[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 14 (Monday, April 10, 2006)]
[Pages 628-629]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7996--To Implement the Dominican Republic-Central America-
United States Free Trade Agreement With Respect to Honduras and 
Nicaragua

 March 31, 2006

 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.
    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.

[[Page 629]]

    (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

 [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 11:06 a.m., April 3, 
2006]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on April 
4. This item was not received in time for publication in the appropriate 
issue.