I 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2697 
To suspend temporarily the duty on certain footwear, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 29, 2011 
Ms. JENKINS (for herself, Mr. CROWLEY, Mr. BRADY of Texas, and Mr. BLU-
MENAUER) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Ways and Means 
A BILL 
To suspend temporarily the duty on certain footwear, and 
for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Affordable Footwear 
Act of 2011’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Average collected duties on imported foot-
wear are among the highest of any product sector, 
totaling approximately $2,000,000,000 during 2010. 
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(2) Duty rates on imported footwear are among 
the highest imposed by the United States Govern-
ment, with some as high as the equivalent of 67.5 
percent ad valorem. 
(3) The duties currently imposed by the United 
States were set in an era during which high rates of 
duty were intended to protect production of footwear 
in the United States. 
(4) Footwear produced in the United States 
supplies only about 1 percent of the total United 
States market for footwear. This production is con-
centrated in distinct product groupings, which are 
not affected by the provisions of this Act. 
(5) Footwear duties, which are higher on lower- 
price footwear, serve no purpose and are a hidden, 
regressive tax on those people in the United States 
least able to pay. 
(6) Low- and moderate-income families spend a 
larger share of their disposable income on footwear 
than higher-income families. 
(7) The outdoor industry develops innovative 
and high performance footwear that promotes 
healthy and active lifestyles through outdoor recre-
ation. 
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SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) there is no production in the United States 
of many footwear articles; 
(2) the reduction or elimination of duties on 
such articles will not negatively affect manufacturing 
or employment in the United States; and 
(3) the reduction or elimination of duties on 
such articles will result in reduced retail prices for 
a wide range of consumers. 
SEC. 4. TEMPORARY ELIMINATION OR REDUCTION OF DU-
TIES ON CERTAIN FOOTWEAR. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—The U.S. Notes to subchapter II 
of chapter 99 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the 
United States are amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(20) For the purposes of headings 9902.64.25 
through 9902.64.60: 
‘‘(a) The term ‘footwear for men’ means 
footwear of American men’s size 6 and larger 
for males, and does not include footwear com-
monly worn by both sexes. 
‘‘(b) The term ‘footwear for women’ means 
footwear of American women’s size 4 and larg-
er, whether for females or of types commonly 
worn by both sexes. 
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