United States-Israel Free Trade Area Implementation Act; Designation of Qualifying Industrial Zones, 4482-4483 [E9-1591]
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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 15 / Monday, January 26, 2009 / Notices
submission should be included in the
same file as the submission itself and
not as separate files. All nonconfidential comments and reply
comments will be placed on the USTR
Web site, https://www.USTR.gov
pursuant to 15 CFR 2003.5.
We strongly urge submitters to avail
themselves of the electronic filing, if at
all possible. If an on-line submission is
impossible, alternative arrangements
must be made with Ms. Blue prior to
delivery for the receipt of such
submissions. Ms. Blue should be
contacted at (202) 395–3475. General
information concerning the Office of the
United States Trade Representative may
be obtained by accessing its Internet
Web site (https://www.ustr.gov).
Carmen Suro-Bredie,
Chairman, Trade Policy Staff Committee.
[FR Doc. E9–1515 Filed 1–23–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190–W9–P
OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES
TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
United States-Israel Free Trade Area
Implementation Act; Designation of
Qualifying Industrial Zones
Office of the United States
Trade Representative.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: Under the United States-Israel
Free Trade Area Implementation Act
(IFTA Act), articles of qualifying
industrial zones encompassing portions
of Israel and Jordan or Israel and Egypt
are eligible to receive duty-free
treatment. Effective upon publication of
this notice, the United States Trade
Representative, pursuant to authority
delegated by the President, is
designating the Beni Suief zone and the
Al Minya zone as qualifying industrial
zones under the IFTA Act.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Sonia Franceski, Director for Middle
East Affairs, (202) 395–4987, Office of
the United States Trade Representative,
600 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC
20508.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant
to authority granted under section 9 of
the United States-Israel Free Trade Area
Implementation Act of 1985 (IFTA Act),
as amended (19 U.S.C. 2112 note),
Presidential Proclamation 6955 of
November 13, 1996 (61 FR 58761)
proclaimed certain tariff treatment for
articles of the West Bank, the Gaza
Strip, and qualifying industrial zones. In
particular, the Presidential Proclamation
modified general notes 3 and 8 of the
Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the
VerDate Nov<24>2008
17:20 Jan 23, 2009
Jkt 217001
United States: (a) To provide duty-free
treatment to qualifying articles that are
the product of the West Bank, the Gaza
Strip or a qualifying industrial zone and
are entered in accordance with the
provisions of section 9 of the IFTA Act;
(b) to provide that articles of Israel may
be treated as though they were articles
directly shipped from Israel for
purposes of the United States-Israel Free
Trade Area Agreement (‘‘the
Agreement’’) even if shipped to the
United States from the West Bank, the
Gaza Strip, or a qualifying industrial
zone, if the articles otherwise meet the
requirements of the Agreement; and (c)
to provide that the cost or value of
materials produced in the West Bank,
the Gaza Strip, or a qualifying industrial
zone may be included in the cost or
value of materials produced in Israel
under section 1(c)(i) of Annex 3 of the
Agreement and that the direct costs of
processing operations performed in the
West Bank, the Gaza Strip, or a
qualifying industrial zone may be
included in the direct costs of
processing operations performed in
Israel under section 1(c)(ii) of Annex 3
of the Agreement.
Section 9(e) of the IFTA Act defines
a ‘‘qualifying industrial zone’’ as an area
that ‘‘(1) Encompasses portions of the
territory of Israel and Jordan or Israel
and Egypt; (2) has been designated by
local authorities as an enclave where
merchandise may enter without
payment of duty or excise taxes; and (3)
has been specified by the President as
a qualifying industrial zone.’’
Presidential Proclamation 6955
delegated to the United States Trade
Representative the authority to
designate qualifying industrial zones.
The United States Trade
Representative has previously
designated qualifying industrial zones
under Section 9 of the IFTA Act on
March 13, 1998 (63 FR 12572), March
19, 1999 (64 FR 13623), October 15,
1999 (64 FR 56015), October 24, 2000
(65 FR 64472), and December 12, 2000
(65 FR 77688), June 15, 2001 (66 FR
32660), January 28, 2004 (69 FR 4199),
December 29, 2004 (69 FR 78094), and
November 16, 2005 (70 FR 69622).
