Title 15—Commerce and Foreign Trade--Volume 1
PART 2002—OPERATION OF COMMITTEES
§ 2002.0   Trade Policy Committee.
(a) The Trade Policy Committee was created by section 3 of Executive Order 11846 of March 27, 1975 (40 FR 14291, March 31, 1975), as authorized by section 242(a) of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 (19 U.S.C. 1872), as amended by section 602(b) of the Trade Act.
(b) The Trade Policy Committee is composed of:
(1) The Special Representative for Trade Negotiations, Chairman;
(2) The Secretary of State;
(3) The Secretary of the Treasury;
(4) The Secretary of Defense;
(5) The Attorney General;
(6) The Secretary of the Interior;
(7) The Secretary of Agriculture;
(8) The Secretary of Commerce;
(9) The Secretary of Labor;
(10) The Assistant to the President for Economic Affairs;
(11) The Executive Director of the Council on International Economic Policy.
(c) The Trade Policy Committee meets at such times and with respect to such functions as the President or the Chairman of the Committee directs. It has the functions conferred by the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, as amended, upon the interagency organization referred to in section 242 thereof, as amended, the functions delegated to it by the provisions of Executive Order 11846 (see Appendix), and such other functions as the President or the chairman may from time to time direct. Recommendations and advice of the Committee are submitted to the President by the chairman.
§ 2002.1   Trade Policy Committee Review Group.
(a) The Trade Executive Committee, established by regulations appearing by 36 FR 23620, December 11, 1971 (15 CFR 2002.1), is abolished and there is hereby established as a subordinate body of the Trade Policy Committee the Trade Policy Committee Review Group (hereinafter referred to as the “Review Group”). The Review Group consists of a Deputy Trade Representative, designated by the Trade Representative, as chairman, and of high level officials designated from their respective agencies or offices by the Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Interior, Labor, State and Treasury, and the Executive Director of the Council on International Economic Policy. The Special Representative or the Deputy Special Representative, as appropriate, and each head of an agency or office, may designate from his respective agency or office high level officials to serve as alternate members of the Review Group in the event the regular member is unable to attend any meeting of the Review Group.
(b) The Review Group performs the following functions unless such functions are assigned to a different body by the Special Representative or his designee:
(1) Coordinates interagency activities concerning the trade agreements program and related matters;
(2) Recommends policies and actions, and transmits appropriate materials, to the Special Representative concerning the trade agreements program and related matters, or, when appropriate, approves such policies and actions; and
(3) As appropriate, reviews and approves recommendations of the Trade Policy Staff Committee on policies and actions concerning any proposed trade agreements, the trade agreements program, and related matters.
(4) [Reserved]
(5) Performs such other functions as the Special Representative or a Deputy Special Representative may from time to time direct.
§ 2002.2   Trade Policy Staff Committee.
(a) The Trade Staff Committee and the Trade Information Committee, established by regulations appearing at 36 FR 23620, December 11, 1971 (15 CFR 2002.2, and 2002.3, respectively) are abolished and there is hereby established as a subordinate body of the Trade Policy Committee and the Trade Policy Review Group the Trade Policy Staff Committee (hereinafter referred to as “the Committee”). The Committee consists of a chairman designated by the Special Representative from his Office, and of senior trade policy staff officials designated from their respective agencies or offices by the Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Interior, Labor, State, and Treasury, by the Executive Director of the Council on International Economic Policy,” so that the sentence reads: The Committee consists of a chairman designated by the Special Representative from his Office, and of senior trade policy staff officials designated from their respective agencies or offices by the Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Interior, Labor, State, and Treasury, by the Executive Director of the Council on International Economic Policy, and by the Chairman of the International Trade Commission. Each Secretary or head of an agency or office and the Chairman of the Commission may designate from his respective agency officials to serve as alternate members of the Committee in the event the regular member is unable to attend any meeting of the Committee. The Special Representative may from time to time designate officials from his agency other than the chairman, to serve as acting chairmen of the Committee. The representative of the International Trade Commission shall be a nonvoting member of the Committee.
