(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) Low- and moderate-income families spend a 
larger share of their disposable income on footwear 
than higher-income families. 
(6) 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. 
SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) the reduction or elimination of duties on the 
importation of certain footwear articles would pro-
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vide significant benefits to United States consumers, 
particularly lower-income families; 
(2) there is no production in the United States 
of many footwear articles; 
(3) the reduction or elimination of duties on 
such articles will not negatively affect manufacturing 
or employment in the United States; and 
(4) the reduction or elimination of duties on 
such articles will result in reduced retail prices for 
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 9902.64.57 and any superior text thereto: 
‘‘(a) The term ‘footwear for men’ means 
footwear of American sizes 6 and larger for 
males and does not include footwear commonly 
worn by both sexes. 
‘‘(b) The term ‘footwear for women’ means 
footwear of American sizes 4 and larger, wheth-
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er for females or of types commonly worn by 
both sexes. 
‘‘(c)(i) The term ‘work footwear’ means, in 
addition to footwear for men or footwear for 
women having a metal toe-cap, footwear for 
men or footwear for women that— 
‘‘(A) has outer soles of rubber or plas-
tics; 
‘‘(B) is of a kind designed for use by 
persons employed in occupations such as 
those related to the agricultural, construc-
tion, industrial, public safety or transpor-
tation sectors; and 
‘‘(C) has special features to protect 
against hazards in the workplace (such as 
resistance 
to 
chemicals, 
compression, 
grease, oil, penetration, slippage or static 
build-up). 
‘‘(ii) The term ‘work footwear’ does not in-
clude the following: 
‘‘(A) sports footwear, tennis shoes, 
basketball shoes, gym shoes, training shoes 
and the like; 
‘‘(B) footwear designed to be worn 
over other footwear; 
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‘‘(C) footwear with open toes or open 
heels; or 
‘‘(D) footwear (except footwear cov-
ered by heading 6401) of the slip-on type 
that is held to the foot without the use of 
laces or a combination of laces and hooks 
or other features. 
‘‘(d) The term ‘house slippers’ means footwear 
of the slip-on type designed solely for casual indoor 
use. The term ‘house slippers’ includes— 
‘‘(i) footwear with outer soles not over 3.5 
mm in thickness, consisting of cellular rubber, 
non-grain leather or textile material; 
‘‘(ii) footwear with outer soles not over 2 
mm in thickness consisting of polyvinyl chlo-
ride, whether or not backed; and 
‘‘(iii) footwear which, when measured at 
the ball of the foot, has sole components (in-
cluding any inner and mid-soles) with a com-
bined thickness not over 8 mm as measured 
from the outer surface of the uppermost sole 
component to the bottom surface of the outer 
sole and which, when measured in the same 
manner at the area of the heel, has a thickness 
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equal to or less than that at the ball of the 
foot.’’. 
(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that U.S. Customs and Border Protection should 
treat footwear that has outer soles of rubber or plastics 
to which textile materials are attached, or into which such 
materials are otherwise incorporated, in a manner that is 
consistent with the classification of such footwear in Clas-
sification Opinions 6404.19/1, 6404.19/2, and 6405.20/1 
of the Harmonized System Committee of the World Cus-
toms Organization. 
(c) AMENDMENTS TO HTS.—Subchapter II of chap-
ter 99 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United 
States is amended by inserting in numerical sequence the 
following new headings: 
‘‘ 
9902.64.25 
Vulcanized rubber lug boot 
bottoms for use in fishing 
waders (provided for in sub-
heading 6401.92.90) .............
Free 
No change 
No change 
On or before 
12/31/2012
9902.64.26 
Vulcanized rubber footwear 
with molded soles, lasted up-
pers (not molded or injected) 
of more than 70 percent by 
weight natural rubber, valued 
over $25/pair, measuring in 
height from the bottom of the 
outer sole to the top of the 
upper over 19 cm, the fore-
going designed to be used in 
lieu of, but not over, other 
footwear as a protection 
against water or cold or in-
clement weather (provided for 
in subheading 6401.92.90) ...
Free 
No change 
No change 
On or before 
12/31/2012
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9902.64.27 
Sports footwear with outer 
soles and uppers of rubber or 
plastics (other than golf 
shoes), having uppers of 
which over 90 percent of the 
external surface area (includ-
ing any accessories or rein-
forcements) is rubber or plas-
tics (except footwear having 
foxing or a foxing-like band 
applied or molded at the sole 
and overlapping the upper); 
the foregoing not including 
footwear for women (provided 
for in subheading 
6402.19.15) ...........................