The governments of Israel and Egypt
jointly requested in a letter submitted to
the United States Trade Representative
on January 5, 2009 the designation as a
qualifying industrial zone of the areas
comprising the Beni Suief and Al Minya
zones. The names and locations of the
currently producing factories
comprising the Beni Suief zone and the
Al Minya zone are specified on maps
and materials submitted by Egypt and
Israel and are on file with the Office of
the U.S. Trade Representative. Israel
PO 00000
Frm 00115
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
and Egypt have agreed that merchandise
may enter, without payment of duty or
excise taxes, areas under their
respective customs control that
comprise the Beni Suief zone and the Al
Minya zone. Further, the operation and
administration of these zones are
provided for in the previously agreed
‘‘Protocol between the Government of
the State of Israel and the Government
of the Arab Republic of Egypt On
Qualifying Industrial Zones.’’
Accordingly, the Beni Suief zone and
the Al Minya zone meet the criteria
under sections 9(e)(1) and (2) of the
IFTA Act.
Therefore, pursuant to the authority
delegated to me by Presidential
Proclamation 6955, I hereby designate
the areas occupied by the currently
producing factories that comprise the
Beni Suief zone and the Al Minya zone
as specified on maps and materials
received from Egypt and Israel, as
qualifying industrial zones under
section 9 of the IFTA Act, effective upon
the date of publication of this notice,
applicable to articles shipped from these
qualifying industrial zones after such
date.
Susan C. Schwab,
United States Trade Representative.
[FR Doc. E9–1589 Filed 1–23–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190–W9–P
OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES
TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
United States-Israel Free Trade Area
Implementation Act; Designation of
Qualifying Industrial Zones
AGENCY: Office of the United States
Trade Representative.
ACTION:
Notice.
SUMMARY: Under the United States-Israel
Free Trade Area Implementation Act
(IFTA Act), articles of qualifying
industrial zones encompassing portions
of Israel and Jordan or Israel and Egypt
are eligible to receive duty-free
treatment. Effective upon publication of
this notice, the United States Trade
Representative, pursuant to authority
delegated by the President, is
designating Shoubak, Shouneh Wistah,
Madaba/Dalilet, Irbid/Al-Westieyn, and
Al-Tafileh as qualifying industrial zones
under the IFTA Act.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Sonia Franceski, Director for Middle
East Affairs, (202) 395–4987, Office of
the United States Trade Representative,
600 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC
20508.
E:\FR\FM\26JAN1.SGM
26JAN1
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 15 / Monday, January 26, 2009 / Notices
Pursuant
to authority granted under section 9 of
the United States-Israel Free Trade Area
Implementation Act of 1985 (IFTA Act),
as amended (19 U.S.C. 2112 note),
Presidential Proclamation 6955 of
November 13, 1996 (61 FR 58761)
proclaimed certain tariff treatment for
articles of the West Bank, the Gaza
Strip, and qualifying industrial zones. In
particular, the Presidential Proclamation
modified general notes 3 and 8 of the
Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the
United States: (a) To provide duty-free
treatment to qualifying articles that are
the product of the West Bank, the Gaza
Strip or a qualifying industrial zone and
are entered in accordance with the
provisions of section 9 of the IFTA Act;
(b) to provide that articles of Israel may
be treated as though they were articles
directly shipped from Israel for the
purposes of the United States-Israel Free
Trade Area Agreement (‘‘the
Agreement’’) even if shipped to the
United States from the West Bank, the
Gaza Strip, or a qualifying industrial
zone, if the articles otherwise meet the
requirements of the Agreement; and (c)
to provide that the cost or value of
materials produced in the West Bank,
the Gaza Strip, or a qualifying industrial
zone may be included in the cost or
value of materials produced in Israel
under section 1(c)(i) of Annex 3 of the
Agreement and that the direct costs of
processing operations performed in the
West Bank, the Gaza Strip, or a
qualifying industrial zone may be
included in the direct costs of
processing operations performed in
Israel under section 1(c)(ii) of Annex 3
of the Agreement.
Section 9(e) of the IFTA Act defines
a ‘‘qualifying industrial zone’’ as an area
that ‘‘(1) encompasses portions of the
territory of Israel and Jordan or Israel
and Egypt; (2) has been designated by
local authorities as an enclave where
merchandise may enter without
payment of duty or excise taxes; and (3)
has been specified by the President as
a qualifying industrial zone.’’
Presidential Proclamation 6955
delegated to the United States Trade
Representative the authority to
designate qualifying industrial zones.
The United States Trade
Representative has previously
designated qualifying industrial zones
under Section 9 of the IFTA Act on
March 13, 1998 (63 FR 12572), March
19, 1999 (64 FR 13623), October 15,
1999 (64 FR 56015), October 24, 2000
(65 FR 64472), and December 12, 2000
(65 FR 77688), June 15, 2001 (66 FR
32660), January 28, 2004 (69 FR 4199)
December 29, 2004 (69 FR 78094), and
November 16, 2005 (70 FR 69622).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
VerDate Nov<24>2008
17:20 Jan 23, 2009
Jkt 217001
The Government of Israel and the
Government of the Hashemite Kingdom
of Jordan agreed in protocols submitted
in June 2008 to the designation of
Shoubak, Shouneh Wistah, Madaba/
Dalilet, Irbid/Al-Westieyn, and AlTafileh as qualifying industrial zones.
