Possible Modifications to the International Harmonized System Nomenclature, 13067-13069 [2019-06540]
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Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 64 / Wednesday, April 3, 2019 / Notices
Commission should contact the Office
of the Secretary at 202–205–2000.
General information concerning the
Commission may also be obtained by
accessing its internet server (https://
www.usitc.gov). The public record for
this investigation may be viewed on the
Commission’s electronic docket (EDIS)
at https://edis.usitc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background.—This investigation is
being instituted, pursuant to section
733(a) of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19
U.S.C. 1673b(a)), in response to a
petition filed on March 28, 2019, by
Cooper Natural Resources, Inc., Fort
Worth, Texas; Elementis Global LLC,
East Windsor, New Jersey; and Searles
Valley Minerals, Inc., Overland Park,
Kansas.
For further information concerning
the conduct of this investigation and
rules of general application, consult the
Commission’s Rules of Practice and
Procedure, part 201, subparts A and B
(19 CFR part 201), and part 207,
subparts A and B (19 CFR part 207).
Participation in the investigation and
public service list.—Persons (other than
petitioners) wishing to participate in the
investigation as parties must file an
entry of appearance with the Secretary
to the Commission, as provided in
sections 201.11 and 207.10 of the
Commission’s rules, not later than seven
days after publication of this notice in
the Federal Register. Industrial users
and (if the merchandise under
investigation is sold at the retail level)
representative consumer organizations
have the right to appear as parties in
Commission antidumping duty
investigations. The Secretary will
prepare a public service list containing
the names and addresses of all persons,
or their representatives, who are parties
to this investigation upon the expiration
of the period for filing entries of
appearance.
Limited disclosure of business
proprietary information (BPI) under an
administrative protective order (APO)
and BPI service list.—Pursuant to
section 207.7(a) of the Commission’s
rules, the Secretary will make BPI
gathered in this investigation available
to authorized applicants representing
interested parties (as defined in 19
U.S.C. 1677(9)) who are parties to the
investigation under the APO issued in
the investigation, provided that the
application is made not later than seven
days after the publication of this notice
in the Federal Register. A separate
service list will be maintained by the
Secretary for those parties authorized to
receive BPI under the APO.
Conference.—The Commission’s
Director of Investigations has scheduled
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a conference in connection with this
investigation for 9:30 a.m. on Thursday,
April 18, 2019, at the U.S. International
Trade Commission Building, 500 E
Street SW, Washington, DC. Requests to
appear at the conference should be
emailed to preliminaryconferences@
usitc.gov (DO NOT FILE ON EDIS) on or
before Tuesday, April 16, 2019. Parties
in support of the imposition of
antidumping duties in this investigation
and parties in opposition to the
imposition of such duties will each be
collectively allocated one hour within
which to make an oral presentation at
the conference. A nonparty who has
testimony that may aid the
Commission’s deliberations may request
permission to present a short statement
at the conference.
Written submissions.—As provided in
sections 201.8 and 207.15 of the
Commission’s rules, any person may
submit to the Commission on or before
April 23, 2019, a written brief
containing information and arguments
pertinent to the subject matter of the
investigation. Parties may file written
testimony in connection with their
presentation at the conference. All
written submissions must conform with
the provisions of section 201.8 of the
Commission’s rules; any submissions
that contain BPI must also conform with
the requirements of sections 201.6,
207.3, and 207.7 of the Commission’s
rules. The Commission’s Handbook on
E-Filing, available on the Commission’s
website at https://edis.usitc.gov,
elaborates upon the Commission’s rules
with respect to electronic filing.
In accordance with sections 201.16(c)
and 207.3 of the rules, each document
filed by a party to the investigation must
be served on all other parties to the
investigation (as identified by either the
public or BPI service list), and a
certificate of service must be timely
filed. The Secretary will not accept a
document for filing without a certificate
of service.
Authority: This investigation is being
conducted under authority of title VII of the
Tariff Act of 1930; this notice is published
pursuant to section 207.12 of the
Commission’s rules.
