Title 19—Customs Duties--Volume 1
PART 354—PROCEDURES FOR IMPOSING SANCTIONS FOR VIOLATION OF AN ANTIDUMPING OR COUNTERVAILING DUTY ADMINISTRATIVE PROTECTIVE ORDER
§ 354.1   Scope.
This part sets forth the procedures for imposing sanctions for violation of an administrative protective order issued under 19 CFR 351.306, or successor regulations, as authorized by 19 U.S.C. 1677f(c).
§ 354.2   Definitions.
For purposes of this part:
Administrative protective order (APO) means an administrative protective order described in section 777(c)(1) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended; APO Sanctions Board means the Administrative Protective Order Sanctions Board.
Business proprietary information means information the disclosure of which the Secretary has decided is limited under 19 CFR 351.105, or successor regulations;
Charged party means a person who is charged by the Deputy Under Secretary with violating a protective order;
Chief Counsel means the Chief Counsel for Trade Enforcement and Compliance or a designee;
Date of service means the day a document is deposited in the mail or delivered in person;
Days means calendar days, except that a deadline which falls on a weekend or holiday shall be extended to the next working day;
Department means the United States Department of Commerce;
Deputy Under Secretary means the Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade or a designee;
Director means the Senior APO Specialist or an office director under a Deputy Assistant Secretary, International Trade Administration, or a designee;
Lesser included sanction means a sanction of the same type but of more limited scope than the proposed sanction; thus a one-year bar on representations before the International Trade Administration is a lesser included sanction of a proposed seven-year bar;
Parties means the Department and the charged party or affected party in an action under this part;
Presiding official means the person authorized to conduct hearings in administrative proceedings or to rule on any motion or make any determination under this part, who may be an Administrative Law Judge, a Hearing Commissioner, or such other person who is not under the supervision or control of the Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance, the Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade, the Chief Counsel for Trade Enforcement and Compliance, or a member of the APO Sanctions Board;
Proprietary information means information the disclosure of which the Secretary has decided is limited under 19 CFR part 351 including business or trade secrets; production costs; distribution costs; terms of sale; prices of individual sales, likely sales, or offers; names of customers, distributors, or suppliers; exact amounts of the gross net subsidies received and used by a person; names of particular persons from whom proprietary information was obtained; and any other business information the release of which to the public would cause substantial harm to the competitive position of the submitter;
Secretary means the Secretary of Commerce or a designee;
Segment of the proceeding means a portion of an antidumping or countervailing duty proceeding that is reviewable under section 516A of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended.
Senior APO Specialist means the Department employee under the Director for Policy and Analysis who leads the APO Unit and is responsible for directing Enforcement and Compliance's handling of business proprietary information;
Under Secretary means the Under Secretary for International Trade or a designee.
§ 354.3   Sanctions.
(a) A person determined under this part to have violated an administrative protective order may be subjected to any or all of the following sanctions:
(1) Barring such person from appearing before the International Trade Administration to represent another for a designated time period from the date of publication in the Federal Register of a notice that a violation has been determined to exist;
(2) Denying the person access to business proprietary information for a designated time period from the date of publication in the Federal Register of a notice that a violation has been determined to exist;
(3) Other appropriate administrative sanctions, including striking from the record any information or argument submitted by, or on behalf of, the violating party or the party represented by the violating party; terminating any proceeding then in progress; or revoking any order then in effect;
(4) Requiring the person to return material previously provided by the Secretary and all other materials containing the business proprietary information, such as briefs, notes, or charts based on any such information received under an administrative protective order; and
(5) Issuing a private letter of reprimand.
(b)(1) The firm of which a person determined to have violated an administrative protective order is a partner, associate or employee; any partner, associate, employer, or employee of such person; and any person represented by such person may be barred from appearing before the International Trade Administration for a designated time period from the date of publication in the Federal Register of notice that a violation has been determined to exist or may be subjected to the sanctions set forth in paragraph (a) of this section, as appropriate.
(2) Each person against whom sanctions are proposed under paragraph (b)(1) of this section is entitled to all the administrative rights set forth in this part separately and apart from rights provided to a person subject to sanctions under paragraph (a) of this section, including the right to a charging letter, right to representation, and right to a hearing, but subject to joinder or consolidation by a presiding official under § 354.12(b).
§ 354.4   Suspension of rules.
