[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2139 Introduced in House (IH)]
113th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2139
To make certain luggage and travel articles eligible for duty-free
treatment under the Generalized System of Preferences, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 23, 2013
Mr. Crenshaw (for himself and Mr. Smith of Nebraska) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To make certain luggage and travel articles eligible for duty-free
treatment under the Generalized System of Preferences, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``GSP Update for Production
Diversification and Trade Enhancement Act'' or ``GSP UPDATE Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The Generalized System of Preferences under title V of
the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2461 et seq.) was enacted to
promote economic development in developing and least-developed
countries.
(2) Many articles referred to as luggage or travel articles
and classified under chapter 42 of the Harmonized Tariff
Schedule of the United States may not be designated as eligible
articles for purposes of the Generalized System of Preferences.
(3) Global trade and manufacturing dynamics have changed
since the enactment of the Generalized System of Preferences in
1974, and many luggage and travel articles may no longer be
import-sensitive to industries in the United States.
(4) By removing certain luggage and travel articles from
the list of articles excluded from eligibility under the
Generalized System of Preferences, Congress is not changing
rates in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States,
but instead is allowing those articles access to the annual
review process under the Generalized System of Preferences,
which relies on investigations and recommendations from the
independent United States International Trade Commission, among
other agencies of the United States Government.
(5) As of February 2012, 73 of the 132 countries designated
as beneficiary developing countries under the Generalized
System of Preferences export articles classified under heading
4202 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to
the United States. Twenty of those countries have been
designated as least-developed beneficiary developing countries
for purposes of the Generalized System of Preferences.
(6) As of February 2012, the People's Republic of China has
a nearly 80 percent share of the market for certain luggage and
travel articles being imported into the United States. This
dominance leaves little room for competition from smaller
developing countries. For example, countries designated as
beneficiary developing countries under the Generalized System
of Preferences account for only 5 percent of imports of those
articles into the United States.
(7) The provision of duty-free treatment under the
Generalized System of Preferences for certain luggage and
travel articles imported into the United States may result in a
shift in the production of those articles from China to
countries designated as beneficiary developing countries or
least-developed beneficiary developing countries under the
Generalized System of Preferences.
SEC. 3. ELIGIBILITY OF CERTAIN LUGGAGE AND TRAVEL ARTICLES FOR DUTY-
FREE TREATMENT UNDER THE GENERALIZED SYSTEM OF
PREFERENCES.
Section 503(b)(1) of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2463(b)(1))
is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``paragraph (4)'' and
inserting ``paragraphs (4) and (5)'';
(2) in subparagraph (E), by striking ``Footwear'' and
inserting ``Except as provided in paragraph (5), footwear'';
and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(5) Certain luggage and travel articles.--Notwithstanding
subparagraph (A) or (E) of paragraph (1), the President may
designate the following as eligible articles under subsection
(a):
``(A) Articles classifiable under subheading
4202.11.00, 4202.12.40, 4202.21.60, 4202.21.90,
4202.22.15, 4202.22.45, 4202.31.60, 4202.32.40,
4202.32.80, 4202.92.15, 4202.92.20, 4202.92.45, or
4202.99.90 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the
United States.
``(B) Articles classifiable under statistical
reporting number 4202.12.2020, 4202.12.2050,
4202.12.8030, 4202.12.8070, 4202.22.8050, 4202.32.9550,
4202.32.9560, 4202.91.0030, 4202.91.0090, 4202.92.3020,
4202.92.3031, 4202.92.3091, 4202.92.9026, or
4202.92.9060 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the
United States.''.
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