By order of the Commission.
Issued: March 29, 2019.
Katherine Hiner,
Supervisory Attorney.
[FR Doc. 2019–06453 Filed 4–2–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7020–02–P
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13067
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
COMMISSION
[Docket No. 1210–007]
Possible Modifications to the
International Harmonized System
Nomenclature
United States International
Trade Commission.
ACTION: Request for proposals to amend
the International Harmonized System
tariff nomenclature.
AGENCY:
The Commission is requesting
proposals from interested persons and
agencies to amend the International
Harmonized Commodity Description
and Coding System (Harmonized
System or HS) in connection with the
Seventh Review Cycle of the World
Customs Organization (WCO), with a
view to keeping the Harmonized System
current with changes in technology and
trade patterns. The proposals will be
reviewed by the Commission, U.S.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP),
and the U.S. Department of Commerce,
Bureau of the Census (Census), for
potential submission by the U.S.
Government to the WCO in Brussels,
Belgium.
DATES: Suggested deadline for
submissions: March 31, 2020.
This date allows adequate time for
proposals to be considered for
submission for the 2027 Harmonized
System five-year revision cycle.
Proposals must be submitted to the
relevant committees of the WCO by no
later than November 2022 to enable the
WCO to approve all recommended
amendments in June 2024. This timing
will enable member countries to make
such changes as are necessary in their
national tariff schedules to meet the
January 1, 2027 target date for
implementation of amendments by
countries using the HS.
ADDRESSES: All Commission offices are
located in the United States
International Trade Commission
Building, 500 E Street SW, Washington,
DC. All written submissions should be
addressed to the Secretary, United
States International Trade Commission,
500 E Street SW, Washington, DC
20436. The public record for this
collection of proposals may be viewed
on the Commission’s electronic docket
(EDIS) at https://edis.usitc.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Barbara Elkins, Office of Tariff Affairs
and Trade Agreements (202–205–2253,
fax 202–205–2616, barbara.elkins@
usitc.gov). The media should contact
Margaret O’Laughlin, Office of External
Affairs (202–205–1819,
SUMMARY:
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13068
Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 64 / Wednesday, April 3, 2019 / Notices
margaret.olaughlin@usitc.gov). Hearing
impaired individuals may obtain
information on this matter by contacting
the Commission’s TDD terminal at 202–
205–1810. General information
concerning the Commission may also be
obtained by accessing its internet
website (https://www.usitc.gov/). Persons
with mobility impairments who will
need special assistance in gaining access
to the Commission should contact the
Office of the Secretary at 202–205–2000.
Background: The Harmonized Tariff
Schedule of the United States (HTS) was
approved by Congress in the Omnibus
Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988,
(Pub. L. 100-418; 19 U.S.C. 3007) (1988
Act) and became effective on January 1,
1989. The HTS incorporates within its
legal structure the rules of
interpretation, legal notes, and
nomenclature categories of the
international HS, and provides
additional product provisions for U.S.
rate of duty and statistical purposes.
Because it was clear that the HS would
need to be updated over time, Congress
enacted section 1205 (19 U.S.C. 3005) of
the 1988 Act to provide for Commission
investigations and recommendations to
the President pertaining to specific
types of changes to the HTS. Pursuant
to the authority of section 1205(a), the
Commission conducts investigations to
recommend to the President changes to
the HTS that result from the WCO’s fiveyear review cycles.
Congress also established a process
for U.S. involvement in the work of the
WCO in administering and updating the
HS. Section 1210 of the 1988 Act (19
U.S.C. 3010) designates the
Commission, the U.S. Department of the
Treasury, and the U.S. Department of
Commerce, subject to the policy
direction of the Office of U.S. Trade
Representative (USTR), as the principal
agencies responsible for formulating
U.S. Government positions on technical
and procedural issues and in
representing the U.S. Government in
activities of the WCO relating to the HS.
The USTR subsequently designated the
Commission to lead the U.S. delegation
to the HS Review Sub-Committee (RSC),
which is responsible for considering
amendments to the HS in order to keep
the HS current with changes in
technology and patterns of international
trade (see 53 FR 45646, Nov. 10, 1988).