Free 
No change 
No change 
On or before 
12/31/2012
9902.64.28 
Footwear with outer soles 
and uppers of rubber or plas-
tics, covering the ankle and 
incorporating a protective 
metal toe-cap, having uppers 
of which over 90 percent of 
the external surface area is 
rubber or plastics (provided 
for in subheading 
6402.91.05) ...........................
Free 
No change 
No change 
On or before 
12/31/2012
9902.64.29 
Footwear with outer soles 
and uppers of rubber or plas-
tics, covering the ankle and 
incorporating a protective 
metal toe-cap, valued not over 
$3/pair (provided for in sub-
heading 6402.91.16) .............
Free 
No change 
No change 
On or before 
12/31/2012
9902.64.30 
Footwear (other than work 
footwear) with outer soles 
and uppers of rubber or plas-
tics, covering the ankle, not 
incorporating a protective 
metal toe-cap, having uppers 
of which over 90 percent of 
the external surface area is 
rubber or plastics (provided 
for in subheading 
6401.91.40) ...........................
Free 
No change 
No change 
On or before 
12/31/2012
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9902.64.47 
Footwear valued over $2.50/ 
pair (other than footwear for 
men, youths and boys, and 
footwear for women), the 
foregoing not to include 
house slippers and work foot-
wear (provided for in sub-
heading 6403.99.90) .............
Free 
No change 
No change 
On or before 
12/31/2012
Sports footwear, tennis shoes, 
basketball shoes, gym shoes, 
training shoes and the like, 
with outer soles of rubber or 
plastics and uppers of textile 
materials: 
9902.64.48 
Of a type described in sub-
heading 6404.11.20, 
6404.11.40, 6404.11.50, 
6404.11.60 or 6404.11.70 
Free 
No change 
No change 
On or before 
12/31/2012
9902.64.49 
Of a type described in sub-
headings 6404.11.80 and 
6404.11.90, covering the 
ankle ..................................
Free 
No change 
No change 
On or before 
12/31/2012
9902.64.50 
Of a type described in sub-
headings 6404.11.80 and 
6404.11.90, other than 
tennis shoes, basketball 
shoes, gym shoes, training 
shoes and the like for men 
or women ...........................
Free 
No change 
No change 
On or before 
12/31/2012
9902.64.51 
Footwear with outer soles of 
rubber or plastics and uppers 
of textile materials, having 
uppers of which over 50 per-
cent of the external surface 
area is leather (provided for 
in subheading 6404.19.15) ...
Free 
No change 
No change 
On or before 
12/31/2012
9902.64.52 
Footwear with outer soles of 
rubber or plastics and uppers 
of textile materials, designed 
to be used in lieu of, but not 
over, other footwear as a pro-
tection against water, oil, 
grease or chemicals or cold or 
inclement weather, valued 
over $20/pair, the foregoing 
if designed for men or women 
having a height which does 
not exceed 20.32 cm or if de-
signed for other persons the 
height of which does not ex-
ceed 17.72 cm (provided for 
in subheading 6404.19.20); 
all the foregoing not to in-
clude vulcanized footwear and 
footwear with waterproof 
molded bottoms (including 
bottoms comprising an outer 
sole and all or part of the 
upper), where protection 
against water is imparted by 
the use of a coated or lami-
nated textile fabric ................
Free 
No change 
No change 
On or before 
12/31/2012
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9902.64.53 
Footwear with outer soles of 
rubber or plastics and uppers 
of textile materials (provided 
for in subheading 
6404.19.25, 6404.19.30, 
6404.19.35, 6404.19.40, 
6404.19.50, 6404.19.60, 
6404.19.70, 6404.19.80, 
6404.19.90, 6404.20.20, 
6404.20.40 or 6404.20.60) ...
Free 
No change 
No change 
On or before 
12/31/2012
Footwear with uppers of 
leather or composition leath-
er: 
9902.64.54 
For men (provided for in 
subheading 6405.10.00) ....
8.5% 
No change 
No change 
On or before 
12/31/2012
9902.64.55 
Other than tennis shoes, 
basketball shoes, gym 
shoes, training shoes and 
the like for women (pro-
vided for in subheading 
6405.10.00) .......................
Free 
No change 
No change 
On or before 
12/31/2012
9902.64.56 
Footwear with uppers of tex-
tile materials, other than with 
soles and uppers of wool felt 
(provided for in subheading 
6405.20.30 or 6405.20.90) ...
Free 
No change 
No change 
On or before 
12/31/2012
9902.64.57 
Footwear of a type described 
in subheading 6405.90.90 .....
Free 
No change 
No change 
On or before 
12/31/2012
’’. 
Æ 
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