Producers in Haiti of Apparel Products

GENERAL INFORMATION, INSTRUCTIONS, AND
DEFINITIONS FOR COMMISSION
PRODUCER QUESTIONNAIRE

Apparel Production in Haiti
Investigation No. 5003-TR-1

Further information.--If you have any questions concerning the enclosed
questionnaire or other matters related to this investigation, you may contact
the following members of the Commission’s staff (Fax 202-205-3205):
Russell Duncan, project leader (202-708-4727; E-mail [email protected])
William Deese, project leader (202-205-2626; E-mail [email protected])

GENERAL INFORMATION, INSTRUCTIONS, AND DEFINITIONS
GENERAL INFORMATION
Background.--Title V of the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006 (TRHCA) (Public Law No.
109-432), which may also be cited as the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership
Encouragement Act (Haitian HOPE Act), directs the Commission to submit a report to Congress
on the effects of providing special rules for imports into the United States of apparel assembled
in Haiti. Specifically, the statute directs the Commission to analyze the effects of providing
special rules to Haiti on trade markets and industries involving textiles and apparel in Haiti, the
countries described in clauses (ii) and (iii) of section 213A(b)(2)(C) of the Caribbean Basin
Economic Recovery Act, and the United States. In order that it might prepare this report, the
Commission has instituted investigation No. TR-5003-1 Textiles and Apparel: Effects of Special
Rules for Haiti on Trade Markets and Industries. The Commission published notice of
institution in the Federal Register (72 FR 6288, February 9, 2007) and has scheduled a hearing
on this matter on November 8, 2007. The Commission must provide its report to the Congress
by June 20, 2008. Hearing-impaired individuals can obtain information regarding this
investigation via the Commission’s TDD terminal (202-205-1810).
Due date of questionnaire.--Return the completed questionnaire to the United States
International Trade Commission by no later than August 17, 2007.
Confidentiality.--The commercial and financial data furnished in response to this questionnaire
that reveal the individual operations of your firm will be treated as confidential business
information by the Commission to the extent that such data are not otherwise available to the
public and will not be published in a manner that will reveal the individual operations of your
firm and will not be disclosed except as may be required by law. Section 332(g) of the Tariff
Act of 1930 provides that the Commission may not release information that qualifies as
confidential business information (under Commission Rule 201.6 (19 CFR § 201.6)) unless the
party submitting the confidential business information had notice, at the time of submission, that
such information would be released by the Commission, or such party subsequently consents to
the release of the information. Information submitted in this questionnaire response and
throughout this investigation may be used by the Commission, its employees, and contract
personnel who are acting in the capacity of Commission employees, for developing or
maintaining the records of this investigation or related proceedings for which this information is
submitted, or in internal audits and investigations relating to the programs and operations of the
Commission pursuant to 5 U.S.C. Appendix 3.
The report that the Commission intends to prepare in this investigation is one that can be made
public in its entirety. Therefore, any confidential business information received by the
Commission in this investigation and used in preparing the report will not be published in a
manner that would reveal the operations of the firm supplying the information. Data your firm
submits in response to the Commission’s inquiry may be aggregated with data submitted by

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GENERAL INFORMATION, INSTRUCTIONS, AND DEFINITIONS--Continued
GENERAL INFORMATION--Continued
other firms, but such aggregated data will not be published in a manner that would reveal the
individual operations of your firm.
INSTRUCTIONS
Verification.--The information submitted in the enclosed questionnaire is subject to verification
and follow-up by the Commission staff. To facilitate possible verification of data, please keep
all supporting documents used in the preparation of the questionnaire response.
Answer all questions.--Do not leave any question or section blank. If the answer to any question
is “none,” write “none,” or in “not applicable,” write “NA.” If information is not readily
available from your records in exactly the form requested, please provide estimates. Answers to
questions and any necessary comments or explanations should be supplied in the space provided.
Submission.--Return the completed questionnaires in electronic format either by (i) e-mailing
them to [email protected] or (ii) sending them, saved to a disk, CD, or USB drive, in a
mail delivery service (please do not use regular postal service as U.S. government mail delivery
scanning procedures damage disks, CDs, and USB drives). Hard copy submissions (fax and mail
delivery service) will also be accepted, but electronic submission is preferred.
DEFINITIONS
Haitian HOPE Act.--The Haitian HOPE Act refers to Title V of the U.S. Tax Relief and Health
Care Act of 2006 (TRHCA). Title V of the TRHCA accords U.S. importers duty-free access to
the U.S. market for imports of apparel assembled in Haiti regardless of the source of the raw
material inputs (fabric, trimming, fasteners, etc.) subject to certain value-added requirements and
quota limits. The special rules for imports of apparel from Haiti entered into force on March 20,
2007, following a Presidential proclamation (Proc. No. 8114, March 19, 2007) as required by
law. See the Federal Register at 72 FR 13657 (March 22, 2007).
Apparel.--Any product which is properly classified in Chapters 61 and 62 of the Harmonized
Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS) and certain items which are properly classified in
Chapters 64 (footwear) and 65 (headwear) of the HTS which the U.S. Department of
Commerce’s Office of Textiles and Apparel (“OTEXA”) has categorized as apparel products for
the purposes of the U.S. Textile and Apparel Category system (See OTEXA’s concordance
found at http://otexa.ita.doc.gov/corr.htm for more information). The following is a list of the
10-digit statistical reporting numbers in the HTS for products within Chapters 64 and 65 which
are considered “apparel” products. (next page)