Upon request by the Deputy Under Secretary, a charged or affected party, or the APO Sanctions Board, a presiding official may modify or waive any rule in the part upon determining that no party will be unduly prejudiced and the ends of justice will thereby be served and upon notice to all parties.
§ 354.5   Report of violation and investigation.
(a) An employee of the Department who has information indicating that the terms of an administrative protective order have been violated will provide the information to the Senior APO Specialist or the Chief Counsel.
(b) Upon receiving information which indicates that a person may have violated the terms of an administrative protective order from an employee of the Department or any other person, the director will conduct an investigation concerning whether there was a violation of an administrative protective order, and who was responsible for the violation, if any. No director shall investigate an alleged violation that arose out of a proceeding for which the director was responsible. For the purposes of this part, the director will be supervised by the Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade with guidance from the Chief Counsel. The director will conduct an investigation only if the information is received within 30 days after the alleged violation occurred or, as determined by the director, could have been discovered through the exercise of reasonable and ordinary care.
(c)(1) The director conducting the investigation will provide a report of the investigation to the Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade, after review by the Chief Counsel, no later than 90 days after receiving information concerning a violation if:
(i) The person alleged to have violated an administrative protective order personally notified the Secretary and reported the particulars surrounding the incident; and
(ii) The alleged violation did not result in any actual disclosure of business proprietary information. Upon the director's request, and if extraordinary circumstances exist, the Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade may grant the director up to an additional 90 days to conduct the investigation and submit the report.
(2) In all other cases, the director will provide a report of the investigation to the Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade, after review by the Chief Counsel, no later than 180 days after receiving information concerning a violation. Upon the director's request, and if extraordinary circumstances exist, the Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade may grant the director up to an additional 180 days to conduct the investigation and submit the report.
(d) The following examples of actions that constitute violations of an administrative protective order shall serve as guidelines to each person subject to an administrative protective order. These examples do not represent an exhaustive list. Evidence that one of the acts described in the guidelines has been committed, however, shall be considered by the Deputy Under Secretary as reasonable cause to believe a person has violated an administrative protective order, within the meaning of § 354.6.
(1) Disclosure of business proprietary information to any person other than the submitting party, an authorized applicant, or an appropriate Department official identified in section 777(b) of the Tariff Act of 1930, including disclosure to an employee of any other United States Government agency or a member of Congress.
(2) Failure to follow the terms and conditions outlined in the administrative protective order for safeguarding business proprietary information.
(3) Loss of business proprietary information.
(4) Failure to return or destroy all copies of the original documents and all notes, memoranda, and submissions containing business proprietary information at the close of the proceeding for which the data were obtained by burning or shredding of the documents or by erasing electronic memory, computer disk, or tape memory, as set forth in the administrative protective order.
(5) Failure to delete business proprietary information from the public version of a brief or other correspondence filed with the Department.
(6) Disclosure of business proprietary information during a public hearing.
(7) Use of business proprietary information submitted in one segment of a proceeding in another segment of the same proceeding or in another proceeding, except as authorized by the Tariff Act of 1930 or by an administrative protective order.
(8) Use of business proprietary information submitted for a countervailing duty investigation or administrative review during an antidumping duty investigation or administrative review, or vice versa.
§ 354.6   Initiation of proceedings.
(a) In general. After an investigation and report by the director under § 354.5(c) and consultation with the Chief Counsel, the Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade will determine whether there is reasonable cause to believe that a person has violated an administrative protective order. If the Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade determines that there is reasonable cause, the Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade also will determine whether sanctions under paragraph (b) or a warning under paragraph (c) is appropriate for the violation.
(b) Sanctions. In determining under paragraph (a) of this section whether sanctions are appropriate, and, if so, what sanctions to impose, the Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade will consider the nature of the violation, the resulting harm, and other relevant circumstances of the case. If the Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade determines that sanctions are appropriate, the Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade will initiate a proceeding under this part by issuing a charging letter under § 354.7. The Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade will determine whether to initiate a proceeding no later than 60 days after receiving a report of the investigation.
(c) Warning. If the Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade determines under paragraph (a) of this section that a warning is appropriate, the Deputy Under Secretary will issue a warning letter to the person believed to have violated an administrative protective order. Sanctions are not appropriate and a warning is appropriate if:
(1) The person took due care;
(2) The Secretary has not previously charged the person with violating an administrative protective order;
(3) The violation did not result in any disclosure of the business proprietary information or the Secretary is otherwise able to determine that the violation caused no harm to the submitter of the information; and
(4) The person cooperated fully in the investigation.
