions, 
except for CBI, will be made available for inspection by interested 
persons.
    As requested by the Trade Representative, the Commission will not 
include any CBI in its report. However, all information, including CBI, 
submitted in this investigation may be disclosed to and used by: (i) 
the Commission, its employees and Offices, and contract personnel (a) 
for developing or maintaining the records of this or a related 
proceeding, or (b) in internal investigations, audits, reviews, and 
evaluations relating to the programs, personnel, and operations of the 
Commission including under 5 U.S.C. Appendix 3; or (ii) U.S. government 
employees and contract personnel for cybersecurity purposes. The 
Commission will not otherwise disclose any CBI in a way that would 
reveal the operations of the firm supplying the information.
    Summaries of views of interested persons: Interested persons 
wishing to have a summary of their views included in the report should 
include a summary with a written submission no later than July 11, 
2025, and must use the Commission template, which can be downloaded 
from https://www.usitc.gov/docket_services/documents/firm_or_organization_summary_word_limit.pdf. The Commission template 
must be uploaded as a separate attachment with the written submission, 
which is filed on EDIS under the document type ``Briefs and Written 
Submissions.'' The summary may not exceed 500 words and should not 
include any CBI. The summary will be published as provided only if it 
utilizes the Commission-provided template, meets these requirements, 
and is germane to the subject matter of the investigation. The 
Commission will list the name of the organization furnishing the 
summary and will include a link where the written submission can be 
found.

    By order of the Commission.

[[Page 72424]]

    Issued: August 29, 2024.
Sharon Bellamy,
Supervisory Hearings and Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2024-19891 Filed 9-4-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7020-02-P