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GENERAL INFORMATION, INSTRUCTIONS, AND DEFINITIONS--Continued

DEFINITIONS--Continued
U.S.
HTS number
6405206030
6405206060
6405206090

Description of goods not in Chapters 61 & 62 which are
otherwise classified as apparel
Footwear with soles and uppers of wool felt.

6406991505
6406991510
6406991540
6406991550
6406991560
6406991570

Parts of footwear (such as removeable insoles, uppers
detached from outer soles, heel cushions, and similar
articles) made of textile materials.

6501009000
6502009030
6503009000 (deleted)
6504009015
6504009060

Hats, headgear, hat forms, hat bodies, hat shapes, and
hoods made out of man made textiles or non-fur felt without
brims and not blocked to shape, lined nor trimmed.

6505901515
6505901525
6505901540
6505901560
6505902030
6505902060
6505902545
6505902590
6505903030
6505903045
6505903090
6505904030
6505904045
6505904090
6505905030
6505905045
6505905090
6505906030
6505906040
6505906045
6505906090
6505907030
6505907045
6505907090
6505908045
6505908050
6505908090
6505909030
6505909045
6505909089

Hats and other headgear, knitted or crocheted, or made up
from textile fabric.

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GENERAL INFORMATION, INSTRUCTIONS, AND DEFINITIONS--Continued

DEFINITIONS--Continued
If your firm is unable to verify the proper classification at the 10-digit level using the U.S.
specific statistical reporting numbers provided above, your firm may consider subheadings
6406.99 and 6505.90 of the internationally harmonized tariff schedule as “apparel” for the
purposes of reporting in this questionnaire.
Firm.--An individual proprietorship, partnership, joint venture, association, corporation
(including subsidiaries), business trust, or cooperative.
Related firm.--A firm that your firm solely or jointly owned, managed, or otherwise controlled.
Establishment.--Each facility of a firm in Haiti involved in the production of apparel.
Production Workers.--All employees (both supervisory and nonsupervisory) engaged in
fabricating, processing, assembling, inspecting, receiving, storage, handling, packing,
transportation, maintenance, repair, janitorial and guard services, and other services closely
associated with the firm’s apparel assembly operations.
Production.--All production in your establishment(s) in Haiti.
Shipments.--Shipments of products produced in your establishment(s) in Haiti.
Home market shipments.--Shipments within Haiti, including shipments to related firms.
Export shipments.--Shipments to destinations outside Haiti, including shipments to
related firms.
Inventories.--Finished goods inventory, not raw materials nor work-in-progress.
Raw Material Inputs.--The physical materials used in the production of apparel such as fabric,
trimming, fasteners, etc.
Machinery.--Any equipment used in the production of apparel which automates a process, such
as sewing machines, fabric cutters, bleaching machines, computers, etc.
United States.--For purposes of this investigation, the 50 States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin
Islands, and the District of Columbia.

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GENERAL INFORMATION, INSTRUCTIONS, AND DEFINITIONS--Continued

DEFINITIONS--Continued
CBTPA countries.--Barbados, Belize, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador,
Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, Saint Lucia, and Trinidad
and Tobago. For the purposes of this questionnaire, please consider the all of these countries
“CBTPA countries,” even though some may no longer qualify for CBTPA benefits.
Countries with which the U.S. has an FTA.--Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Chile, Israel, Jordan,
Mexico, Morocco, and Singapore.
AGOA countries.--Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde,
Chad, Congo (ROC), Congo (DRC), Djibouti, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea,
Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique,
Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone,
South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.
ATPA countries.--Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
Foreign sources.--Any country other than Haiti, the United States, or one of the countries listed
as a “CBTPA country,” a “Country with which the U.S. has an FTA,” an “AGOA country,” or
an “ATPA country.”
Supplier.--Any person or firm which provides raw material inputs (as defined above) for the
production of apparel in your establishment.
Customer.--Any person or firm which purchases apparel (as defined above) assembled by your
firm.
Competitor.--Any person or firm which assembles apparel (as defined above) other than your
firm.
Security Premiums.--Costs associated with increased security of production facility and business
operations relating to the production of apparel, such as salaries of security professionals, bribes
paid to locals in exchange for reduced harassment, extra transportation costs (e.g. armored
vehicles), extra packaging costs to prevent theft, etc.

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