The Government of Israel and the
Government of Jordan further agreed
that merchandise may enter, without
payment of duty or excise taxes, areas
under their respective customs control
in association with the Shoubak zone,
Shouneh Wistah zone, Madaba/Dalilet
zone, Irbid/Al-Westieyn zone, and AlTafileh zone. Accordingly, the Shoubak,
Shouneh Wistah, Madaba/Dalilet, Irbid/
Al-Westieyn, and Al-Tafileh qualifying
industrial zones meet the criteria under
paragraphs 9(e)(1) and (2) of the IFTA
Act.
Therefore, pursuant to the authority
delegated to me by Presidential
Proclamation 6955, I hereby designate
the Shoubak, Shouneh Wistah, Madaba/
Dalilet, Irbid/Al-Westieyn, and AlTafileh, as established by the 2003
Amending Protocols to the Agreement
Between the Government of the
Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the
Government of the State of Israel on
Irbid Qualifying Industrial Zone, as
qualifying industrial zones under
section 9 of the IFTA Act, effective upon
the date of publication of this notice,
applicable to articles shipped from these
qualifying industrial zones after such
date.
Susan C. Schwab,
United States Trade Representative.
[FR Doc. E9–1591 Filed 1–23–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190–W9–P
OFFICE OF PERSONNEL
MANAGEMENT
January 2009 Pay Adjustments
AGENCY: U.S. Office of Personnel
Management.
ACTION: Notice.
SUMMARY: The President adjusted the
rates of basic pay and locality payments
for certain categories of Federal
employees effective in January 2009.
This notice documents those pay
adjustments for the public record.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Tameka Gillis, Center for Pay and Leave
Administration, Division for Strategic
Human Resources Policy, U.S. Office of
Personnel Management; (202) 606–2858;
FAX (202) 606–0824; or e-mail to payperformance-policy@opm.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On
December 18, 2008, the President signed
PO 00000
Frm 00116
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
4483
Executive Order 13483 (73 FR 78587),
which implemented the January 2009
pay adjustments. The President made
these adjustments consistent with
Public Law 110–329, September 30,
2008, which authorized an overall
average pay increase of 3.9 percent for
the ‘‘statutory pay systems,’’ including
the General Schedule (GS).
Schedule 1 of Executive Order 13483
provides the rates for the 2009 General
Schedule and reflects a 2.9 percent
across-the-board increase. Executive
Order 13483 also includes the
percentage amounts of the 2009 locality
payments. (See Section 5 and Schedule
9 of Executive Order 13483.)
The publication of this notice satisfies
the requirement in section 5(b) of
Executive Order 13483 that the U.S.
Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
publish appropriate notice of the 2009
locality payments in the Federal
Register.
GS employees receive locality
payments under 5 U.S.C. 5304. Locality
payments apply in the continental
United States (as defined in 5 CFR
531.602 to include the several States
and the District of Columbia, but not
Alaska or Hawaii). In 2009, locality
payments ranging from 13.86 percent to
34.35 percent apply to GS employees in
32 locality pay areas. (The 2009 locality
pay area definitions can be found at
https://www.opm.gov/oca/09tables/
locdef.asp.) These 2009 locality pay
percentages, which replaced the 2008
locality pay percentages, became
effective on the first day of the first pay
period beginning on or after January 1,
2009 (January 4, 2009). An employee’s
locality rate of pay is computed by
increasing his or her scheduled annual
rate of pay (as defined in 5 CFR 531.602)
by the applicable locality pay
percentage. (See 5 CFR 531.604 and
531.609.)
Executive Order 13483 establishes the
new Executive Schedule, which
incorporates a 2.8 percent increase
required under 5 U.S.C. 5318 (rounded
to the nearest $100). By law, Executive
Schedule officials are not authorized to
receive locality payments.