Commission staff also participates in the
U.S. delegations to the Harmonized
System Committee (HSC), the parent
body of the RSC, as well as the
Scientific Sub-Committee (SSC) that
provides scientific analysis and
recommendations to the HSC.
The HS was adopted internationally
by means of a WCO convention, which
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recognizes that the HS should be kept
up to date in light of changes in
technology and patterns of international
trade. The HS nomenclature structure,
now used by nearly all countries in their
national tariff schedules, provides a
uniform basis for classifying and
reporting goods for tariff and statistical
purposes. The HS structure includes the
broadest descriptive product categories
reflected in the HTS, thereby providing
the general rules for the interpretation of
the nomenclature, section and chapter
titles, section and chapter legal notes,
and the 4-digit headings and 6-digit
subheadings covering all goods in
international trade. The HTS also
includes additional U.S. rules of
interpretation and notes, 8-digit
subheadings establishing rates of duty,
and 10-digit non-legal statistical
provisions, as well as special duty
provisions in chapters 98 and 99 and
several appendices. These national legal
and statistical provisions and the final
two chapters are not part of the
international HS review process for
which proposals are being requested,
and thus no requests for changes in U.S.
tariff rate lines or rates of duty will be
acted upon.
By way of further background, shortly
after implementation of the HS in 1988,
the RSC began a series of systematic
reviews of the HS. Reviews result in
WCO recommendations to those
countries using the HS, so that they
have a basis for updating their national
tariffs to reflect international
amendments. In the current review
cycle, members’ proposals to amend the
HS will be examined, and the RSC will
forward its final proposed amendments
to the HSC in November 2023, so the
HSC can agree upon the changes to be
included in the WCO recommendation
to countries using the HS, that is
scheduled to be issued in June 2024.
Members then undertake domestic legal
processes, similar to the U.S. process in
section 1205, with the targeted
implementation date for this set of
amendments by all countries using the
HS being January 1, 2027.
Through this notice the Commission
is seeking proposals to amend the HS,
specifically the 4- and 6-digit product
categories and associated legal notes.
Proposals received will be made a part
of the Commission’s record keeping
system and available for public
inspection (with the exception of any
confidential business information)
through the Commission’s record files
and through the Commission’s
electronic docket (EDIS).
An up-to-date copy of the HTS, which
incorporates the international HS in its
overall structure, can be found on the
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Commission’s website (https://
www.usitc.gov/tata/hts/bychapter/
index.htm). Information concerning
locations where copies in print or on CD
can be found at the following link,
https://www.govinfo.gov/app/search or
by contacting GPO Access at the
Government Printing Office (866–512–
1800).
Request for Proposals: The
Commission is seeking proposals for
specific modifications to the
international Harmonized System
(section and chapter notes, and the texts
of 4-digit headings and 6-digit
subheadings) that would describe new
products or technologies, modify or
eliminate unclear or obsolete categories,
or otherwise advance the goals set out
by the HS Convention. No proposals for
changes to U.S. national-level
provisions (including Additional U.S.
Notes, 8-digit subheadings, 10-digit
statistical annotations, and rates of duty)
will be considered by the Commission
as part of this review. Interested parties,
associations, and government agencies
should submit specific language for
proposed amendments to the HS,
together with appropriate descriptive
comments and, to the extent available,
relevant trade data. The implementation
of changes in the international HS by
the United States is intended to be tariffneutral.
As part of this review, the
Commission particularly invites
proposals concerning the following
matters:
—The deletion of HS headings or
subheadings with low trade volume;
—The creation of separate 4-digit
headings or 6-digit subheadings to
identify types of products that are
important in international trade but
are not adequately classified;
—The simplification of the HS, whether
by the modification of provisions for
greater clarity or the elimination of
provisions that are difficult to
administer; and/or
—The suggestion of other changes that
would improve the classification of
products, especially those being
exported from the United States, or
assist in the administration of the HS
and the more uniform classification of
goods internationally.
