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Calendar No. 66

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 975

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

MARCH 18, 1999

Received and read the first time

MARCH 19, 1999

Read the second time and placed on the calendar

AN ACT

To provide for a reduction in the volume of steel imports,

and to establish a steel import notification and monitoring program.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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1 SECTION 1. REDUCTION IN VOLUME OF STEEL IMPORTS.

2 (a) REDUCTION.—Notwithstanding any other provi3 sion of law, within 60 days after the date of the enactment

4 of this Act, the President shall take the necessary steps,

5 by imposing quotas, tariff surcharges, negotiated enforce6 able voluntary export restraint agreements, or otherwise,

7 to ensure that the volume of steel products imported into

8 the United States during any month does not exceed the

9 average volume of steel products that was imported

10 monthly into the United States during the 36-month pe11 riod preceding July 1997.

12 (b) ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITY.—Within 60 days

13 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary

14 of the Treasury, through the United States Customs Serv15 ice, and the Secretary of Commerce shall implement a pro16 gram for administering and enforcing the restraints on

17 imports under subsection (a). The Customs Service is au18 thorized to refuse entry into the customs territory of the

19 United States of any steel products that exceed the allow20 able levels of imports of such products.

21 (c) APPLICABILITY.—

22 (1) CATEGORIES.—This section shall apply to

23 the following categories of steel products: semi24 finished, plates, sheets and strips, wire rods, wire

25 and wire products, rail type products, bars, struc-
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1 tural shapes and units, pipes and tubes, iron ore,

2 and coke products.

3 (2) VOLUME.—Volume of steel products for

4 purposes of this section shall be determined on the

5 basis of tonnage of such products.

6 (d) EXPIRATION.—This section shall expire at the

7 end of the 3-year period beginning 60 days after the date

8 of the enactment of this Act.

9 SEC. 2. STEEL IMPORT NOTIFICATION AND MONITORING

10 PROGRAM.

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days after the

12 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Com13 merce, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury,

14 shall establish and implement a steel import notification

15 and monitoring program. The program shall include a re16 quirement that any person importing a product classified

17 under chapter 72 or 73 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule

18 of the United States obtain an import notification certifi19 cate before such products are entered into the United

20 States.

21 (b) STEEL IMPORT NOTIFICATION CERTIFICATES.—

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—In order to obtain a steel

23 import notification certificate, an importer shall sub24 mit to the Secretary of Commerce an application

25 containing—
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1 (A) the importer’s name and address;

2 (B) the name and address of the supplier

3 of the goods to be imported;

4 (C) the name and address of the producer

5 of the goods to be imported;

6 (D) the country of origin of the goods;

7 (E) the country from which the goods are

8 to be imported;

9 (F) the United States Customs port of

10 entry where the goods will be entered;

11 (G) the expected date of entry of the goods

12 into the United States;

13 (H) a description of the goods, including

14 the classification of such goods under the Har15 monized Tariff Schedule of the United States;

16 (I) the quantity (in kilograms and net

17 tons) of the goods to be imported;

18 (J) the cost insurance freight (CIF) and

19 free alongside ship (FAS) values of the goods to

20 be entered;

21 (K) whether the goods are being entered

22 for consumption or for entry into a bonded

23 warehouse or foreign trade zone;
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1 (L) a certification that the information

2 furnished in the certificate application is cor3 rect; and

4 (M) any other information the Secretary of

5 Commerce determines to be necessary and ap6 propriate.

7 (2) ENTRY INTO CUSTOMS TERRITORY.—In the

8 case of merchandise classified under chapter 72 or

9 73 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United

10 States that is initially entered into a bonded ware11 house or foreign trade zone, a steel import notifica12 tion certificate shall be required before the merchan13 dise is entered into the customs territory of the

14 United States.

15 (3) ISSUANCE OF STEEL IMPORT NOTIFICATION

16 CERTIFICATE.—The Secretary of Commerce shall

17 issue a steel import notification certificate to any

18 person who files an application that meets the re19 quirements of this section. Such certificate shall be

20 valid for a period of 30 days from the date of

21 issuance.

22 (c) STATISTICAL INFORMATION.—

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Commerce

24 shall compile and publish on a weekly basis informa25 tion described in paragraph (2).
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1 (2) INFORMATION DESCRIBED.—Information

2 described in this paragraph means information ob3 tained from steel import notification certificate ap4 plications concerning steel imported into the United

5 States and includes with respect to such imports the

6 Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States

7 classification (to the tenth digit), the country of ori8 gin, the port of entry, quantity, value of steel im9 ported, and whether the imports are entered for con10 sumption or are entered into a bonded warehouse or

11 foreign trade zone. Such information shall also be

12 compiled in aggregate form and made publicly avail13 able by the Secretary of Commerce on a weekly basis

14 by public posting through an Internet website. The

15 information provided under this section shall be in

16 addition to any information otherwise required by

17 law.

18 (d) FEES.—The Secretary of Commerce may pre19 scribe reasonable fees and charges to defray the costs of

20 carrying out the provisions of this section, including a fee

21 for issuing a certificate under this section.

22 (e) SINGLE PRODUCER AND EXPORTER COUN23 TRIES.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the

24 Secretary of Commerce shall make publicly available all

25 information required to be released pursuant to subsection
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1 (c), including information obtained regarding imports

2 from a foreign producer or exporter that is the only pro3 ducer or exporter of goods subject to this section from a

4 foreign country.

5 (f) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary of Commerce may

6 prescribe such rules and regulations relating to the steel

7 import notification and monitoring program as may be

8 necessary to carry the provisions of this section.

Passed the House of Representatives March 17,

1999.

Attest: JEFF TRANDAHL,

Clerk.

Calendar No. 66

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 975

AN ACT

To provide for a reduction in the volume of steel

tion and monitoring program.imports, and to establish a steel import notificaMARCH 19, 1999

Read the second time and placed on the calendar