transition period
(3) Apparel articles and certain textile articles (A) In general Apparel articles that are imported directly into the customs territory of the United States from an ATPDEA beneficiary country shall enter the United States free of duty and free of any quantitative restrictions, limitations, or consultation levels, but only if such articles are described in subparagraph (B). (B) Covered articles The apparel articles referred to in subparagraph (A) are the following: (i) Apparel articles assembled from products of the United States or ATPDEA beneficiary countries or products not available in commercial quantities Apparel articles sewn or otherwise assembled in 1 or more ATPDEA beneficiary countries, or the United States, or both, exclusively from any one or any combination of the following: (I) Fabrics or fabric components wholly formed, or components knit-to-shape, in the United States, from yarns wholly formed in the United States or 1 or more ATPDEA beneficiary countries (including fabrics not formed from yarns, if such fabrics are classifiable under heading 5602 or 5603 of the HTS and are formed in the United States). Apparel articles shall qualify under this subclause only if all dyeing, printing, and finishing of the fabrics from which the articles are assembled, if the fabrics are knit fabrics, is carried out in the United States. Apparel articles shall qualify under this subclause only if all dyeing, printing, and finishing of the fabrics from which the articles are assembled, if the fabrics are woven fabrics, is carried out in the United States. (II) Fabrics or fabric components formed or components knit-to-shape, in 1 or more ATPDEA beneficiary countries, from yarns wholly formed in 1 or more ATPDEA beneficiary countries, if such fabrics (including fabrics not formed from yarns, if such fabrics are classifiable under heading 5602 or 5603 of the HTS and are formed in 1 or more ATPDEA beneficiary countries) or components are in chief value of llama, alpaca, or vicuña. (III) Fabrics or yarns, to the extent that apparel articles of such fabrics or yarns would be eligible for preferential treatment, without regard to the source of the fabrics or yarns, under Annex 401 of the NAFTA. (ii) Additional fabrics At the request of any interested party, the President is authorized to proclaim additional fabrics and yarns as eligible for preferential treatment under clause (i)(III) if— (I) the President determines that such fabrics or yarns cannot be supplied by the domestic industry in commercial quantities in a timely manner; (II) the President has obtained advice regarding the proposed action from the appropriate advisory committee established under section 135 of the Trade Act of 1974 ( 19 U.S.C. 2155 ) and the United States International Trade Commission; (III) within 60 days after the request, the President has submitted a report to the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Finance of the Senate that sets forth the action proposed to be proclaimed and the reasons for such action, and the advice obtained under subclause (II); (IV) a period of 60 calendar days, beginning with the first day on which the President has met the requirements of subclause (III), has expired; and (V) the President has consulted with such committees regarding the proposed action during the period referred to in subclause (III). (iii) Apparel articles assembled in 1 or more ATPDEA beneficiary countries from regional fabrics or regional components (I) Subject to the limitation set forth in subclause (II), apparel articles sewn or otherwise assembled in 1 or more ATPDEA beneficiary countries from fabrics or from fabric components formed or from components knit-to-shape, in 1 or more ATPDEA beneficiary countries, from yarns wholly formed in the United States or 1 or more ATPDEA beneficiary countries (including fabrics not formed from yarns, if such fabrics are classifiable under heading 5602 or 5603 of the HTS and are formed in 1 or more ATPDEA beneficiary countries), whether or not the apparel articles are also made from any of the fabrics, fabric components formed, or components knit-to-shape described in clause (i) (unless the apparel articles are made exclusively from any of the fabrics, fabric components formed, or components knit-to-shape described in clause (i)). (II) The preferential treatment referred to in subclause (I) shall be extended in the 1-year period beginning October 1, 2002 , and in each of the 10 succeeding 1-year periods, to imports of apparel articles in an amount not to exceed the applicable percentage of the aggregate square meter equivalents of all apparel articles imported into the United States in the preceding 12-month period for which data are available. (III) For purposes of subclause (II), the term “applicable percentage” means— (aa) 2 percent for the 1-year period beginning October 1, 2002 , increased in each of the 4 succeeding 1-year periods by equal increments, so that for the period beginning October 1, 2006 , the applicable percentage does not exceed 5 percent; and (bb) for the 1-year period beginning October 1, 2007 , and for the succeeding 5-year period, the percentage determined under item (aa) for the 1-year period beginning October 1, 2006 . (iv) Handloomed, handmade, and folklore articles A handloomed, handmade, or folklore article of an ATPDEA beneficiary country identified under subparagraph (C) that is certified as such by the competent authority of such beneficiary country. (v) Certain other apparel articles (I) General rule Any apparel article classifiable under subheading 6212.10 of the HTS, except for articles entered under clause (i), (ii), (iii), or (iv), if the article is both cut and sewn or otherwise assembled in the United States, or one or more ATPDEA beneficiary countries, or both. (II) Limitation During the 1-year period beginning on October 1, 2003 , and during each of the 9 succeeding 1-year periods, apparel articles described in subclause (I) of a producer or an entity controlling production shall be eligible for preferential treatment under this paragraph only if the aggregate cost of fabrics (exclusive of all findings and trimmings) formed in the United States that are used in the production of all such articles of that producer or entity that are entered and eligible under this clause during the preceding 1-year period is at least 75 percent of the aggregate declared customs value of the fabric (exclusive of all findings and trimmings) contained in all such articles of that producer or entity that are entered and eligible under this clause during the preceding 1-year period. (III) Development of procedure to ensure compliance The United States Customs Service shall develop and implement methods and procedures to ensure ongoing compliance with the requirement set forth in subclause (II). If the Customs Service finds that a producer or an entity controlling production has not satisfied such requirement in a 1-year period, then apparel articles described in subclause (I) of that producer or entity shall be ineligible for preferential treatment under this paragraph during any succeeding 1-year period until the aggregate cost of fabrics (exclusive of all findings and trimmings) formed in the United States that are used in the production of such articles of that producer or entity entered during the preceding 1-year period is at least 85 percent of the aggregate declared customs value of the fabric (exclusive of all findings and trimmings) contained in all such articles of that producer or entity that are entered and eligible under this clause during the preceding 1-year period. (vi) Special rules (I) Exception for findings and trimmings An article otherwise eligible for preferential treatment under this paragraph shall not be ineligible for such treatment because the article contains findings or trimmings of foreign origin, if such findings and trimmings do not exceed 25 percent of the cost of the components of the assembled product. Examples of findings and trimmings are sewing thread, hooks and eyes, snaps, buttons, “bow buds”, decorative lace, trim, elastic strips, zippers, including zipper tapes and labels, and other similar products. (II) Certain interlining (aa) An article otherwise eligible for preferential treatment under this paragraph shall not be ineligible for such treatment because the article contains certain interlinings of foreign origin, if the value of such interlinings (and any findings and trimmings) does not exceed 25 percent of the cost of the components of the assembled article. (bb) Interlinings eligible for the treatment described in division (aa) include only a chest type plate, “hymo” piece, or “sleeve header”, of woven or weft-inserted warp knit construction and of coarse animal hair or man-made filaments. (cc) The treatment described in this subclause shall terminate if the President makes a determination that United States manufacturers are producing such interlinings in the United States in commercial quantities. (III) De minimis rule An article that would otherwise be ineligible for preferential treatment under this subparagraph because the article contains yarns not wholly formed in the United States or in one or more ATPDEA beneficiary countries shall not be ineligible for such treatment if the total weight of all such yarns is not more than 7 percent of the total weight of the good. (IV) Special origin rule An article otherwise eligible for preferential treatment under clause (i) or (iii) shall not be ineligible for such treatment because the article contains nylon filament yarn (other than elastomeric yarn) that is classifiable under subheading 5402.10.30, 5402.10.60, 5402.31.30, 5402.31.60, 5402.32.30, 5402.32.60, 5402.41.10, 5402.41.90, 5402.51.00, or 5402.61.00 of the HTS from a country that is a party to an agreement with the United States establishing a free trade area, which entered into force before January 1, 1995 . (vii) Textile luggage Textile luggage— (I) assembled in an ATPDEA beneficiary country from fabric wholly formed and cut in the United States, from yarns wholly formed in the United States, that is entered under subheading 9802.00.80 of the HTS; or (II) assembled from fabric cut in an ATPDEA beneficiary country from fabric wholly formed in the United States from yarns wholly formed in the United States. (viii) Removal of designation of fabrics or yarns not available in commercial quantities If the President determines that any fabric or yarn was determined to be eligible for preferential treatment under clause (i)(III) or (ii) on the basis of fraud, the President is authorized to remove that designation from that fabric or yarn with respect to articles entered after such removal. (C) Handloomed, handmade, and folklore articles For purposes of subparagraph (B)(iv), the President shall consult with representatives of the ATPDEA beneficiary countries concerned for the purpose of identifying particular textile and apparel goods that are mutually agreed upon as being handloomed, handmade, or folklore goods of a kind described in section 2.3(a), (b), or (c) of the Annex or Appendix 3.1.B.11 of the Annex. (D) Penalties for transshipment (i) Penalties for exporters If the President determines, based on sufficient evidence, that an exporter has engaged in transshipment with respect to apparel articles from an ATPDEA beneficiary country, then the President shall deny all benefits under this chapter to such exporter, and any successor of such exporter, for a period of 2 years. (ii) Penalties for countries Whenever the President finds, based on sufficient evidence, that transshipment has occurred, the President shall request that the ATPDEA beneficiary country or countries through whose territory the transshipment has occurred take all necessary and appropriate actions to prevent such transshipment. If the President determines that a country is not taking such actions, the President shall reduce the quantities of apparel articles that may be imported into the United States from such country by the quantity of the transshipped articles multiplied by 3, to the extent consistent with the obligations of the United States under the WTO. (iii) Transshipment described Transshipment within the meaning of this subparagraph has occurred when preferential treatment under subparagraph (A) has been claimed for an apparel article on the basis of material false information concerning the country of origin, manufacture, processing, or assembly of the article or any of its components. For purposes of this clause, false information is material if disclosure of the true information would mean or would have meant that the article is or was ineligible for preferential treatment under subparagraph (A). (E) Bilateral emergency actions (i) In general The President may take bilateral emergency tariff actions of a kind described in section 4 of the Annex with respect to any apparel article imported from an ATPDEA beneficiary country if the application of tariff treatment under subparagraph (A) to such article results in conditions that would be cause for the taking of such actions under such section 4 with respect to a like article described in the same 8-digit subheading of the HTS that is imported from Mexico. (ii) Rules relating to bilateral emergency action For purposes of applying bilateral emergency action under this subparagraph— (I) the requirements of paragraph (5) of section 4 of the Annex (relating to providing compensation) shall not apply; (II) the term “transition period” in section 4 of the Annex shall mean the period ending July 31, 2013 ; and (III) the requirements to consult specified in section 4 of the Annex shall be treated as satisfied if the President requests consultations with the ATPDEA beneficiary country in question and the country does not agree to consult within the time period specified under section 4 of the Annex.
Source
19 USC § 3203(b)(3)
Scoping language
None identified, default scope is assumed to be the parent (chapter 20) of this section.