Proposals received in connection with
this notice will be considered by the
interagency U.S. delegation to the RSC.
When the WCO later makes
recommendations as part of the Seventh
Review Cycle, the Commission will
prepare a report setting out the needed
changes in the HTS that would reflect
the HS changes while maintaining
existing duty treatment. The
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Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 64 / Wednesday, April 3, 2019 / Notices
Commission will publish notice and
seek the views of interested parties in
connection with this work, resulting in
final recommendations to the President
in accordance with section 1205 of the
1988 Act.
This notice does not seek proposals
for changes to the HS Explanatory
Notes, which are maintained by the
WCO and are reviewed separately.
However, requests for changes to
current Explanatory Notes (not arising
from potential 2027 legal amendments
to the HS) may be sent by a WCO
member government directly to the HSC
at any time. Government agencies and
private sector parties interested in such
action should contact the Commission
(see contacts above) or the following
CBP officials: Myles B. Harmon,
Director, Commercial & Trade
Facilitation Division, 202–325–0276, or
Parisa Ghazi, Acting Branch Chief, FTM
Branch, 202–325–0272.
Written Submissions: Interested
persons and agencies are invited to
submit written proposals, which should
be addressed to the Secretary to the
Commission and received no later than
March 31, 2020. Although submissions
will be accepted after this date, it is
recommended that proposals be
submitted as soon as possible to ensure
full consideration in the seventh HS
review cycle. Submissions should be
marked with a reference to ‘‘Docket No.
1210–007’’.
All written submissions must conform
with the provisions of section 201.8 of
the Commission’s Rules of Practice and
Procedure (19 CFR 201.8). Section 201.8
of the Commission’s rules require the
filing of all submissions with the
Secretary electronically, (see Handbook
for Electronic Filing Procedures, https://
www.usitc.gov/documents/handbook_
on_filing_procedures.pdf). Persons with
questions regarding electronic filing
should contact the Secretary (202–205–
2000).
Submission will preferably be public,
but in the event that confidential
treatment of a document is requested, a
non-confidential version must also be
filed (see the following paragraph for
further information regarding
confidential business information). Any
submissions that contain confidential
business information must also conform
with the requirements of section 201.6
of the Commission’s Rules of Practice
and Procedure (19 CFR 201.6). Section
201.6 of the rules requires that the cover
of the document and the individual
pages be clearly marked as to whether
they are the ‘‘confidential’’ or ‘‘nonconfidential’’ version, and that the
confidential business information be
clearly identified by means of brackets.
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All written submissions, except for
confidential business information, will
be made available for inspection by
interested parties. Confidential business
information received in the proposals
may be made available to Customs and
Census during the examination of these
proposals. The Commission will not
otherwise publish or release any
confidential business information
received, nor release it to other
government agencies or other persons.
By order of the Commission.
Issued: March 28, 2019.
Katherine Hiner,
Acting Secretary to the Commission.
[FR Doc. 2019–06540 Filed 4–2–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7020–02–P
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
[OMB Number 1105–NEW]
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Proposed eCollection
eComments Requested; Proposed
Collection; Comments Requested:
USMS Promotional Vendor
Registration Website
U.S. Marshals Service,
Department of Justice.
ACTION: 60-Day notice.
AGENCY:
The Department of Justice
(DOJ), U.S. Marshals Service (USMS),
will submit the following information
collection request to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
review and approval in accordance with
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.
DATES: Comments are encouraged and
will be accepted for 60 days until June
3, 2019.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If
you have additional comments,
particularly with respect to the
estimated public burden or associated
response time, have suggestions, need a
copy of the proposed information
collection instrument with instructions,
or desire any additional information,
please contact Nicole Timmons either
by mail at CG–3, 10th Floor,
Washington, DC 20530–0001, by email
at Nicole.Timmons@usdoj.gov, or by
telephone at 202–236–2646.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Written
comments and suggestions from the
public and affected agencies concerning
the proposed collection of information
are encouraged. Your comments should
address one or more of the following
four points:
—Evaluate whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary
for the proper performance of the
SUMMARY:
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13069
functions of the agency, including
whether the information will have
practical utility;
—Evaluate the accuracy of the agency’s
estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection of information,
including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used;
—Evaluate whether and if so how the
quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected can be
enhanced; and
—Minimize the burden of the collection
of information on those who are to
respond, including through the use of
appropriate automated, electronic,
mechanical, or other technological
collection techniques or other forms
of information technology, e.g.,
permitting electronic submission of
responses.
