Textile Enforcement and Security Act of 2015

To provide the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Department of the Treasury with authority to more aggressively enforce customs and trade laws relating to textile and apparel articles, and for other purposes. 1. Short title; table of contents (a) Short title This Act may be cited as the Textile Enforcement and Security Act of 2015 (b) Table of contents The table of contents for this Act is as follows: Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. Sec. 2. Textile or apparel article defined. Sec. 3. Definitions. Sec. 4. Findings. Sec. 5. Sense of Congress. TITLE I—Additional authorities for U.S. Customs and Border Protection Sec. 101. Seizure and forfeiture of certain textile or apparel articles and use of amounts from fines, penalties, and forfeitures. Sec. 102. Increase in certain TTA positions and import specialist positions, assignment of certain operations staff, and biennial review of staff levels. TITLE II—Entry verification provisions Sec. 201. Special provisions regarding certain violations relating to import documentation. Sec. 202. Electronic preference verification system for origin of textile or apparel articles under CAFTA–DR, NAFTA, and other free trade agreements. Sec. 203. Establishment of textile and apparel new importer program. Sec. 204. Nonresident importer declaration program for textile or apparel articles. TITLE III—Establishment of textile and apparel manufacturing and supplier registry Sec. 301. Establishment of textile and apparel manufacturing and supplier registry. TITLE IV—Implementation report Sec. 401. Implementation report. 2. Textile or apparel article defined (a) In general In this Act, the term textile or apparel article (1) Any good classifiable under chapters 50 through 63 of the HTS. (2) Any good classifiable under one of the following HTS headings or subheadings: (A) 3005.90. (B) 3921.12.15. (C) 3921.13.15. (D) 3921.90.11. (E) 3921.90.15. (F) 3921.90.19. (G) 3921.90.25. (H) 3921.90.29. (I) 3921.90.40. (J) 6601. (K) 7019.19.15. (L) 7019.19.28. (M) 7019.40 through 7019.59. (N) 8708.21.00. (O) 9404.30. (P) 9404.90. (b) HTS defined In subsection (a), the term HTS 3. Definitions In this Act: (1) CAFTA–DR country The term CAFTA–DR country 19 U.S.C. 4002(2) (2) CEE The term CEE (3) Commissioner The term Commissioner (4) Dedicated The term dedicated (5) Enter; entry The terms enter entry (6) Importer The term importer 19 U.S.C. 1484(a)(2)(B) (7) New importer The term new importer (8) Nonresident importer The term nonresident importer (A) an individual who is not a citizen of the United States or an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States; or (B) a partnership, corporation, or other commercial entity that is not organized under the laws of a jurisdiction within the customs territory of the United States (as such term is defined in General Note 2 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States) or in the Virgin Islands of the United States. (9) Special operations The term special operations (A) implemented to address specific instances of transactions that do not comply with the customs and trade laws of the United States with respect to textile or apparel articles; (B) used to address any import violations involving textile or apparel articles, including fraud, quota requirements, revenue collection, trade preferences or requirements under free trade agreements, product safety, antidumping and countervailing duties, or intellectual property rights; or (C) initiated to address a singular instance or a pattern of high-risk behavior, involving a particular commodity or other trade issue, including valuation, origin fraud, or trade preference violation, on the part of a country, importer, shipper, exporter, customs broker, freight forwarder, or manufacturer. (10) TTA The term TTA (11) T PVT The term TPVTs (12) Trained The term trained 4. Findings Congress finds the following: (1) The fraudulent or illegal importation of textile and apparel articles into the United States results in significant revenue loss to the Department of the Treasury. (2) The Textile and Trade Agreements division of the Office of International Trade within U.S. Customs and Border Protection or any subsequent division has, with respect to textile or apparel articles, the primary responsibility to ensure the proper enforcement of all customs and trade laws, rules, and regulations affecting textile and apparel articles. (3) The TTA has the authority to direct the implementation and enforcement of free trade agreements, multilateral agreements, bilateral textile agreements, trade preference programs, and all other customs and trade laws affecting textiles and apparel articles. (4) The primary focus of the TTA is to ensure the effective implementation of all trade enforcement activities involving textile or apparel articles with its principal focus to prevent circumvention of the requirements to obtain preferential trade treatment under free trade agreements and trade preference programs in order to avoid quotas or duties. 5. Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that— (1) U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the TTA should be involved in supporting the negotiation of enforcement provisions of trade preference programs and free trade agreements affecting textiles and apparel articles; (2) the TTA should conduct outreach to other Federal departments and agencies involved in overall trade policy, such as the Department of Commerce and the Office of the United States Trade Representative; (3) the TTA should develop policies and procedures that provide guidance to the CEE and to the ports of entry of textile and apparel articles, including training of officials of U.S. Customs and Border Protection; (4) officials of the TTA should coordinate and collaborate with officials of the CEE to establish enforcement priorities, based on risk assessments, and a national enforcement response; (5) the TTA headquarters office is currently below its optimal staffing levels and the TTA personnel efforts should be targeted at retaining senior staff and hiring new qualified personnel so that the division is brought up to optimal staffing levels, and these positions should be designated as not only policy positions, but enforcement positions as well; (6) the TTA should implement special operations, Textile Product Verification Teams, and other actions under U.S. Customs and Border Protection authority to ensure enforcement of customs and trade laws relating to imports of textile or apparel articles in a timely manner as concerns arise, particularly as such concerns relate to enforcement of the North American Free Trade Agreement, signed at Washington, Ottawa, and Mexico City December 8, 11, 14 and 17, 1992, the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement, signed at Washington August 5, 2004, and all other free trade agreements and trade preference programs, in order to prevent transshipments and origin fraud; (7) officials of the TTA should coordinate and collaborate with foreign government counterparts to ensure effective enforcement of textile and apparel articles; and (8) U.S. Customs and Border Protection should ensure that seizures, detentions, special operations, and TPVTs remain the primary focus of its enforcement efforts relating to textile and apparel articles. I Additional authorities for U.S. Customs and Border Protection 101. Seizure and forfeiture of certain textile or apparel articles and use of amounts from fines, penalties, and forfeitures (a) Seizure and forfeiture (1) In general The following textile or apparel articles shall be subject to seizure and forfeiture in accordance with the customs and trade laws of the United States and title 18, United States Code: (A) Any textile or apparel article imported into the United States— (i) for which a trade preference has been claimed; and (ii) that has been either misdescribed on entry as to country of origin or for which the importer does not verify actual country of origin, for purposes of avoiding a duty or other obligation to the United States Government, including— (I) any textile or apparel article accompanied by documentation that indicates a false or fraudulent country of origin or source of textile or apparel articles; and (II) any textile or apparel article accompanied by a counterfeit visa, license, permit, bill of lading, or similar documentation that is subsequently used by the importer for entry of textile or apparel articles. (B) A textile or apparel article imported into the United States by an importer who provides false information with respect to the physical address of the importer or who does not meet the requirements of section 484(a)(2)(B) of the Tariff Act of 1930 ( 19 U.S.C. 1484(a)(2)(B) (2) Exception A clerical error shall not be considered a violation of paragraph (1) unless such error is part of a pattern of negligent conduct. (b) Use of amounts from fines, penalties, and forfeitures (1) In general Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Commissioner, or the Secretary of the Treasury, as applicable— (A) shall use amounts from fines, penalties, and forfeitures of property for violations of any law regarding the import of textile or apparel articles enforced by the Secretary of Homeland Security or the Secretary of the Treasury to pay for— (i) expenses directly related to special operations, TPVTs, and other enforcement actions; (ii) expenses related to training and education for applicable revenue positions, including import specialists, international trade specialists, and auditors who participate in the enforcement of the customs and trade laws of the United States with respect to the export or import of textile or apparel articles; and (iii) implementation of the provisions of this Act; and (B) may use amounts from fines, penalties, and forfeitures of property for violations of any law regarding the import of textile or apparel articles enforced by the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Commissioner, or the Secretary of the Treasury to pay for a reward of not less than 20 percent of the amount of the fine or penalty collected, or the value of the property forfeited, or $20,000, whichever is the lesser amount, to any person who furnishes information that leads to an arrest, conviction, civil penalty assessment, or forfeiture of property for any violation of any law regarding the import of textile or apparel articles enforced by the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Commissioner, or the Secretary of the Treasury. (2) Rule of construction Amounts described in paragraph (1) and used to pay for expenses described in subparagraph (A) of that paragraph or a reward described in subparagraph (B) of that paragraph are in addition to amounts otherwise available for such purposes. 102. Increase in certain TTA positions and import specialist positions, assignment of certain operations staff, and biennial review of staff levels (a) Increase in certain TTA positions Not later than 180 days of the date of the enactment of this Act, the Commissioner shall ensure that— (1) the Textile Enforcement Branch (or any successor or related branch) of the TTA shall consist of, at a minimum, one branch chief and 6 operations staff, of whom 3 operations staff shall be assigned to one of the CAFTA–DR countries for purposes of assisting U.S. Customs and Border Protection with verification of textile and apparel preferences claimed under the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement, signed at Washington August 5, 2004; (2) the Textile Policy Branch (or any successor or related division) of the TTA shall consist of, at a minimum, one division chief, 3 operations staff, and 2 