International Trade Administration September 15, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of Commerce is issuing interim procedures implementing provisions under the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (``the Act''), enacted in its entirety by Congress on June 18, 2008. Title XV, Subtitle D, Part I of the Act contains amendments to the special rules for apparel and other textiles from Haiti in Section 213A(b) of the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (``CBERA'') (19 U.S.C. 2703a(b)), including rules enacted in 2006 by the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement Act of 2006 (``HOPE''). These amendments are also cited as the ``Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement Act of 2008'' (``HOPE II''). Under Section 15402 of the Act, Section 213A(b) of CBERA is amended by creating a benefit for apparel wholly assembled or knit- to-shape in Haiti that meets a ``3 for 1'' earned import allowance. The amendment requires the Secretary of Commerce to establish a program to provide earned import allowance certificates to any producer or entity controlling production of apparel in Haiti, such that apparel wholly assembled or knit-to-shape in Haiti from any combination of fabrics, fabric components, components knit-to-shape, or yarns, regardless of their source, and imported directly from Haiti or the Dominican Republic may enter the United States duty-free, pursuant to the satisfaction of the terms governing issuance of the earned import allowance certificate by the producer or entity controlling production of apparel in Haiti.