Overview of This Information
Collection
1. Type of Information Collection
(check justification or form 83): New
collection.
2. The Title of the Form/Collection:
USMS Promotional Vendor Registration
website.
3. The agency form number, if any,
and the applicable component of the
Department sponsoring the collection:
Form number (if applicable): [None]
Component: U.S. Marshals Service,
U.S. Department of Justice.
4. Affected public who will be asked
or required to respond, as well as a brief
abstract:
Primary: Business or other for-profit.
Other (if applicable): [None]
Abstract: This website will allow
vendors to request to be registered as a
vendor of USMS promotional items.
They will be asked to provide their
business’s contact information as well
as to specify the item(s) they wish to
produce bearing the USMS seal or badge
design. Vendors must agree to certain
restrictions in the distribution of items
bearing the USMS seal or badge design,
such as adhering to the requirements set
forth in 18 U.S.C. 709, False advertising
or misuse of names to indicate Federal
agency. Approved vendors will be asked
to maintain their profile in order to keep
the database up-to-date and to recertify
their profile is correct every two years.
5. An estimate of the total number of
respondents and the amount of time
estimated for an average respondent to
respond: An estimated 150 respondents
will utilize the form, and it will take
each respondent approximately 30
minutes to complete the form.
6. An estimate of the total public
burden (in hours) associated with the
collection: The estimated annual public
burden associated with this collection is
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 64 (Wednesday, April 3, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13067-13069]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-06540]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION
[Docket No. 1210-007]
Possible Modifications to the International Harmonized System
Nomenclature
AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission.
ACTION: Request for proposals to amend the International Harmonized
System tariff nomenclature.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Commission is requesting proposals from interested persons
and agencies to amend the International Harmonized Commodity
Description and Coding System (Harmonized System or HS) in connection
with the Seventh Review Cycle of the World Customs Organization (WCO),
with a view to keeping the Harmonized System current with changes in
technology and trade patterns. The proposals will be reviewed by the
Commission, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the U.S.
Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census (Census), for potential
submission by the U.S. Government to the WCO in Brussels, Belgium.
DATES: Suggested deadline for submissions: March 31, 2020.
This date allows adequate time for proposals to be considered for
submission for the 2027 Harmonized System five-year revision cycle.
Proposals must be submitted to the relevant committees of the WCO by no
later than November 2022 to enable the WCO to approve all recommended
amendments in June 2024. This timing will enable member countries to
make such changes as are necessary in their national tariff schedules
to meet the January 1, 2027 target date for implementation of
amendments by countries using the HS.
ADDRESSES: All Commission offices are located in the United States
International Trade Commission Building, 500 E Street SW, Washington,
DC. All written submissions should be addressed to the Secretary,
United States International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW,
Washington, DC 20436. The public record for this collection of
proposals may be viewed on the Commission's electronic docket (EDIS) at
https://edis.usitc.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Barbara Elkins, Office of Tariff
Affairs and Trade Agreements (202-205-2253, fax 202-205-2616,
[email protected]). The media should contact Margaret
O'Laughlin, Office of External Affairs (202-205-1819,
[[Page 13068]]
[email protected]). Hearing impaired individuals may obtain
information on this matter by contacting the Commission's TDD terminal
at 202-205-1810. General information concerning the Commission may also
be obtained by accessing its internet website (https://www.usitc.gov/).
Persons with mobility impairments who will need special assistance in
gaining access to the Commission should contact the Office of the
Secretary at 202-205-2000.