textile trade analysts; and (3) the Quota Branch (or any successor or related branch of the Interagency Collaboration Division) of the TTA shall consist of, at a minimum, one branch chief and 4 operations staff. (b) Increase in textile and apparel trained import specialists As soon as practicable after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Commissioner shall certify, with respect to the 15 largest (by value of entries) United States ports of entry for textile or apparel articles, that import specialists who are assigned to such ports of entry are trained in fraud, trade preference verification, classification, undervaluation, or other issues relating to imports of textile or apparel articles so that the number of such trained import specialist positions is not less than 150 percent of the number of trained import specialist positions as of the date of the enactment of this Act. (c) Increase in dedicated textile and apparel import specialists As soon as practicable after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Commissioner shall increase dedicated textile and import specialists by 25 percent at the 15 largest (by value of entries) United States ports of entry for textile or apparel articles over the number of such specialists as of the date of the enactment of this Act. (d) Assignment of operations staff to imports from certain countries Not later than 180 days after the entry into force of any free trade agreement after the date of the enactment of this Act between the United States and a country that is one of the 10 largest exporters to the United States of textile and apparel products (by value of entries), the Textile Enforcement Branch (or any successor or related branch) of the TTA shall assign not less than one operations staff to imports from that country for purposes of assisting the Commissioner with verification of preferential treatment claimed under that agreement with respect to textile and apparel products. (e) Biennial review of staff levels Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, and every 2 years thereafter, the Commissioner shall submit to the Committee on Ways and Means and the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives, the Committee on Finance and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate, and the co-chairs of the Congressional Textile Caucus a report on the staffing levels specified in this section, including a determination of whether or not there is need for additional staff to carry out the duties of the TTA. II Entry verification provisions 201. Special provisions regarding certain violations relating to import documentation (a) Publication of names of certain violators Section 592A(a)(1) of the Tariff Act of 1930 ( 19 U.S.C. 1592a(a)(1) (1) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking is authorized to shall (2) in subparagraph (A), by inserting before the comma at the end the following: , including for violations of quotas, duties, or trade preference programs (b) List of high-Risk countries Section 592A(b)(1) of the Tariff Act of 1930 ( 19 U.S.C. 1592a(b)(1) (1) by striking is authorized to shall (2) by inserting or duties or violate trade preference programs quotas 202. Electronic preference verification system for origin of textile or apparel articles under CAFTA–DR, NAFTA, and other free trade agreements (a) Establishment Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President, acting through the Commissioner and in coordination with the head of the Office of Textiles and Apparel of the Department of Commerce, shall establish an electronic verification system for tracking textile or apparel articles imported or exported under the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement, signed at Washington August 5, 2004, the North American Free Trade Agreement, signed at Washington, Ottawa, and Mexico City December 8, 11, 14 and 17, 1992, or any other free trade agreement to which the United States is a party, to ensure compliance with the respective requirements of such agreements. (b) Implementation The President shall seek to enter into consultations and agreements, as appropriate, with the government of each foreign country that is a party to an agreement described in subsection (a) for purposes of implementing the electronic verification system established under that subsection. (c) Confidentiality The electronic verification system established under subsection (a) shall ensure that proprietary information, such as information about supply chain participants, is coded so that only personnel of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Office of Textiles and Apparel can access the information. (d) Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that the President should seek to make the integration of the electronic verification system established under subsection (a) in future free trade agreements a priority in negotiations for such agreements. 203. Establishment of textile and apparel new importer program (a) In general Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Commissioner shall establish a new importer program under which U.S. Customs and Border Protection adjusts bond amounts for new importers of textile and apparel articles based on the level of risk with respect to protection of the revenue of the Federal Government presented by each new importer. (b) Requirements The Commissioner shall ensure that, as part of the new importer program established under subsection (a), U.S. Customs and Border Protection— (1) develops risk assessment guidelines for new importers of textile and apparel articles; (2) adjusts bond amounts for new importers in accordance with the risk assessment guidelines developed under paragraph (1); (3) maintains a centralized database of new importers; and (4) ensures accuracy of required information provided to U.S. Customs and Border Protection