Article 3.24 of the United
States-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement (“U.S.-Panama TPA” or the
“Agreement”) provides for a textile safeguard mechanism. This
safeguard mechanism applies when, as a result of the elimination of
a customs duty under the Agreement, a Panamanian textile or apparel
article is being imported into the United States in such increased
quantities, in absolute terms or relative to the domestic market
for that article, and under such conditions as to cause serious
damage or actual threat thereof to a U.S. industry producing a like
or directly competitive article. Under these circumstances, Article
3.24 permits the United States to increase duties on the imported
article from Panama to a level that does not exceed the lesser of
the prevailing U.S. normal trade relations
(NTR)/most-favored-nation (MFN) duty rate for the article or the
U.S. NTR/MFN duty rate in effect on the day the Agreement entered
into force. In Proclamation No. 8894 (77 FR 66507, November 5,
2012), the President delegated to the Committee for the
Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA) his authority under
Subtitle B of Title III of the Act with respect to textile and
apparel safeguard measures. The Statement of Administrative Action
accompanying the U.S.-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement
Implementation Act (the “Act”) [Public Law 112-43] provides that
CITA will issue procedures for requesting such safeguard measures,
for making its determinations under section 322(a) of the Act, and
for providing relief under section 322(b) of the Act. The textile
safeguard provision will be of considerable benefit to firms
manufacturing textile and apparel goods in the United States in the
event that an industry finds itself to be adversely impacted by
duty-free imports of textiles and apparel from Panama. CITA must
collect information in order to determine whether a domestic
textile or apparel industry is being adversely impacted by imports
of these products from Panama, thereby allowing CITA to take
corrective action to protect the viability of the domestic textile
industry, subject to section 322(b) of the Act.
PL:
Pub.L. 112 - 43 321-328 Name of Law: United States-Panama Trade
Promotion Agreement Implementation Act
PL: Pub.L. 112 - 43 321-328 Name of Law:
United States-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation
Act
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.