[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 180 (Tuesday, September 19, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Page 43747]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-19841]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

COMMITTEE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE AGREEMENTS


Limitations of Duty- and Quota-Free Imports of Apparel Articles 
Assembled in Beneficiary Sub-Saharan African Countries From Regional 
and Third-Country Fabric

AGENCY: Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA).

ACTION: Publishing the new 12-month cap on duty- and quota-free 
benefits.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DATES: Applicable October 1, 2017.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Maria D'Andrea-Yothers, International 
Trade Specialist, Office of Textiles and Apparel, U.S. Department of 
Commerce, (202) 482-1550.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Authority: Title I, Section 112(b)(3) of the Trade and Development 
Act of 2000 (TDA 2000), Public Law (Pub. L.) 106-200, as amended by 
Division B, Title XXI, section 3108 of the Trade Act of 2002, Pub. L. 
107-210; Section 7(b)(2) of the AGOA Acceleration Act of 2004, Pub. L. 
108-274; Division D, Title VI, section 6002 of the Tax Relief and 
Health Care Act of 2006 (TRHCA 2006), Pub. L. 109-432, and section 1 of 
The African Growth and Opportunity Amendments (Pub. L. 112-163), August 
10, 2012; Presidential Proclamation 7350 of October 2, 2000 (65 FR 
59321); Presidential Proclamation 7626 of November 13, 2002 (67 FR 
69459); and Title I, Section 103(b)(2) and (3) of the Trade Preferences 
Extension Act of 2015, Pub. L. 114-27, June 29, 2015.
    Title I of TDA 2000 provides for duty- and quota-free treatment for 
certain textile and apparel articles imported from designated 
beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries.
    Section 112(b)(3) of TDA 2000 provides duty- and quota-free 
treatment for apparel articles wholly assembled in one or more 
beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries from fabric wholly formed in 
one or more beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries from yarn 
originating in the United States or one or more beneficiary sub-Saharan 
African countries.
    This preferential treatment is also available for apparel articles 
assembled in one or more lesser-developed beneficiary sub-Saharan 
African countries, regardless of the country of origin of the fabric 
used to make such articles, subject to quantitative limitation. Public 
Law 114-27 extended this special rule for lesser-developed countries 
through September 30, 2025.
    The AGOA Acceleration Act of 2004 provides that the quantitative 
limitation for the twelve-month period beginning October 1, 2017 will 
be an amount not to exceed 7 percent of the aggregate square meter 
equivalents of all apparel articles imported into the United States in 
the preceding 12-month period for which data are available. See Section 
112(b)(3)(A)(ii)(I) of TDA 2000, as amended by Section 7(b)(2)(B) of 
the AGOA Acceleration Act of 2004. Of this overall amount, apparel 
imported under the special rule for lesser-developed countries is 
limited to an amount not to exceed 3.5 percent of all apparel articles 
imported into the United States in the preceding 12-month period. See 
Section 112(b)(3)(B)(ii)(II) of TDA 2000, as amended by Section 
6002(a)(3) of TRHCA 2006. The Annex to Presidential Proclamation 7350 
of October 2, 2000 directed CITA to publish the aggregate quantity of 
imports allowed during each 12-month period in the Federal Register.
    For the one-year period, beginning on October 1, 2017, and 
extending through September 30, 2018, the aggregate quantity of imports 
eligible for preferential treatment under these provisions is 
2,022,822,376 square meters equivalent. Of this amount, 1,011,411,188 
square meters equivalent is available to apparel articles imported 
under the special rule for lesser-developed countries. Apparel articles 
entered in excess of these quantities will be subject to otherwise 
applicable tariffs.
    These quantities are calculated using the aggregate square meter 
equivalents of all apparel articles imported into the United States, 
derived from the set of Harmonized System lines listed in the Annex to 
the World Trade Organization Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC), 
and the conversion factors for units of measure into square meter 
equivalents used by the United States in implementing the ATC.

Terry Labat,
Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile 
Agreements.
[FR Doc. 2017-19841 Filed 9-18-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-DR-P