§ 354.7   Charging letter.
(a) Contents of Letter. The Deputy Under Secretary will initiate proceedings by issuing a charging letter to each charged party and affected party which includes:
(1) A statement of the allegation that an administrative protective order has been violated and the basis thereof;
(2) A statement of the proposed sanctions;
(3) A statement that the charged or affected party is entitled to review the documents or other physical evidence upon which the charge is based and the method for requesting access to, or copies of, such documents;
(4) A statement that the charged or affected party is entitled to a hearing before a presiding official if requested within 30 days of the date of service of the charging letter and the procedure for requesting a hearing, including the name, address, and telephone number of the person to contact if there are further questions;
(5) A statement that the charged or affected party has a right, if a hearing is not requested, to submit documentary evidence to the Deputy Under Secretary and an explanation of the method for submitting evidence and the date by which it must be received; and
(6) A statement that the charged or affected party has a right to retain counsel at the party's own expense for purposes of representation.
(b) Settlement and amending the charging letter. The Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade and a charged or affected party may settle a charge brought under this part by mutual agreement at any time after service of the charging letter; approval of the presiding official or the administrative protective order Sanctions Board is not necessary. The charged or affected party may request a hearing but at the same time request that a presiding official not be appointed pending settlement discussions. Settlement agreements may include sanctions for purposes of § 354.18. The Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade may amend, supplement, or withdraw the charging letter as follows:
(1) If there has been no request for a hearing, or if supporting information has not been submitted under § 354.13, the withdrawal will not preclude future actions on the same alleged violation.
(2) If a hearing has been requested but no presiding official has been appointed, withdrawal of the charging letter will preclude the Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade from seeking sanctions at a later date for the same alleged violation.
(3) The Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade may amend, supplement or withdraw the charging letter at any time after the appointment of a presiding official, if the presiding official determines that the interests of justice would thereby be served. If the presiding official so determines, the presiding official will also determine whether the withdrawal will preclude the Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade from seeking sanctions at a later date for the same alleged violation.
(c) Service of charging letter on a resident of the United States. (1) Service of a charging letter on a United States resident will be made by:
(i) Mailing a copy by registered or certified mail addressed to the charged or affected party at the party's last known address;
(ii) Leaving a copy with the charged or affected party or with an officer, a managing or general agent, or any other agent authorized by appointment or by law to receive service for the party; or
(iii) Leaving a copy with a person of suitable age and discretion who resides at the party's last known dwelling.
(2) Service made in the manner described in paragraph (c) (ii) or (iii) of this section shall be evidenced by a certificate of service signed by the person making such service, stating the method of service and the identity of the person with whom the charging letter was left.
(d) Service of charging letter on a non-resident. If applicable laws or intergovernmental agreements or understandings make the methods of service set forth in paragraph (c) of this section inappropriate or ineffective, service of the charging letter on a person who is not a resident of the United States may be made by any method that is permitted by the country in which the person resides and that satisfies the due process requirements under United States law with respect to notice in administrative proceedings.
§ 354.8   Interim sanctions.
(a) If the Deputy Under Secretary concludes, after issuing a charging letter under § 354.7 and before a final decision is rendered, that interim sanctions are necessary to protect the interests of the Department or others, including the protection of business proprietary information, the Deputy Under Secretary may petition a presiding official to impose such sanctions.
(b) The presiding official may impose interim sanctions against a person upon determining that:
(1) There is probable cause to believe that there was a violation of an administrative protective order and the Department is likely to prevail in obtaining sanctions under this part,
(2) The Department or others are likely to suffer irreparable harm if the interim sanctions are not imposed, and
(3) The interim sanctions are a reasonable means for protecting the rights of the Department or others while preserving to the greatest extent possible the rights of the person against whom the interim sanctions are proposed.
(c) Interim sanctions which may be imposed include any sanctions that are necessary to protect the rights of the Department or others, including, but not limited to:
(1) Denying a person further access to business proprietary information.
(2) Barring a person from representing another person before the International Trade Administration.
(3) Barring a person from appearing before the International Trade Administration, and
(4) Requiring the person to return material previously provided by the Department and all other materials containing the business proprietary information, such as briefs, notes, or charts based on any such information received under an administrative protective order.
(d) The Deputy Under Secretary will notify the person against whom interim sanctions are sought of the request for interim sanctions and provide to that person the material submitted to the presiding official to support the request. The notice will include a reference to the procedures of this section.