(b) The Committee performs the following functions unless such functions are assigned to a different body by the Special Representative or his designee:
(1) Monitors the trade agreements programs, reviews the information received pursuant to paragraphs (b) (2) through (8) of this section, and transmits summaries of such information together with recommendations of action to the Special Representative, or through him to the Trade Policy Review Group or the Trade Policy Committee, concerning the trade agreements program and related matters, or when appropriate approves such policies and actions.
(2) Obtains information and advice from the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Interior, Labor, State and the Treasury, from the Office of the Special Representative for Trade Negotiations, and from such other sources as the Special Representative, a Deputy Special Representative, or the Chairman of the Committee may deem appropriate concerning any proposed trade agreement and other aspects of the trade agreements program and related matters, and concerning the Generalized System of Preferences in accordance with Title V of the Trade Act;
(3) Provides an opportunity, by the holding of public hearing and by such other means as the Special Representative, the Deputy Special Representative or the Chairman of the Committee deems appropriate, for interested persons to present their views concerning any article on a list published pursuant to section 131 of the Trade Act, any article which should be so listed, any concession which should be sought by the United States, or any other matter relevant to a proposed trade agreement;
(4) Provides an opportunity, by the holding of public hearings and by such other means as the Special Representative, a Deputy Special Representative, or the Chairman of the Committee deems appropriate, for any interested party to present by oral or written statement his views concerning articles being considered for designation as eligible articles for purposes of the Generalized System of Preferences;
(5) [Reserved]
(6) Provides an opportunity where deemed appropriate by the Special Representative, the Deputy Special Representative, or the Chairman, by the holding of public hearings upon request by an interested party, and by such other means as the Special Representative, the Deputy Special Representative or the Chairman deems appropriate, for any interested party to present an oral or written statement concerning any other aspect of the trade agreements program and related matters;
(7) Reviews all materials required to be furnished by the International Trade Commission to the President through the Special Representative, and transmits such materials, together, where appropriate with recommendations of action with respect thereto, to the Special Representative or a Deputy Special Representative.
(8) Reviews reports of hearings and reviews conducted by the section 301 Committee provided for in § 2002.3 and recommendations resulting therefrom, and makes recommendations to the Special Representative with respect thereto.
(9) When circumstances warrant, terminates section 301 reviews provided for in § 2002.3
(10) Receives and reviews requests pertaining to the duty-free treatment accorded to articles under the Generalized System of Preferences, and handles such requests and reviews in accordance with Part 2007 of these regulations;
(11) Issues regulations governing the conduct of its public hearings and the performance of such of its other functions as it deems necessary;
(12) Performs such other functions as the Special Representative or the Deputy Special Representative may from time to time direct.
§ 2002.3   Section 301 Committee.
(a) There is hereby established, as a subordinate body of the Trade Policy Staff Committee, the Section 301 Committee. The Chairman of the Section 301 Committee shall be designated by the Deputy Special Representative from the Office of the Special Representative for Trade Negotiations. The Committee shall consist of the Chairman and, with respect to each complaint, such members as may be designated by agencies which have an interest in the issues raised by the particular complaint and whose participation is invited by the Chairman of the Committee.
(b) The Section 301 Committee performs the following functions unless such functions are assigned to a different body by the Special Representative, or his designee:
(1) Reviews complaints received pursuant to section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974.
(2) Provides an opportunity by the holding of public hearings upon request by a complainant or an interested party, as appropriate, and by such other means as the Special Representative, a Deputy Special Representative or the Chairman of the section 301 Committee deems appropriate, for any interested party to present his views to the section 301 Committee concerning foreign restrictions, acts, policies, and practices affecting U.S. commerce, and United States actions in response thereto, as provided for in section 301 of the Trade Act (Pub. L. 93-618, 88 Stat. 1978).
(3) Reports to the Trade Policy Staff Committee the results of reviews and hearings conducted with respect to complaints received pursuant to section 301 of the Trade Act.
(4) On the basis of its review of petitions filed under section 301 and of the views received through hearings or otherwise on such petitions, makes recommendations to the TPSC for review by that committee.
§ 2002.4   Participation by other agencies.
The chairman of the Trade Policy Committee, the Trade Policy Committee Review Group, the Section 301 Committee, and the Trade Policy Staff Committee may invite the participation in the activities of their committees of any other agencies when matters of interest to such agencies are under consideration.