I 
112TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6110 
To establish educational seminars at United States ports of entry to improve 
the ability of U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel to classify 
and appraise articles that are imported into the United States in accord-
ance with the customs laws of the United States. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 12, 2012 
Mr. LIPINSKI (for himself, Mr. LATOURETTE, Mr. MICHAUD, Ms. KAPTUR, 
and Mr. CONYERS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Ways and Means 
A BILL 
To establish educational seminars at United States ports 
of entry to improve the ability of U.S. Customs and 
Border Protection personnel to classify and appraise arti-
cles that are imported into the United States in accord-
ance with the customs laws of 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 ‘‘Customs Training En-
hancement Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. EDUCATIONAL SEMINARS TO IMPROVE ABILITY OF 
U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION 
PERSONNEL TO CLASSIFY AND APPRAISE IM-
PORTED ARTICLES. 
(a) EDUCATIONAL SEMINARS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Commissioner shall es-
tablish and carry out educational seminars at United 
States ports of entry to improve the ability of U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection personnel to classify 
and appraise articles imported into the United 
States in accordance with the customs laws of the 
United States, including to improve the ability of 
U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel to 
identify and prevent the mislabeling and trans-
shipment of articles. 
(2) NUMBER AND EXCEPTION.—The Commis-
sioner shall establish and carry out not less than 15 
educational seminars each year under paragraph (1). 
The Commissioner may establish and carry out 
fewer than 15 seminars each year under paragraph 
(1) if the Commissioner determines and notifies 
Congress that it is appropriate to do so. 
(b) CONTENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Commissioner and in-
terested parties selected under subsection (d) should 
provide instruction and related instructional mate-
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rials at each educational seminar to U.S. Customs 
and Border Protection personnel and, as appro-
priate, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement 
personnel on the following: 
(A) Conducting a physical inspection of an 
article imported into the United States, includ-
ing testing of samples of the article, to deter-
mine if the article is mislabeled in the manifest 
or other accompanying documentation. 
(B) Reviewing the manifest and other ac-
companying documentation of an article im-
ported into the United States to determine if 
the country of origin of the article listed in the 
manifest or other accompanying documentation 
is accurate. 
(C) Other related matters as determined to 
be appropriate by the Commissioner. 
(2) APPROVAL
OF
COMMISSIONER.—The in-
struction and related instructional materials at each 
educational seminar shall be subject to the approval 
of the Commissioner. 
(c) COSTS AND EXPENSES.—The Commissioner shall 
pay the costs to establish and carry out each educational 
seminar and shall pay expenses for U.S. Customs and 
Border Protection personnel, U.S. Immigration and Cus-
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toms Enforcement personnel, and interested parties to 
provide instruction in or receive training at the seminar. 
(d) SELECTION PROCESS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Commissioner shall es-
tablish a process to solicit, evaluate, and select inter-
ested parties for purposes of assisting in providing 
instruction in the educational seminars under this 
section. 
(2) CRITERIA.—The Commissioner shall, in 
consultation with the United States International 
Trade Commission, evaluate and select interested 
parties under the process established under para-
graph (1) based on— 
(A) availability and usefulness; 
(B) the volume, value, and incidence of 
mislabeling of an imported article that relates 
to a comparable domestic product of the inter-
ested party; and 
(C) other appropriate criteria established 
by the Commissioner. 
(3) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The Commissioner 
shall publish in the Federal Register a detailed de-
scription of the process established under paragraph 
(1) and the criteria established under paragraph (2). 
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SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) 
COMMISSIONER.—The 
term 
‘‘Commis-
sioner’’ means the Commissioner responsible for 
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. 
(2) COMPARABLE
DOMESTIC
PRODUCT.—The 
term ‘‘comparable domestic product’’ means a prod-
uct which is comparable in characteristics and uses 
with an article imported into the United States and 
which is covered by an educational seminar under 
this Act. 
(3) CUSTOMS LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES.— 
The term ‘‘customs laws of the United States’’ 
means any law or regulation enforced or adminis-
tered by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. 
(4) INTERESTED PARTY.—The term ‘‘interested 
party’’ means— 
(A) a manufacturer, producer, or whole-
saler in the United States of a comparable do-
mestic product; 
(B) a certified union or recognized union 
or group of workers which is representative of 
an industry engaged in the manufacture, pro-
duction, or wholesale in the United States of a 
comparable domestic product; 
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(C) a trade or business association a ma-
jority of whose members manufacture, produce, 
or wholesale a comparable domestic product in 
the United States; or 
(D) an association, a majority of whose 
members is composed of interested parties de-
scribed in subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) with 
respect to a comparable domestic product. 
(5) 
UNITED
STATES.—The 
term 
‘‘United 
States’’ means the customs territory of the United 
States, as defined in General Note 2 to the Har-
monized Tariff Schedule of the United States. 
(6) U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION 
PERSONNEL.—The term ‘‘U.S. Customs and Border 
Protection personnel’’ means Import Specialists and 
other appropriate employees of U.S. Customs and 
Border Protection. 
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be appro-
priated to carry out this Act $3,000,000 for each of the 
fiscal years 2012 through 2016. 
(b) 
OFFSET.—Subparagraph 
(B) 
of 
section 
6621(a)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is 
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amended by striking ‘‘3 percentage points’’ and inserting 
‘‘4 percentage points’’. 
Æ 
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