I
106TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 975
To provide for a reduction in the volume of steel imports, and to establish
a steel import notification and monitoring program.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 4, 1999
Mr. VISCLOSKY (for himself, Mr. QUINN, Mr. TRAFICANT, Mr. NEY, Mr.
KUCINICH, Mr. ENGLISH, Mr. MURTHA, Mr. ADERHOLT, Mr. KLINK, Mr.
REGULA, Mr. DINGELL, Mr. WELLER, Mr. GEPHARDT, Mr. GEKAS, Mr.
BONIOR, Mr. STRICKLAND, Mr. GANSKE, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. FRANKS of
New Jersey, Mr. COYNE, Mr. BERRY, Mr. PETERSON of Pennsylvania,
Mr. OBERSTAR, Mr. GOODLING, Ms. KAPTUR, Ms. MCCARTHY of Mis-
souri, Mr. GILLMOR, Mr. WISE, Mr. EHRLICH, Mr. MOAKLEY, Mr. MOL-
LOHAN, Mr. RAHALL, Mr. DOYLE, Mr. COSTELLO, Mr. CLYBURN, Mr.
MATSUI, Mr. LIPINSKI, Mr. EVANS, Mr. BLAGOJEVICH, Mr. SANDLIN,
Mr. HOLDEN, Mr. ROEMER, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. BISHOP, Mr. BRADY of
Pennsylvania, Ms. MILLENDER-MCDONALD, Mr. PASCRELL, Mr. AN-
DREWS, Ms. PELOSI, Mr. SANDERS, Mr. HALL
of Texas, Mr.
RODRIGUEZ, Mr. STUPAK, Mr. CRAMER, Mr. DEFAZIO, Mr. MEEKS of
New York, Mr. LARSON, MR. BOUCHER, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, Mr.
MALONEY of Connecticut, Mr. OLVER, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. HINCHEY, Ms.
STABENOW, Mr. MASCARA, Mr. PASTOR, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Mr.
HILLIARD, Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island, Ms. HOOLEY of Oregon, Mr.
BOSWELL, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California, Mr. DELAHUNT, Ms.
SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. DELAURO, Mr. FILNER, Mrs. MINK of Hawaii, Mr.
BRYANT, Mr. ABERCROMBIE, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. MCNULTY,
Mr. BORSKI, Mr. KLECZKA, Mr. FORBES, Mr. SHERMAN, Mr. SAWYER,
and Mr. CANNON) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Ways and Means
A BILL
To provide for a reduction in the volume of steel imports,
and to establish a steel import notification and monitor-
ing program.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. REDUCTION IN VOLUME OF STEEL IMPORTS.
(a) REDUCTION.—Notwithstanding any other provi-
sion of law, within 60 days after the date of the enactment
of this Act, the President shall take the necessary steps,
by imposing quotas, tariff surcharges, negotiated enforce-
able voluntary export restraint agreements, or otherwise,
to ensure that the volume of steel products imported into
the United States during any month does not exceed the
average volume of steel products that was imported
monthly into the United States during the 36-month pe-
riod preceding July 1997.
(b) ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITY.—Within 60 days
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary
of the Treasury, through the United States Customs Serv-
ice, and the Secretary of Commerce shall implement a pro-
gram for administering and enforcing the restraints on
imports under subsection (a). The Customs Service is au-
thorized to refuse entry into the customs territory of the
United States of any steel products that exceed the allow-
able levels of imports of such products.
(c) APPLICABILITY.—
(1) CATEGORIES.—This section shall apply to
the following categories of steel products: semi-
finished, plates, sheets and strips, wire rods, wire
and wire products, rail type products, bars, struc-
tural shapes and units, pipes and tubes, iron ore,
and coke products.
(2) VOLUME.—Volume of steel products for
purposes of this section shall be determined on the
basis of tonnage of such products.
(d) EXPIRATION.—This section shall expire at the
end of the 3-year period beginning 60 days after the date
of the enactment of this Act.
SEC. 2. STEEL IMPORT NOTIFICATION AND MONITORING
PROGRAM.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce,
in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, shall
establish and implement a steel import notification and
monitoring program. The program shall include a require-
ment that any person importing a product classified under
chapter 72 or 73 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of
the United States obtain an import notification certificate
before such products are entered into the United States.
(b) STEEL IMPORT NOTIFICATION CERTIFICATES.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—In order to obtain a steel
import notification certificate, an importer shall sub-
mit to the Secretary of Commerce an application
containing—
(A) the importer’s name and address;
(B) the name and address of the supplier
of the goods to be imported;
(C) the name and address of the producer
of the goods to be imported;
(D) the country of origin of the goods;
(E) the country from which the goods are
to be imported;
(F) the United States Customs port of
entry where the goods will be entered;
(G) the expected date of entry of the goods
into the United States;
(H) a description of the goods, including
the classification of such goods under the Har-
monized Tariff Schedule of the United States;
(I) the quantity (in kilograms and net
tons) of the goods to be imported;
(J) the cost insurance freight (CIF) and
free alongside ship (FAS) values of the goods to
be entered;
(K) whether the goods are being entered
for consumption or for entry into a bonded
warehouse or foreign trade zone;
(L) a certification that the information
furnished in the certificate application is cor-
rect; and
(M) any other information the Secretary of
Commerce determines to be necessary and ap-
propriate.
(2) ENTRY INTO CUSTOMS TERRITORY.—In the
case of merchandise classified under chapter 72 or
73 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United
States that is initially entered into a bonded ware-
house or foreign trade zone, a steel import notifica-
tion certificate shall be required before the merchan-
dise is entered into the customs territory of the
United States.
(3) ISSUANCE OF STEEL IMPORT NOTIFICATION
CERTIFICATE.—The Secretary of Commerce shall
issue a steel import notification certificate to any
person who files an application that meets the re-
quirements of this section. Such certificate shall be
valid for a period of 30 days from the date of
issuance.
(c) STATISTICAL INFORMATION.—
(1) IN GENERAL.— The Secretary of Commerce
shall compile and publish on a weekly basis informa-
tion described in paragraph (2).
(2) INFORMATION
DESCRIBED.—Information
described in this paragraph means information ob-
tained from steel import notification certificate ap-
plications concerning steel imported into the United
States and includes with respect to such imports the
Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States
classification (to the tenth digit), the country of ori-
gin, the port of entry, quantity, value of steel im-
ported, and whether the imports are entered for con-
sumption or are entered into a bonded warehouse or
foreign trade zone. Such information shall also be
compiled in aggregate form and made publicly avail-
able by the Secretary of Commerce on a weekly basis
by public posting through an Internet website. The
information provided under this section shall be in
addition to any information otherwise required by
law.
(d) FEES.—The Secretary of Commerce may pre-
scribe reasonable fees and charges to defray the costs of
carrying out the provisions of this section, including a fee
for issuing a certificate under this section.