(e) A person against whom interim sanctions are proposed has a right to oppose the request through submission of material to the presiding official. The presiding official has discretion to permit oral presentations and to allow further submissions.
(f) The presiding official will notify the parties of the decision on interim sanctions and the basis therefor within five days of the conclusion of oral presentations or the date of final written submissions.
(g) If interim sanctions have been imposed, the investigation and any proceedings under this part will be conducted on an expedited basis.
(h) An order imposing interim sanctions may be revoked at any time by the presiding official and expires automatically upon the issuance of a final order.
(i) The presiding official may reconsider imposition of interim sanctions on the basis of new and material evidence or other good cause shown. The Deputy Under Secretary or a person against whom interim sanctions have been imposed may appeal a decision on interim sanctions to the APO Sanctions Board, if such an appeal is certified by the presiding official as necessary to prevent undue harm to the Department, a person against whom interim sanctions have been imposed or others, or is otherwise in the interests of justice. Interim sanctions which have been imposed remain in effect while an appeal is pending, unless the presiding official determines otherwise.
(j) The Deputy Under Secretary may request a presiding official to impose emergency interim sanctions to preserve the status quo. Emergency interim sanctions may last no longer than 48 hours, excluding weekends and holidays. The person against whom such emergency interim sanctions are proposed need not be given prior notice or an opportunity to oppose the request for sanctions. The presiding official may impose emergency interim sanctions upon determining that the Department is, or others are, likely to suffer irreparable harm if such sanctions are not imposed and that the interests of justice would thereby be served. The presiding official will promptly notify a person against whom emergency sanctions have been imposed of the sanctions and their duration.
(k) If a hearing has not been requested, the Deputy Under Secretary will ask the Under Secretary to appoint a presiding official for making determinations under this section.
§ 354.9   Request for a hearing.
(a) Any party may request a hearing by submitted a written request to the Under Secretary within 30 days after the date of service of the charging letter. However, the Deputy Under Secretary may request a hearing only if the interests of justice would thereby be served.
(b) Upon timely receipt of a request for a hearing, and unless the party requesting a hearing requests that the Under Secretary not appoint a presiding official, the Under Secretary will appoint a presiding official to conduct the hearing and render an initial decision.
§ 354.10   Discovery.
(a) Voluntary discovery. All parties are encouraged to engage in voluntary discovery procedures regarding any matter, not privileged, which is relevant to the subject matter of the pending proceeding.
(b) Interrogatories and requests for admissions or production of documents. A party may serve on any other party interrogatories, requests for admissions, or requests for production of documents for inspection and copying, and a party concerned may then apply to the presiding official for such enforcement or administrative protective order as that party deems warranted concerning such discovery. The party will serve a discovery request at least 20 days before the scheduled date of a hearing, if a hearing has been requested and scheduled, unless the presiding official specifies a shorter time period. Copies of interrogatories, requests for admissions, and requests for production of documents and responses thereto will be served on all parties. Matters of fact or law of which admission is requested will be deemed admitted unless, within a period designated in the request (at least 10 days after the date of service of the request, or within such further time as the presiding official may allow), the party to whom the request is directed serves upon the requesting party a sworn statement either admitting or denying specifically the matters of which admission is requested or setting forth in detail the reasons why the party cannot truthfully either admit or deny such matters.
(c) Depositions. Upon application of a party and for good cause shown, the presiding official may order the taking of the testimony of any person who is a party, or under the control or authority of a party, by deposition and the production of specified documents or materials by the person at the deposition. The application shall state the purpose of the deposition and shall set forth the facts sought to be established through the deposition.
(d) Enforcement. The presiding official may order a party to answer designated questions, to produce specified documents or items, or to take any other action in response to a proper discovery request. If a party does not comply with such an order, the presiding official may make any determination or enter any order in the proceedings as he or she deems reasonable and appropriate. The presiding official may strike related charges or defenses in whole or in part, or may take particular facts relating to the discovery request to which the party failed or refused to respond as being established for purposes of the proceeding in accordance with the contentions of the party seeking discovery. In issuing a discovery order, the presiding official will consider the necessity to protect business proprietary information and will not order the release of information in circumstances where it is reasonable to conclude that such release will lead to unauthorized dissemination of such information.
(e) Role of the Under Secretary. If a hearing has not been requested, the party seeking enforcement will ask the Under Secretary to appoint a presiding official to rule on motions under this section.
§ 354.11   Prehearing conference.
