[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 120, 109th Congress, 2nd Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
PROCLAMATION 7996--MAR. 31, 2006
Proclamation 7996 of March 31, 2006
To Implement the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free
Trade Agreement With Respect to Honduras and Nicaragua
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
1. On August 5, 2004, the United States entered into the Dominican
Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (Agreement)
with Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala,
Honduras, and Nicaragua (Agreement countries). The Agreement was
approved by the Congress in section 101(a) of the Dominican Republic-
Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act
(the ``Act'') (Public Law 109-53, 119 Stat. 462) (19 U.S.C. 4001 note).
2. Section 201 of the Act authorizes the President to proclaim such
modifications or continuation of any duty, such continuation of duty-
free or excise treatment, or such additional duties, as the President
determines to be necessary or appropriate to carry out or apply Articles
3.3 and 3.28, and Annexes 3.3 (including the schedule of United States
duty reductions with respect to originating goods) and 3.28 of the
Agreement.
3. Consistent with section 201(a)(2) of the Act, each Agreement country
is to be removed from the enumeration of designated beneficiary
developing countries eligible for the benefits of the Generalized System
of Preferences (GSP) on the date the Agreement enters into force with
respect to that country.
4. Consistent with section 201(a)(3) of the Act, each Agreement country
is to be removed from the enumeration of designated beneficiary
countries under the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (CBERA) (19
U.S.C. 2701 et seq.) on the date the Agreement enters into force with
respect to that country, subject to the exceptions set out in section
201(a)(3)(B) of the Act.
5. Consistent with section 213(b)(5)(D) of the CBERA, as amended by the
United States-Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBTPA) (Public Law
106-200), each Agreement country is to be removed from the enumeration
of designated CBTPA beneficiary countries on the date the Agreement
enters into force with respect to that country.

[[Page 3786]]
120 STAT. 3786

6. Section 604 of the Trade Act of 1974 (the ``1974 Act'') (19 U.S.C.
2483), as amended, authorizes the President to embody in the Harmonized
Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS) the substance of relevant
provisions of that Act, or other acts affecting import treatment, and of
actions taken thereunder.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of
America, acting under the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
the laws of the United States of America, including but not limited to
section 201 of the Act, section 301 of title 3, United States Code, and
section 604 of the 1974 Act, and the Act having taken effect pursuant to
section 107(a), do proclaim that:
(1) In order to provide generally for the preferential tariff
treatment being accorded under the Agreement to Honduras and Nicaragua,
to provide certain other treatment to originating goods for the purposes
of the Agreement, to provide tariff-rate quotas with respect to certain
goods, to reflect the removal of Honduras and Nicaragua from the
enumeration of designated beneficiary developing countries for purposes
of the GSP, to reflect the removal of Honduras and Nicaragua from the
enumeration of designated beneficiary countries for purposes of the
CBERA and the CBTPA, and to make technical and conforming changes in the
general notes to the HTS, the HTS is modified as set forth in Annex I of
Publication 3845 of the United States International Trade Commission,
entitled Modifications to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United
States to Implement the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States
Free Trade Agreement With Respect to Honduras and Nicaragua (Publication
3845), which is incorporated by reference into this proclamation.
(2) In order to implement the initial stage of duty elimination
provided for in the Agreement and to provide for future staged
reductions in duties for originating goods for purposes of the
Agreement, the HTS is modified as provided in Annex II of Publication
3845, effective on the dates specified in the relevant sections of such
publication and on any subsequent dates set forth for such duty
reductions in that publication.
(3)(a) The amendments to the HTS made by paragraphs (1) and (2) of
this proclamation shall be effective with respect to goods entered, or
withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after the relevant dates
indicated in Annex I and Annex II to Publication 3845.
(b) Except as provided in paragraph (3)(a) of this proclamation,
this proclamation shall be effective with respect to goods entered, or
withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after April 1, 2006.
(4) Any provisions of previous proclamations and Executive Orders
that are inconsistent with the actions taken in this proclamation are
superseded to the extent of such inconsistency.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of
March, in the year of our Lord two thousand six, and of the Independence
of the United States of America the two hundred and thirtieth.
GEORGE W. BUSH