Title: To extend the Generalized System of Preferences and to make technical changes to the competitive need limitations provision of the program.
Policy area: Foreign Trade and International Finance

Summary:
This bill extends the Generalized System of Preferences (a U.S. trade preference program that provides duty-free access to imports on products from certain developing countries) through 2020.
The Trade Act of 1974 is amended to modify the deadline for the review process for the competitive needs limitation. (The competitive need limitation terminates duty-free treatment with respect to articles from a beneficiary developing country if certain import limits are exceeded.)
The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 is amended to extend through June 21, 2026, the authority for customs user fees for the processing of merchandise formally entered or released into the United States.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4979 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4979

 To extend the Generalized System of Preferences and to make technical 
 changes to the competitive need limitations provision of the program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 8, 2018

Mr. Reichert (for himself, Mr. Pascrell, Mr. Brady of Texas, Mr. Neal, 
Mrs. Walorski, Mr. Curbelo of Florida, Mr. Smith of Nebraska, Mr. Kelly 
 of Pennsylvania, and Mr. Meehan) introduced the following bill; which 
            was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To extend the Generalized System of Preferences and to make technical 
 changes to the competitive need limitations provision of the program.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. EXTENSION OF GENERALIZED SYSTEM OF PREFERENCES.

    (a) In General.--Section 505 of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 
2465) is amended by striking ``December 31, 2017'' and inserting 
``December 31, 2020''.
    (b) Effective Date.--
            (1) In general.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
        apply to articles entered on or after the 30th day after the 
        date of the enactment of this Act.
            (2) Retroactive application for certain liquidations and 
        reliquidations.--
                    (A) In general.--Notwithstanding section 514 of the 
                Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1514) or any other 
                provision of law and subject to subparagraph (B), any 
                entry of a covered article to which duty-free treatment 
                or other preferential treatment under title V of the 
                Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2461 et seq.) would have 
                applied if the entry had been made on December 31, 
                2017, that was made--
                            (i) after December 31, 2017; and
                            (ii) before the effective date specified in 
                        paragraph (1),
                shall be liquidated or reliquidated as though such 
                entry occurred on the effective date specified in 
                paragraph (1).
                    (B) Requests.--A liquidation or reliquidation may 
                be made under subparagraph (A) with respect to an entry 
                only if a request therefor is filed with U.S. Customs 
                and Border Protection not later than 180 days after the 
                date of the enactment of this Act that contains 
                sufficient information to enable U.S. Customs and 
                Border Protection--
                            (i) to locate the entry; or
                            (ii) to reconstruct the entry if it cannot 
                        be located.
                    (C) Payment of amounts owed.--Any amounts owed by 
                the United States pursuant to the liquidation or 
                reliquidation of an entry of a covered article under 
                subparagraph (A) shall be paid, without interest, not 
                later than 90 days after the date of the liquidation or 
                reliquidation (as the case may be).
            (3) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    (A) Covered article.--The term ``covered article'' 
                means an article from a country that is a beneficiary 
                developing country under title V of the Trade Act of 
                1974 (19 U.S.C. 2461 et seq.) as of the effective date 
                specified in paragraph (1).
                    (B) Enter; entry.--The terms ``enter'' and 
                ``entry'' include a withdrawal from warehouse for 
                consumption.
    (c) Annual Report on Enforcement of Eligibility Criteria.--Not 
later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, and 
annually thereafter through December 31, 2020, the United States Trade 
Representative shall submit to the Committee on Ways and Means of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on Finance of the Senate a 
report on efforts to ensure that countries designated as beneficiary 
developing countries under title V of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 
2461 et seq.) are meeting the eligibility criteria set forth in section 
502(c) of such Act (19 U.S.C. 2462(c)).

SEC. 2. TECHNICAL MODIFICATION TO PROCEDURES FOR COMPETITIVE NEED 
              LIMITATION AND WAIVERS.

    Section 503 of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2463) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (c)(2)--
                    (A) in the matter following subparagraph 
                (A)(i)(II), by striking ``July 1'' and inserting 
                ``November 1''; and
                    (B) in subparagraph (E), by striking ``on January 
                1, 1995'' and inserting ``in any of the preceding three 
                calendar years''; and
            (2) in subsection (d), by striking ``July 1'' each place it 
        appears and inserting ``November 1''.

SEC. 3. CUSTOMS USER FEES.

    Section 13031(j)(3)(A) of the Consolidated Omnibus Budget 
Reconciliation Act of 1985 (19 U.S.C. 58c(j)(3)(A)) is amended by 
striking ``January 14, 2026'' and inserting ``June 21, 2026''.
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