An Act to provide for the free importation of articles for exhibition at fairs, exhibitions, or expositions, and for other purposes
PL 86-14 (H.R.5508), enacted 04/22/1959

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PUBLIC LAW 86-14-APR. 22, 1959 
[73 STAT. 
Public Law 86-14 
AN ACT 
[H. R. 5508] 
ij.p provide for the free importation of articles for exhibition at fairs, exhibitions, 
or expositions, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
oi^i9S9. ^^^* '
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* United States of America in Congress assembled^ 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the "Trade Fair Act of 1959". 
SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF FAIRS. 
(a) I N GENERAL.—When the Secretary of Commerce is satisfied 
that the public interest in promoting trade will be served by allowance 
of the privileges provided for in this Act to any fair to be held in the 
United States, he shall so advise the Secretary of the Treasury, desig-
nating (1) the name of the fair, (2) the place where the fair will be 
held, (3) the date when the fair will open and the date when it will 
close, and (4) the name of the operator of the fair. 
(b) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this Act— 
(1) The term "fair'' means any fair, exhibition, or exposition 
designated by the Secretary of Commerce pursuant to this section. 
(2) The term "closing date" in the case of any fair means the 
date designated pursuant to subsection (a) (3) as the date when 
the fair will close, or (if earlier) the date on which such fair 
actually closes. 
(c) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary of Commerce may prescribe such 
regulations as he deems necessary or appropriate to carry out the 
provisions of this section. 
SEC. 3. ENTRY OF ARTICLES FOR FAIRS. 
Any article imported or brought into the United States— 
(1) which is in continuous customs custody, covered by a cus-
toms exhibition bond, or in a foreign trade zone, and 
(2) on which no duty or internal-revenue tax has been paid, 
may, without payment of any duty or internal-revenue tax, be entered 
under bond under this section for the purpose of exhibition at a fair, 
or for use in constructing, installing, or maintaining foreign exhibits 
at a fair. 
SEC. 4. DISPOSITION OF ARTICLES ENTERED FOR FAIRS. 
(a) ENTRY UNDER GENERAL CUSTOMS LAWS, ETC.—At any time 
before, or within 3 months after, the closing date of any fair, any 
article entered for such fair under section 3 may be sold or otherwise 
disposed of within, or may be removed from, the area of such fair. 
This subsection shall apply only if, before such disposition or 
removal— 
(1) the article, after the entry for such fair under section 3, 
has been entered under any provision of the customs laws, and 
(2) any applicable duties and internal-revenue taxes are paid 
on such article in its condition and quantity, and at the rate in 
effect, at the time of such entry as if such article were imported 
or brought into the United States at the time of such entry. 
(b) DISPOSITION "WITHOUT PAYMENT OF DUTY.—At any time before, 
or within 3 months after, the closing date of any fair, any article 
entered for such fair under section 3 may, without the payment of 
any duties or internal-revenue taxes, be— 
(1) exported, 
(2) transferred from such fair to other customs custody status 
or to a foreign-trade zone, 
(3) destroyed, or 
(4) abandoned to the Government. 
73 S T A T . ] 
PXJBLIC LAW 8 6 - 1 4 - A P R . 22, 1959 
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(c) MANDATORY ABANDONMENT TO GOVERNMENT.—If any article 
entered under section 3 is still in customs custody, under such entry, 
at the expiration of 3 months after the closing date of the fair for 
which it was entered, such article shall thereupon be regarded as an 
article abandoned to the Government and shall be subject to sale or 
destruction of the article and disposition of the proceeds of sale in 
the manner provided for in sections 491,492, and 493 of the Tarijff Act 
of 1930. For purposes of this subsection, any duties or internal- 7
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revenue taxes on the article shall be computed on the basis of its ^^^^ u^s^c 1491, 
condition and quantity at the time it becomes subj ect to sale. 
(d) 
PERIOD FOR PERFORMANCE OF CERTAIN ACTS.—Whenever any 
article entered under section 3 is transferred pursuant to subsection 
(b) (2) or entered under subsection (a), the period prescribed for the 
performance of any act required by the provision governing the status 
to which the article is transferred, or under which the article is entered, 
shall run from the date of such transfer or entry. 
SEC. 5. MARKING, PACKAGING, AND LABELING. 
(a) CUSTOMS LAWS.—Articles entered under section 3 shall not be 
subject to any marking requirements of the customs laws, except that 
when any such article is entered for consumption under section 4 it 
shall not be released from customs custody until the marking require-
ments of the customs laws have been complied with. 
(b) INTERNAL-REVENUE LAWS, ETC.—Articles entered under sec-
tion 3 shall not be subject to the packaging, marking, or labeling 
requirements of the internal-revenue laws or of the Federal Alcohol 
Administration Act, except that any such article failing to comply 
37 u^c :J(JL 
with such requirements— 
(1) shall be conspicuously marked prior to exhibition "Not 
labeled or packaged as required by law—not for sale", and 
(2) when entered for consumption under section 4, shall not 
be released from customs custody until such packaging, marking, 
and labeling requirements have been complied with. 
The application of the permit requirements of the Federal Alcohol 
Administration Act and the occupational taxes prescribed by chap- 
27 use 201-212. 
ter 51 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 shall be determined 
26 use 5i[X)i-5692. 
without regard to this Act. 
SEC. 6. RESPONSIBILITIES OF FAIR OPERATOR. 
(a) SOLE CONSIGNEE AND IMPORTER.—Each fair operator designated 
by the Secretary of Commerce pursuant to section 2 shall be deemed 
the sole consignee and importer of all articles entered under section 3 
for the fair for which such operator has been designated. 
(b) EXPENSES OF CUSTOMS CUSTODY, ETC.—The actual and neces-
sary customs charges for labor, services, and other expenses in con-
nection with the entry, examination, appraisement, custody, abandon-
ment, destruction, or release of articles entered under section 3, together 
with the necessary charges for salaries of customs officers and em-
ployees in connection with the accounting for, custody of, and super-
vision over, such articles, shall be reimbursed to the United States 
by the operator of the fair for which they are entered. 
Receipts from 
such reimbursements shall be deposited as refunds to the appropriation 
from which paid, in the manner provided for in section 524 of the 
Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (19U.S.C.,sec. 1524). 
52 stat. io87. 
SEC. 7. REGULATIONS. 
The Secretary of the Treasury may prescribe such regulations as 
may be necessary or appropriate to carry out the provisions of this 
Act (other than section 2 thereof). 
Approved April 22, 1959.