The following are the trade-related bills that were introduced in the House or Senate during the week of January 14-25, 2008:
Harmonized Tariff Schedule
The Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) is a reference manual that provides duty rates for almost every item that exists. It is a system of classifying and taxing all goods imported into the United States. The HTS is based on the international Harmonized System, which is a global standard for naming and describing trade products, and consists of a hierarchical structure that assigns a specific code and rate to each type of merchandise for duty, quota, and statistical purposes. The HTS was made effective on January 1, 1989, replacing the former Tariff Schedules of the United States. It is maintained by the U.S. International Trade Commission, but the Customs and Border Protection of the Department of Homeland Security is responsible for interpreting and enforcing the HTS.
The House Ways and Means Committee's Trade Subcommittee has issued a press release announcing that Chairman Sander M. Levin and Ranking Member Wally Herger of the Subcommittee on Trade are requesting written comments for the record frominterested parties on hundreds of miscellaneous duty suspension proposals and corrections to the trade laws that have been introduced as legislation in the House.
During a February 22, 2008 press conference call, several trade members of the Trade Support Network1 discussed a variety of issues, including an update on the status of U.S. Customs and Border Protection's proposal to have a minimal number of edits and validations in the Automated Commercial Environment system (commonly referred to as "Edit-Lite").2
The Office of Textiles and Apparel has posted its monthly monitoring data for certain apparel products imported from Vietnam for December 2007.
On February 14, 2008, the House Ways and Means Committee approved an amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 5264, in order to extend the Andean Trade Preference Act, as amended by the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act (ATPA/ATPDEA), for another eight months, from March 1, 2008 to December 31, 2008.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a notice extending the time period to February 21, 20081 for importers of record claiming duty-free Haiti HOPE tariff preference level benefits for apparel using the annual aggregation method, to file theirrequired declaration of compliance.
The Washington Trade Daily reports that Colombian Trade Minister Luis Guillermo Plata has asked the U.S. to extend trade preferences under the Andean Trade Preference Act, as amended by the Andean Trade Preferences and Drug Eradication Act, until 2009 while congress debates a free trade agreement signed between Colombia and the U.S. (Washington Trade Daily, dated 02/04/08, available at http://www.washingtontradedaily.com/)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a notice reminding the trade that as of January 1, 2008, North American Free Trade Agreement originating raw or refined sugar and sugar-containing products from Mexico are not subject to quota restrictions and may be entered duty-free under NAFTA.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued an informed compliance publication entitled, What Every Member of the Trade Community Should Know About: Fasteners of Heading 7318.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted a notice entitled Notice of Examination: April 2008 Customs Broker Examination, which announces that the next customs broker license exam will be held on Monday, April 7, 2008.