by new importers. (c) Bonding authority Section 623(b) of the Tariff Act of 1930 ( 19 U.S.C. 1623(b) (5) In the case of importation of textile or apparel articles, by regulation or specific instruction require, or authorize U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers to require, the amount of the bond to include amounts equal to any duties, fees, or penalties estimated to be payable on such articles. For purposes of this paragraph, amounts equal to any penalties estimated to be payable on such articles shall be based on a risk assessment of the new importer carried out in accordance with section 203 of the Textile Enforcement and Security Act of 2015 . (d) Other penalties In addition to the penalties specified in paragraph (5) of section 623(b) of the Tariff Act of 1930 ( 19 U.S.C. 1623(b) 19 U.S.C. 1592 204. Nonresident importer declaration program for textile or apparel articles (a) Establishment of program (1) In general Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Commissioner shall establish and maintain a nonresident importer declaration program with respect to the importation of textile or apparel articles. (2) Program described The program established under paragraph (1) shall— (A) require nonresident importers of textile or apparel articles to— (i) provide the information required under subsection (b); and (ii) declare the information required under subsection (c); and (B) require that the information required under subsections (b) and (c) accompany the entry summary documentation for such textile or apparel articles. (b) Information required The Commissioner shall require the following information to be submitted by any nonresident importer seeking to import textile or apparel articles: (1) An identification of a resident agent in the State in which the port of entry at which the nonresident importer anticipates the textile or apparel articles will enter is located who is authorized to accept service of process against the nonresident importer in connection with the importation of the textile or apparel articles. (2) A certification that the resident agent described in paragraph (1) has assets in the United States in sufficient amounts for the purpose of ensuring the payment of any additional loss of revenue not covered by any surety bond or for any civil penalties levied by the Federal Government in connection with the importation of the textile or apparel articles. (3) A copy of the commercial invoice accompanying the shipment of the textile or apparel articles, including the name, address, and contact information for each person in the transaction, such as the trading house, the freight forwarder, and the ultimate purchaser of the goods. (c) Declarations required Pursuant to procedures prescribed by the Commissioner, any nonresident importer seeking to import textile or apparel articles shall declare the following: (1) The nonresident importer has secured a bond in connection with the importation of the textile or apparel articles as required by paragraph (5) of section 623(b) of the Tariff Act of 1930 ( 19 U.S.C. 1623(b) (2) The nonresident importer has established a power of attorney in connection with the importation of the textile or apparel articles. (d) Authority A resident agent identified under subsection (b)(1) by a nonresident importer shall accept service of process on behalf of the nonresident importer for the purpose of duties, penalties, or other fines issued by the Secretary of Homeland Security or the Commissioner if the Secretary or the Commissioner is unable to collect duties, penalties, or other fines from such nonresident importer. (e) Penalties (1) In general It shall be unlawful for any person to import into the United States any textile or apparel article in violation of the program established under this section. (2) Civil penalties Any person who violates paragraph (1) shall be liable for a civil penalty of $50,000 for each such violation. (3) Other penalties In addition to the penalties specified in paragraph (2), any violation of this section that violates any other customs or trade law of the United States shall be subject to any applicable civil and criminal penalty, including seizure and forfeiture, that may be imposed under such customs or trade law or title 18, United States Code, with respect to the importation of textile or apparel articles. III Establishment of textile and apparel manufacturing and supplier registry 301. Establishment of textile and apparel manufacturing and supplier registry Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President, acting through the Commissioner and in coordination with the head of the Office of Textiles and Apparel of the Department of Commerce, shall establish an electronic Textile and Apparel Manufacturing Supplier Registry pilot program to serve as a centralized database of United States producers and manufacturers of thread, yarn, fabric, and apparel that supply products to companies in any of the following countries: (1) The United States. (2) A country that is a party to— (A) the North American Free Trade Agreement, signed at Washington, Ottawa, and Mexico City December 8, 11, 14 and 17, 1992; (B) the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement, signed at Washington August 5, 2004; or (C) any other free trade agreement to which the United States is a party. (3) A beneficiary country under the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act ( 19 U.S.C. 2701 et seq. IV Implementation report 401. Implementation report Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Commissioner shall submit to the Committee on Ways and Means and the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives, the Committee on Finance and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate, and the co-chairs of the Congressional Textile Caucus, a report on the implementation of this Act.