Background: The Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States
(HTS) was approved by Congress in the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness
Act of 1988, (Pub. L. 100[hyphen]418; 19 U.S.C. 3007) (1988 Act) and
became effective on January 1, 1989. The HTS incorporates within its
legal structure the rules of interpretation, legal notes, and
nomenclature categories of the international HS, and provides
additional product provisions for U.S. rate of duty and statistical
purposes. Because it was clear that the HS would need to be updated
over time, Congress enacted section 1205 (19 U.S.C. 3005) of the 1988
Act to provide for Commission investigations and recommendations to the
President pertaining to specific types of changes to the HTS. Pursuant
to the authority of section 1205(a), the Commission conducts
investigations to recommend to the President changes to the HTS that
result from the WCO's five-year review cycles.
Congress also established a process for U.S. involvement in the
work of the WCO in administering and updating the HS. Section 1210 of
the 1988 Act (19 U.S.C. 3010) designates the Commission, the U.S.
Department of the Treasury, and the U.S. Department of Commerce,
subject to the policy direction of the Office of U.S. Trade
Representative (USTR), as the principal agencies responsible for
formulating U.S. Government positions on technical and procedural
issues and in representing the U.S. Government in activities of the WCO
relating to the HS. The USTR subsequently designated the Commission to
lead the U.S. delegation to the HS Review Sub-Committee (RSC), which is
responsible for considering amendments to the HS in order to keep the
HS current with changes in technology and patterns of international
trade (see 53 FR 45646, Nov. 10, 1988). Commission staff also
participates in the U.S. delegations to the Harmonized System Committee
(HSC), the parent body of the RSC, as well as the Scientific Sub-
Committee (SSC) that provides scientific analysis and recommendations
to the HSC.
The HS was adopted internationally by means of a WCO convention,
which recognizes that the HS should be kept up to date in light of
changes in technology and patterns of international trade. The HS
nomenclature structure, now used by nearly all countries in their
national tariff schedules, provides a uniform basis for classifying and
reporting goods for tariff and statistical purposes. The HS structure
includes the broadest descriptive product categories reflected in the
HTS, thereby providing the general rules for the interpretation of the
nomenclature, section and chapter titles, section and chapter legal
notes, and the 4-digit headings and 6-digit subheadings covering all
goods in international trade. The HTS also includes additional U.S.
rules of interpretation and notes, 8-digit subheadings establishing
rates of duty, and 10-digit non-legal statistical provisions, as well
as special duty provisions in chapters 98 and 99 and several
appendices. These national legal and statistical provisions and the
final two chapters are not part of the international HS review process
for which proposals are being requested, and thus no requests for
changes in U.S. tariff rate lines or rates of duty will be acted upon.
By way of further background, shortly after implementation of the
HS in 1988, the RSC began a series of systematic reviews of the HS.
Reviews result in WCO recommendations to those countries using the HS,
so that they have a basis for updating their national tariffs to
reflect international amendments. In the current review cycle, members'
proposals to amend the HS will be examined, and the RSC will forward
its final proposed amendments to the HSC in November 2023, so the HSC
can agree upon the changes to be included in the WCO recommendation to
countries using the HS, that is scheduled to be issued in June 2024.
Members then undertake domestic legal processes, similar to the U.S.
process in section 1205, with the targeted implementation date for this
set of amendments by all countries using the HS being January 1, 2027.
Through this notice the Commission is seeking proposals to amend
the HS, specifically the 4- and 6-digit product categories and
associated legal notes. Proposals received will be made a part of the
Commission's record keeping system and available for public inspection
(with the exception of any confidential business information) through
the Commission's record files and through the Commission's electronic
docket (EDIS).
An up-to-date copy of the HTS, which incorporates the international
HS in its overall structure, can be found on the Commission's website
(https://www.usitc.gov/tata/hts/bychapter/index.htm). Information
concerning locations where copies in print or on CD can be found at the
following link, https://www.govinfo.gov/app/search or by contacting GPO
Access at the Government Printing Office (866-512-1800).
