Topic: Foreign Trade — Tariff & Imports
Subject: Foreign trade and international finance
Date: 2009-11-18 00:00:00

New Partnership for Trade Development Act of 2009 - Amends the African Growth and Opportunity Act and the Trade Act of 1974 to require the President to provide duty-free treatment of all articles (without quantitative limitation) from qualified beneficiary countries that have been designated: (1) a sub-Saharan African country; and (2) a least-developed beneficiary country. (Effectively, provides an additional trade preference program for sub-Saharan African countries and least-developed countries.) Prescribes requirements regarding significant apparel suppliers. Terminates a country's eligibility for preferential treatment: (1) on December 31, 2015; or (2) if the President certifies to Congress a successful conclusion of the World Trade Organization's (WTO) Doha Development Agenda Round of Negotiations on or before such date, on December 31, 2019, with specified exceptions. Extends through FY2015 the preferential treatment of apparel articles wholly assembled, or knit-to-shape and wholly assembled, or both, in one or more lesser developed beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries (regardless of country of origin of the fabric or yarn and in an amount not greater than the applicable percentage of the aggregate square meter equivalents of all apparel imported into the United States in the preceding 12-month period). Directs the President to establish a Trade and Development Review Panel. Revises the prohibition against designating certain import-sensitive articles and agricultural products from a beneficiary developing country as eligible for preferential treatment under the generalized system of preferences (GSP). Authorizes the President to designate such articles as eligible for preferential treatment if the Secretary of Commerce and the International Trade Commission (ITC) determine that: (1) such duty-free treatment would not cause or threaten to cause material harm to a U.S. producer of the same or like article or to a U.S. supplier of inputs or components to the same or like article; and (2) not providing preferential treatment to an article would cause or threaten to cause material harm to producers of such articles in any of the beneficiary developing countries. Revises factors the President must consider when determining whether to designate an upper middle-income country or a country that has a gross national income of at least $1 trillion dollars as an eligible beneficiary developing country for preferential treatment under GSP. Includes among such factors the extent to which the country provides preferential market access to articles from: (1) least-developed countries; or (2) sub-Saharan African countries. Revises rule of origin requirements, particularly for determination of the percentage of the appraised value of an article and its application to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Extends the GSP through December 31, 2019. Establishes within the Executive Office of the President: (1) an Office of Trade and Competitiveness for Least Developed and African Countries; and (2) a Trade Capacity Coordinating Committee for Least Developed and African Countries.