I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1773 
To amend the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to exempt 
from duty residue of bulk cargo contained in instruments of international 
traffic previously exported from the United States. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 14, 2015 
Mr. MARCHANT (for himself and Mr. KIND) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means 
A BILL 
To amend the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United 
States to exempt from duty residue of bulk cargo con-
tained in instruments of international traffic previously 
exported from the United States. 
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 ‘‘Residue Entries and 
Streamlining Trade Act’’. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
06:56 Apr 15, 2015
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1773.IH
H1773
smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
SEC. 2. EXEMPTION FROM DUTY OF RESIDUE OF BULK 
CARGO CONTAINED IN INSTRUMENTS OF 
INTERNATIONAL TRAFFIC PREVIOUSLY EX-
PORTED FROM THE UNITED STATES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—General Note 3(e) of the Har-
monized Tariff Schedule of the United States is amend-
ed— 
(1) in subparagraph (v), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 
the end; 
(2) in subparagraph (vi), by adding ‘‘and’’ at 
the end; 
(3) by inserting after subparagraph (vi) (as so 
amended) the following new subparagraph: 
‘‘(vii) residue of bulk cargo contained in 
instruments of international traffic previously 
exported from the United States,’’; and 
(4) by adding at the end of the flush text fol-
lowing subparagraph (vii) (as so added) the fol-
lowing: ‘‘For purposes of subparagraph (vii) of this 
paragraph: The term ‘residue’ means material of 
bulk cargo that remains in an instrument of inter-
national traffic after the bulk cargo is removed, with 
a quantity, by weight or volume, not exceeding 7 
percent of the bulk cargo, and with no or de minimis 
value. The term ‘bulk cargo’ means cargo that is 
unpackaged and is in either solid, liquid, or gaseous 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
06:56 Apr 15, 2015
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1773.IH
H1773
smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
form. The term ‘instruments of international traffic’ 
means containers or holders, capable of and suitable 
for repeated use, such as lift vans, cargo vans, ship-
ping tanks, skids, pallets, caul boards, and cores for 
textile fabrics, arriving (whether loaded or empty) in 
use or to be used in the shipment of merchandise in 
international traffic, and any additional articles or 
classes of articles that the Commissioner of U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection designates as in-
struments of international traffic.’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
subsection (a) take effect on the date of the enactment 
of this Act and apply with respect to residue of bulk cargo 
contained in instruments of international traffic that are 
imported into the customs territory of the United States 
on or after such date of enactment and that previously 
have been exported from the United States. 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
06:56 Apr 15, 2015
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H1773.IH
H1773
smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS