19 U.S.C. § 3354 (CUSTOMS DUTIES)
§ 3354. Provision of relief
(a) In general
No later than the date that is 30 days after the date on which the President receives the report of the International Trade Commission containing an affirmative determination of the International Trade Commission under section 3353(a) of this title, the President, subject to subsection (b), shall provide relief from imports of the article that is the subject of such determination to the extent that the President determines necessary to remedy or, except in the case of imports of a Canadian article, prevent the injury found by the International Trade Commission.
(b) Exception
The President is not required to provide import relief under this section if the President determines that the provision of the import relief will not provide greater economic and social benefits than costs.
(c) Nature of relief
The import relief (including provisional relief) that the President is authorized to provide under this subpart is as follows:
(1) In the case of imports of a Canadian article—
(A) the suspension of any further reduction provided for under Annex 401.2 of the United States-Canada Free-Trade Agreement in the duty imposed on such article;
(B) an increase in the rate of duty imposed on such article to a level that does not exceed the lesser of—
(i) the column 1 general rate of duty imposed under the HTS on like articles at the time the import relief is provided, or
(ii) the column 1 general rate of duty imposed on like articles on December 31, 1988; or
(C) in the case of a duty applied on a seasonal basis to such article, an increase in the rate of duty imposed on the article to a level that does not exceed the column 1 general rate of duty imposed on the article for the corresponding season occurring immediately before January 1, 1989.
(2) In the case of imports of a Mexican article—
(A) the suspension of any further reduction provided for under the United States Schedule to Annex 302.2 of the Agreement in the duty imposed on such article;
(B) an increase in the rate of duty imposed on such article to a level that does not exceed the lesser of—
(i) the column 1 general rate of duty imposed under the HTS on like articles at the time the import relief is provided, or
(ii) the column 1 general rate of duty imposed under the HTS on like articles on the day before the date on which the Agreement enters into force; or
(C) in the case of a duty applied on a seasonal basis to such article, an increase in the rate of duty imposed on the article to a level that does not exceed the column 1 general rate of duty imposed under the HTS on the article for the corresponding season immediately occurring before the date on which the Agreement enters into force.
(d) Period of relief
The import relief that the President is authorized to provide under this section may not exceed 3 years, except that, if a Canadian article or Mexican article which is the subject of the action—
(1) is provided for in an item for which the transition period of tariff elimination set out in the United States Schedule to Annex 302.2 of the Agreement is greater than 10 years; and
(2) the President determines that the affected industry has undertaken adjustment and requires an extension of the period of the import relief;
the President, after obtaining the advice of the International Trade Commission, may extend the period of the import relief for not more than 1 year, if the duty applied during the initial period of the relief is substantially reduced at the beginning of the extension period.
(e) Rate on Mexican articles after termination of import relief
When import relief under this subpart is terminated with respect to a Mexican article—
(1) the rate of duty on that article after such termination and on or before December 31 of the year in which termination occurs shall be the rate that, according to the United States Schedule to Annex 302.2 of the Agreement for the staged elimination of the tariff, would have been in effect 1 year after the initiation of the import relief action under section 3352 of this title; and
(2) the tariff treatment for that article after December 31 of the year in which termination occurs shall be, at the discretion of the President, either—
(A) the rate of duty conforming to the applicable rate set out in the United States Schedule to Annex 302.2; or
(B) the rate of duty resulting from the elimination of the tariff in equal annual stages ending on the date set out in the United States Schedule to Annex 302.2 for the elimination of the tariff.
(Pub. L. 103–182, title III, § 304, Dec. 8, 1993, 107 Stat. 2102.)
heading: North American Free Trade Agreement: Entry Into Force
text: The North American Free Trade Agreement entered into force on Jan. 1, 1994, see note set out under section 3311 of this title.