The U.S. International Trade
Commission (“USITC” or “Commission”) is seeking approval for
collecting information related to requests for temporary tariff
relief on imported goods submitted to the Commission as a result of
the American Manufacturing Competitiveness Act of 2016 (“the Act”)
(19 U.S.C. 1332 note). The Act requires the Commission to establish
a process to receive petitions that will take the place of
individual miscellaneous tariff bills, and specifies the contents
of such petitions. The Act also provides that these petitions must
be made available on the Commission’s website so that public
comment on each one may be filed. The Act specifies the contents of
preliminary and final reports the Commission must issue, and
requires the Commission to make several determinations concerning
the petitions. Lastly, the Act requires the Commission to make
particular recommendations concerning the petitions and provide the
necessary information to Congress that will permit Congress to
decide which petitions should be included in a miscellaneous tariff
bill. The Act specifies the schedule for collection of petitions
and for the Commission to submit a report to the House Committee on
Ways and Means and the Senate Committee on Finance (“Committees”)
containing information and its determinations. The Act mandates
that the Commission conduct two cycles and begin accepting
petitions, thereby collecting the information for which this
approval is sought, not later than October 15, 2016 and October 15,
2019, respectively
PL:
Pub.L. 114 - 159 3 Name of Law: American Manufacturing
Competitiveness Act of 2016
US Code:
19 USC 1332 (NOTE) Name of Law: American Manufacturing
Competitiveness Act of 2016
US Code: 19 USC 1332 Name of Law: American
Manufacturing Competitiveness Act of 2016
PL: Pub.L. 119 - 159 3 Name of Law: American Manufacturing
Competitiveness Act of 2016
The Commission currently
imposes a burden on firms because the Act requires a process
through which the Commission receives and reports on petitions for
temporary duty suspensions and reductions. In 2016, the Commission
estimated 5,000 petitions and 14,000 comments, and it actually
received 3,166 petitions and 2,486 comments. The Commission
considered actual 2016 intake in arriving at its 2019 estimates.
The Commission also considered that the majority of the 1,655
provisions enacted as a result of the 2016 process will be sought
for renewal in 2019, and that the perceived success of the 2016
process will drive increased interest and visibility of the
program. After weighing these considerations, the Commission has
increased its petition estimate over what was estimated in 2016 (to
7,000 petitions), but decreased its estimated number of comments
(to 5,000 comments). As a result, the 2019 estimated cost burden to
respondents ($4,537,500) is slightly less than the 2016 estimate
($4,675,000).
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.