Request for Proposals: The Commission is seeking proposals for
specific modifications to the international Harmonized System (section
and chapter notes, and the texts of 4-digit headings and 6-digit
subheadings) that would describe new products or technologies, modify
or eliminate unclear or obsolete categories, or otherwise advance the
goals set out by the HS Convention. No proposals for changes to U.S.
national-level provisions (including Additional U.S. Notes, 8-digit
subheadings, 10-digit statistical annotations, and rates of duty) will
be considered by the Commission as part of this review. Interested
parties, associations, and government agencies should submit specific
language for proposed amendments to the HS, together with appropriate
descriptive comments and, to the extent available, relevant trade data.
The implementation of changes in the international HS by the United
States is intended to be tariff-neutral.
As part of this review, the Commission particularly invites
proposals concerning the following matters:
--The deletion of HS headings or subheadings with low trade volume;
--The creation of separate 4-digit headings or 6-digit subheadings to
identify types of products that are important in international trade
but are not adequately classified;
--The simplification of the HS, whether by the modification of
provisions for greater clarity or the elimination of provisions that
are difficult to administer; and/or
--The suggestion of other changes that would improve the classification
of products, especially those being exported from the United States, or
assist in the administration of the HS and the more uniform
classification of goods internationally.
Proposals received in connection with this notice will be
considered by the interagency U.S. delegation to the RSC. When the WCO
later makes recommendations as part of the Seventh Review Cycle, the
Commission will prepare a report setting out the needed changes in the
HTS that would reflect the HS changes while maintaining existing duty
treatment. The
[[Page 13069]]
Commission will publish notice and seek the views of interested parties
in connection with this work, resulting in final recommendations to the
President in accordance with section 1205 of the 1988 Act.
This notice does not seek proposals for changes to the HS
Explanatory Notes, which are maintained by the WCO and are reviewed
separately. However, requests for changes to current Explanatory Notes
(not arising from potential 2027 legal amendments to the HS) may be
sent by a WCO member government directly to the HSC at any time.
Government agencies and private sector parties interested in such
action should contact the Commission (see contacts above) or the
following CBP officials: Myles B. Harmon, Director, Commercial & Trade
Facilitation Division, 202-325-0276, or Parisa Ghazi, Acting Branch
Chief, FTM Branch, 202-325-0272.
Written Submissions: Interested persons and agencies are invited to
submit written proposals, which should be addressed to the Secretary to
the Commission and received no later than March 31, 2020. Although
submissions will be accepted after this date, it is recommended that
proposals be submitted as soon as possible to ensure full consideration
in the seventh HS review cycle. Submissions should be marked with a
reference to ``Docket No. 1210-007''.
All written submissions must conform with the provisions of section
201.8 of the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure (19 CFR
201.8). Section 201.8 of the Commission's rules require the filing of
all submissions with the Secretary electronically, (see Handbook for
Electronic Filing Procedures, https://www.usitc.gov/documents/handbook_on_filing_procedures.pdf). Persons with questions regarding
electronic filing should contact the Secretary (202-205-2000).
Submission will preferably be public, but in the event that
confidential treatment of a document is requested, a non-confidential
version must also be filed (see the following paragraph for further
information regarding confidential business information). Any
submissions that contain confidential business information must also
conform with the requirements of section 201.6 of the Commission's
Rules of Practice and Procedure (19 CFR 201.6). Section 201.6 of the
rules requires that the cover of the document and the individual pages
be clearly marked as to whether they are the ``confidential'' or ``non-
confidential'' version, and that the confidential business information
be clearly identified by means of brackets.
All written submissions, except for confidential business
information, will be made available for inspection by interested
parties. Confidential business information received in the proposals
may be made available to Customs and Census during the examination of
these proposals. The Commission will not otherwise publish or release
any confidential business information received, nor release it to other
government agencies or other persons.
By order of the Commission.
Issued: March 28, 2019.
Katherine Hiner,
Acting Secretary to the Commission.
[FR Doc. 2019-06540 Filed 4-2-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7020-02-P