(a)(1) If an administrative hearing has been requested, the presiding official will direct the parties to attend a prehearing conference to consider:
(i) Simplification of issues;
(ii) Obtaining stipulations of fact and of documents to avoid unnecessary proof;
(iii) Settlement of the matter;
(iv) Discovery; and
(v) Such other matters as may expedite the disposition of the proceedings.
(2) Any relevant and significant stipulations or admissions will be incorporated into the initial decision.
(b) If a prehearing conference is impractical, the presiding official will direct the parties to correspond with each other or to confer by telephone or otherwise to achieve the purposes of such a conference.
§ 354.12   Hearing.
(a) Scheduling of hearing. The presiding official will schedule the hearing at a reasonable time, date, and place, which will be in Washington, DC, unless the presiding official determines otherwise based upon good cause shown that another location would better serve the interests of justice. In setting the date, the presiding official will give due regard to the need for the parties adequately to prepare for the hearing and the importance of expeditiously resolving the matter.
(b) Joinder or consolidation. The presiding official may order joinder or consolidation if sanctions are proposed against more than one party or if violations of more than one administrative protective order are alleged if to do so would expedite processing of the cases and not adversely affect the interests of the parties.
(c) Hearing procedures. Hearings will be conducted in a fair and impartial manner by the presiding official, who may limit attendance at any hearing or portion thereof if necessary or advisable in order to protect business proprietary information from improper disclosure. The rules of evidence prevailing in courts of law shall not apply, and all evidentiary material the presiding official determines to be relevant and material to the proceeding and not unduly repetitious may be received into evidence and given appropriate weight. The presiding official may make such orders and determinations regarding the admissibility of evidence, conduct of examination and cross-examination, and similar matters as are necessary or appropriate to ensure orderliness in the proceedings. The presiding official will ensure that a record of the hearing be taken by reporter or by electronic recording, and will order such part of the record to be sealed as is necessary to protect business proprietary information.
(d) Rights of parties. At a hearing each party shall have the right to:
(1) Introduce and examine witnesses and submit physical evidence,
(2) Confront and cross-examine adverse witnesses,
(3) Present oral argument, and
(4) Receive a transcript or recording of the proceedings, upon request, subject to the presiding official's orders regarding sealing the record.
(e) Representation. Each charged or affected party has a right to represent himself or herself or to retain private counsel for that purpose. The Chief Counsel will represent the Department, unless the General Counsel determines otherwise. The presiding official may disallow a representative if such representation constitutes a conflict of interest or is otherwise not in the interests of justice and may debar a representative for contumacious conduct relating to the proceedings.
(f) Ex parte communications. The parties and their representatives may not make any ex parte communications to the presiding official concerning the merits of the allegations or any matters at issue, except as provided in § 354.8 regarding emergency interim sanctions.
§ 354.13   Proceeding without a hearing.
If no party has requested a hearing, the Deputy Under Secretary, within 40 days after the date of service of a charging letter, will submit for inclusion into the record and provide each charged or affected party information supporting the allegations in the charging letter. Each charged or affected party has the right to file a written response to the information and supporting documentation within 30 days after the date of service of the information provided by the Deputy Under Secretary unless the Deputy Under Secretary alters the time period for good cause. The Deputy Under Secretary may allow the parties to submit further information and argument.
§ 354.14   Initial decision.
(a) Initial decision. The presiding official, if a hearing was requested, or the Deputy Under Secretary will submit an initial decision to the APO Sanctions Board, providing copies to the parties. The presiding official or Deputy Under Secretary will ordinarily issue the decision within 20 days of the conclusion of the hearing, if one was held, or within 15 days of the date of service of final written submissions. The initial decision will be based solely on evidence received into the record, and the pleadings of the parties.
(b) Findings and conclusions. The initial decision will state findings and conclusions as to whether a person has violated an administrative protective order; the basis for those findings and conclusions; and whether the sanctions proposed in the charging letter, or lesser included sanctions, should be imposed against the charged or affected party. The presiding official or Deputy Under Secretary may impose sanctions only upon determining that the preponderance of the evidence supports a finding of violation of an administrative protective order and that the sanctions are warranted against the charged or affected party. In determining whether sanctions are appropriate and, if so, what sanctions to impose, the presiding official or the Deputy Under Secretary will consider the nature of the violation, the resulting harm, and other relevant circumstances of the case.
(c) Finality of decision. If the APO Sanctions Board has not issued a decision on the matter within 60 days after issuance of the initial decision, the initial decision becomes the final decision of the Department.