Summary: Textile Enforcement and Security Act of 2015 Expresses the sense of Congress that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Textile and Trade Agreements (TTA) division of the Office of International Trade within CBP should ensure that seizures, detentions, special operations, and Textile Product Verification Teams (TPVTs) remain the primary focus of their efforts to enforce U.S. customs laws with respect to imports of textile or apparel articles, particularly as they relate to enforcement of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR), and other free trade agreements and trade preference programs to prevent transshipments and origin fraud. Requires the seizure and forfeiture of an imported textile or apparel article for which a trade preference has been claimed in cases where the importer: (1) has either misdescribed, not verified the article's country of origin, or used accompanying false documentation; or (2) provides false information as to his or her address or does not meet certain documentation or informational requirements upon entry of an article. Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary), the CBP Commissioner, or the Secretary of the Treasury to use amounts from fines, penalties, and forfeitures of articles due to violations of the U.S. customs laws to pay for expenses directly related to special operations, TPVTs, and other enforcement actions, including expenses related to training and education of certain specialists who participate in the enforcement of such laws. Authorizes the use of such amounts also to pay for a reward of the lesser of at least 20% of that amount, value of property forfeited, or $20,000 to any person who furnishes information that leads to an arrest, conviction, civil penalty assessment, or forfeiture of articles due to violations enforced by the Secretary, the Commissioner, or the Secretary of the Treasury. Directs the Commissioner to ensure specified staffing of the Textile Enforcement Branch, the Textile Policy Branch, and the Quota Branch of TTA. Requires the Commissioner to certify, with respect to the 15 largest U.S. ports of entry for textile or apparel articles, that a certain number of Import Specialists are trained in preventing textile or apparel importer fraud, trade preference verification, classification, and undervaluation. Requires the Commissioner also to increase the number of dedicated textile and import specialists at such ports by 25%. Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to require the Secretary of the Treasury (who is now merely authorized) to publish in the Federal Register: (1) the names of persons located outside of the U.S. customs territories against whom the CBP has issued a penalty claim for violating U.S. customs laws, including for violations of quotas, duties, or trade preferences; and (2) a list of high-risk countries involved in the transshipment of textile or apparel products. Requires the President, acting through the Commissioner and in coordination with the head of the Office of Textiles and Apparel of the Department of Commerce, to establish an electronic verification system for tracking textile or apparel articles imported or exported under the CAFTA-DR, NAFTA, or any other free trade agreement to which the United States is a party to ensure compliance with such agreements. Directs the Commissioner to establish a new textile and apparel importer program in which the CBP adjusts bond amounts for new importers of textile and apparel goods based on the level of assessed risk. Requires the Commissioner to establish a nonresident importer declaration program for the import of textile or apparel articles. Directs the President, acting through the Commissioner and in coordination with the head of the Office of Textiles and Apparel of the Department of Commerce, to establish an electronic Textile and Apparel Manufacturing Supplier Registry pilot program.