The United States and Colombia
negotiated the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement ("the
Agreement"), which was implemented into U.S. law pursuant to the
United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation Act
("the Act"). The Agreement entered into force on May 15, 2012.
Under the provisions of the Act, textile and apparel goods must
contain fibers, yarns, and fabrics produced in Colombia or the
United States to receive duty-free tariff treatment. The Agreement
also provides for the establishment of a list of specific fibers,
yarns, and fabrics that are not available in commercial quantities
in a timely manner from producers in the United States or Colombia.
Articles containing these commercially unavailable fibers, yarns,
and fabrics are also entitled to duty-free or preferential duty
treatment despite not being produced in the United States or
Colombia. The list of commercially unavailable fabrics, yarns, and
fibers may be changed pursuant to the commercial availability
provision of the Agreement and the Act. Under Section 203(o) of the
Act ("the commercial availability provision"), interested entities
from Colombia or the United States have the right to request that a
specific fiber, yarn, or fabric be added to, or removed from, the
list of commercially unavailable fibers, yarns, and fabrics.
Section 203(o) of the Act requires that the President establish
procedures for parties to follow when exercising the right to make
these requests. The President delegated the responsibility for
publishing the procedures and administering commercial availability
requests to the Committee for the Implementation of Textile
Agreements ("CITA"), which issues procedures and acts on requests
through the Office of Textiles and Apparel ("OTEXA"). In accordance
with the commercial availability provision, CITA has implemented
procedures to collect certain information about the technical
specifications of certain fibers, yarns, or fabrics and the
production capabilities of U.S. textile suppliers to determine
whether certain fibers, yarns, or fabrics are available in
commercial quantities in a timely manner in the United States. The
intent of these procedures is to foster trade in U.S. and Colombian
textile and apparel articles by allowing non-originating fibers,
yarns, and fabrics to be placed on or removed from a list of items
not available in commercial quantities, on a timely basis, and in a
manner that is consistent with normal business practice. To this
end, these procedures are intended to facilitate the transmission,
on a timely basis, of requests for commercial availability
determinations and offers to supply the products that are the
subject of the requests; have the market indicate the availability
of the supply of the subject products; make available promptly, to
interested entities and parties, information received regarding the
requests for products and offers to supply; ensure wide
participation by interested entities and parties; provide careful
scrutiny of information provided to substantiate order requests and
responses with offers to supply; and provide timely public
dissemination of information used by CITA in making commercial
availability determinations. CITA must collect certain information
about fabric, yarn, or fiber technical specifications and the
production capabilities of Colombian and U.S. textile producers to
determine whether certain fabrics, yarns, or fibers are available
in commercial quantities in a timely manner in the United States or
Colombia, subject to Section 203(o) of the Act.
PL:
Pub.L. 112 - 42 203(o) Name of Law: US-Colombia Trade Promotion
Agreement Implementation Act
PL: Pub.L. 112 - 42 203(o) Name of Law:
United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation
Act
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.