§ 354.15   Final decision.
(a) APO Sanctions Board. Upon request of a party, the initial decision will be reviewed by the members of the APO Sanctions Board. The Board consists of the Under Secretary for International Trade, who shall serve as Chairperson, the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs, and the General Counsel.
(b) Comments on initial decision. Within 30 days after issuance of the initial decision, a party may submit written comments to the APO Sanctions Board on the initial decision, which the Board will consider when reviewing the initial decision. The parties have no right to an oral presentation, although the Board may allow oral argument in its discretion.
(c) Final decision by the APO Sanctions Board. Within 60 days but not sooner than 30 days after issuance of an initial decision, the APO Sanctions Board may issue a final decision which adopts the initial decision in its entirety; differs in whole or in part from the initial decision, including the imposition of lesser included sanctions; or remands the matter to the presiding official or Deputy Under Secretary for further consideration. The only sanctions that the Board can impose are those sanctions proposed in the charging letter or lesser included sanctions.
(d) Contents of final decision. If the final decision of the APO Sanctions Board does not remand the matter and differs from the initial decision, it will state findings and conclusions which differ from the initial decision, if any, the basis for those findings and conclusions, and the sanctions which are to be imposed, to the extent they differ from the sanctions in the initial decision.
§ 354.16   Reconsideration.
Any party may file a motion for reconsideration with the APO Sanctions Board. The party must state with particularity the grounds for the motion, including any facts or points of law which the party claims the APO Sanctions Board has overlooked or misapplied. The party may file the motion within 30 days of the issuance of the final decision or the adoption of the initial decision as the final decision, except that if the motion is based on the discovery of new and material evidence which was not known, and could not reasonably have been discovered through due diligence prior to the close of the record, the party shall file the motion within 15 days of the discovery of the new and material evidence. The party shall provide a copy of the motion to all other parties. Opposing parties may file a response within 30 days of the date of service of the motion. The response shall be considered as part of the record. The parties have no right to an oral presentation on a motion for reconsideration, but the Board may permit oral argument at its discretion. If the motion to reconsider is granted, the Board will review the record and affirm, modify, or reverse the original decision or remand the matter for further consideration to a presiding official or the Deputy Under Secretary, as warranted.
§ 354.17   Confidentiality.
(a) All proceedings involving allegations of a violation of an administrative protective order shall be kept confidential until such time as the Department makes a final decision under these regulations, no longer subject to reconsideration, imposing a sanction.
(b) The charged party or counsel for the charged party will be granted access to business proprietary information in these proceedings, as necessary, under administrative protective order, consistent with the provisions of 19 CFR 351.305(c), or their successor regulations.
§ 354.18   Public notice of sanctions.
If there is a final decision under § 354.15 to impose sanctions, or if a charging letter is settled under § 354.7(b), notice of the Secretary's decision or of the existence of a settlement will be published in the Federal Register. If a final decision is reached, such publication will be no sooner than 30 days after issuance of a final decision or after a motion to reconsider has been denied, if such a motion was filed. In addition, whenever the Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade subjects a charged or affected party to a sanction under § 354.3(a)(1), the Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade also will provide such information to the ethics panel or other disciplinary body of the appropriate bar associations or other professional associations and to any Federal agency likely to have an interest in the matter. The Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade will cooperate in any disciplinary actions by any association or agency. Whenever the Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade subjects a charged or affected party to a private letter of reprimand under § 354.3(a)(5), the Secretary will not make public the identity of the violator, nor will the Secretary make public the specifics of the violation in a manner that would reveal indirectly the identity of the violator.
§ 354.19   Sunset.
(a) If, after a period of three years from the date of issuance of a warning letter, a final decision or settlement in which sanctions were imposed, the charged or affected party has fully complied with the terms of the sanctions and has not been found to have violated another administrative protective order, the party may request in writing that the Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade rescind the charging letter. A request for rescission must include:
(1) A description of the actions taken during the preceding three years in compliance with the terms of the sanctions; and
(2) A letter certifying that: the charged or affected party complied with the terms of the sanctions; the charged or affected party has not received another administrative protective order sanction during the three-year period; and the charged or affected party is not the subject of another investigation for a possible violation of an administrative protective order.
(b) Subject to the Chief Counsel's confirmation that the charged or affected party has complied with the terms set forth in paragraph (a) of this section, the Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade will rescind the charging letter within 30 days after receiving the written request.