Executive Order 13483 establishes the
range of rates of basic pay for senior
executives in the Senior Executive
Service (SES), as established pursuant to
5 U.S.C. 5382. The minimum rate of
basic pay for the SES may not be less
than the minimum rate payable under 5
U.S.C. 5376 for senior-level positions
($117,787 in 2009). The maximum rate
of the SES rate range is level II of the
Executive Schedule ($177,000 in 2009)
for SES members covered by a certified
SES performance appraisal system and
level III of the Executive Schedule
E:\FR\FM\26JAN1.SGM
26JAN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 15 (Monday, January 26, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4482-4483]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-1591]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
United States-Israel Free Trade Area Implementation Act;
Designation of Qualifying Industrial Zones
AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Under the United States-Israel Free Trade Area Implementation
Act (IFTA Act), articles of qualifying industrial zones encompassing
portions of Israel and Jordan or Israel and Egypt are eligible to
receive duty-free treatment. Effective upon publication of this notice,
the United States Trade Representative, pursuant to authority delegated
by the President, is designating Shoubak, Shouneh Wistah, Madaba/
Dalilet, Irbid/Al-Westieyn, and Al-Tafileh as qualifying industrial
zones under the IFTA Act.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sonia Franceski, Director for Middle
East Affairs, (202) 395-4987, Office of the United States Trade
Representative, 600 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20508.
[[Page 4483]]
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to authority granted under section
9 of the United States-Israel Free Trade Area Implementation Act of
1985 (IFTA Act), as amended (19 U.S.C. 2112 note), Presidential
Proclamation 6955 of November 13, 1996 (61 FR 58761) proclaimed certain
tariff treatment for articles of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and
qualifying industrial zones. In particular, the Presidential
Proclamation modified general notes 3 and 8 of the Harmonized Tariff
Schedule of the United States: (a) To provide duty-free treatment to
qualifying articles that are the product of the West Bank, the Gaza
Strip or a qualifying industrial zone and are entered in accordance
with the provisions of section 9 of the IFTA Act; (b) to provide that
articles of Israel may be treated as though they were articles directly
shipped from Israel for the purposes of the United States-Israel Free
Trade Area Agreement (``the Agreement'') even if shipped to the United
States from the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, or a qualifying industrial
zone, if the articles otherwise meet the requirements of the Agreement;
and (c) to provide that the cost or value of materials produced in the
West Bank, the Gaza Strip, or a qualifying industrial zone may be
included in the cost or value of materials produced in Israel under
section 1(c)(i) of Annex 3 of the Agreement and that the direct costs
of processing operations performed in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, or
a qualifying industrial zone may be included in the direct costs of
processing operations performed in Israel under section 1(c)(ii) of
Annex 3 of the Agreement.
Section 9(e) of the IFTA Act defines a ``qualifying industrial
zone'' as an area that ``(1) encompasses portions of the territory of
Israel and Jordan or Israel and Egypt; (2) has been designated by local
authorities as an enclave where merchandise may enter without payment
of duty or excise taxes; and (3) has been specified by the President as
a qualifying industrial zone.''
Presidential Proclamation 6955 delegated to the United States Trade
Representative the authority to designate qualifying industrial zones.
The United States Trade Representative has previously designated
qualifying industrial zones under Section 9 of the IFTA Act on March
13, 1998 (63 FR 12572), March 19, 1999 (64 FR 13623), October 15, 1999
(64 FR 56015), October 24, 2000 (65 FR 64472), and December 12, 2000
(65 FR 77688), June 15, 2001 (66 FR 32660), January 28, 2004 (69 FR
4199) December 29, 2004 (69 FR 78094), and November 16, 2005 (70 FR
69622).
The Government of Israel and the Government of the Hashemite
Kingdom of Jordan agreed in protocols submitted in June 2008 to the
designation of Shoubak, Shouneh Wistah, Madaba/Dalilet, Irbid/Al-
Westieyn, and Al-Tafileh as qualifying industrial zones. The Government
of Israel and the Government of Jordan further agreed that merchandise
may enter, without payment of duty or excise taxes, areas under their
respective customs control in association with the Shoubak zone,
Shouneh Wistah zone, Madaba/Dalilet zone, Irbid/Al-Westieyn zone, and
Al-Tafileh zone. Accordingly, the Shoubak, Shouneh Wistah, Madaba/
Dalilet, Irbid/Al-Westieyn, and Al-Tafileh qualifying industrial zones
meet the criteria under paragraphs 9(e)(1) and (2) of the IFTA Act.
Therefore, pursuant to the authority delegated to me by
Presidential Proclamation 6955, I hereby designate the Shoubak, Shouneh
Wistah, Madaba/Dalilet, Irbid/Al-Westieyn, and Al-Tafileh, as
established by the 2003 Amending Protocols to the Agreement Between the
Government of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Government of the
State of Israel on Irbid Qualifying Industrial Zone, as qualifying
industrial zones under section 9 of the IFTA Act, effective upon the
date of publication of this notice, applicable to articles shipped from
these qualifying industrial zones after such date.
Susan C. Schwab,
United States Trade Representative.
[FR Doc. E9-1591 Filed 1-23-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-W9-P
