Home > 108th Congressional Bills > H.R. 4759 (ih) To implement the United States-Australia Free Trade Agreement. [Introduced in House] ...H.R. 4759 (ih) To implement the United States-Australia Free Trade Agreement. [Introduced in House] ...
H.R.4759
One Hundred Eighth Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE SECOND SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday,
the twentieth day of January, two thousand and four
An Act
To implement the United States-Australia Free Trade Agreement.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``United States-
Australia Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as
follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Purposes.
Sec. 3. Definitions.
TITLE I--APPROVAL OF, AND GENERAL PROVISIONS RELATING TO, THE AGREEMENT
Sec. 101. Approval and entry into force of the Agreement.
Sec. 102. Relationship of the Agreement to United States and State law.
Sec. 103. Implementing actions in anticipation of entry into force and
initial regulations.
Sec. 104. Consultation and layover provisions for, and effective date
of, proclaimed actions.
Sec. 105. Administration of dispute settlement proceedings.
Sec. 106. Effective dates; effect of termination.
TITLE II--CUSTOMS PROVISIONS
Sec. 201. Tariff modifications.
Sec. 202. Additional duties on certain agricultural goods.
Sec. 203. Rules of origin.
Sec. 204. Customs user fees.
Sec. 205. Disclosure of incorrect information.
Sec. 206. Enforcement relating to trade in textile and apparel goods.
Sec. 207. Regulations.
TITLE III--RELIEF FROM IMPORTS
Sec. 301. Definitions.
Subtitle A--Relief From Imports Benefiting From the Agreement
Sec. 311. Commencing of action for relief.
Sec. 312. Commission action on petition.
Sec. 313. Provision of relief.
Sec. 314. Termination of relief authority.
Sec. 315. Compensation authority.
Sec. 316. Confidential business information.
Subtitle B--Textile and Apparel Safeguard Measures
Sec. 321. Commencement of action for relief.
Sec. 322. Determination and provision of relief.
Sec. 323. Period of relief.
Sec. 324. Articles exempt from relief.
Sec. 325. Rate after termination of import relief.
Sec. 326. Termination of relief authority.
Sec. 327. Compensation authority.
Sec. 328. Business confidential information.
Subtitle C--Cases Under Title II of the Trade Act of 1974
Sec. 331. Findings and action on goods from Australia.
TITLE IV--PROCUREMENT
Sec. 401. Eligible products.
SEC. 2. PURPOSES.
The purposes of this Act are--
(1) to approve and implement the Free Trade Agreement between
the United States and Australia, entered into under the authority
of section 2103(b) of the Bipartisan Trade Promotion Authority Act
of 2002 (19 U.S.C. 3803(b));
(2) to strengthen and develop economic relations between the
United States and Australia for their mutual benefit;
(3) to establish free trade between the 2 nations through the
reduction and elimination of barriers to trade in goods and
services and to investment; and
(4) to lay the foundation for further cooperation to expand and
enhance the benefits of such Agreement.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Agreement.--The term ``Agreement'' means the United States-
Australia Free Trade Agreement approved by Congress under section
101(a)(1).
(2) HTS.--The term ``HTS'' means the Harmonized Tariff Schedule
of the United States.
(3) Textile or apparel good.--The term ``textile or apparel
good'' means a good listed in the Annex to the Agreement on
Textiles and Clothing referred to in section 101(d)(4) of the
Uruguay Round Agreements Act (19 U.S.C. 3511(d)(4)).
TITLE I--APPROVAL OF, AND GENERAL PROVISIONS RELATING TO, THE AGREEMENT
SEC. 101. APPROVAL AND ENTRY INTO FORCE OF THE AGREEMENT.
(a) Approval of Agreement and Statement of Administrative Action.--
Pursuant to section 2105 of the Bipartisan Trade Promotion Authority
Act of 2002 (19 U.S.C. 3805) and section 151 of the Trade Act of 1974
(19 U.S.C. 2191), Congress approves--
(1) the United States-Australia Free Trade Agreement entered
into on May 18, 2004, with the Government of Australia and
submitted to Congress on July 6, 2004; and
(2) the statement of administrative action proposed to
implement the Agreement that was submitted to Congress on July 6,
2004.
(b) Conditions for Entry Into Force of the Agreement.--At such time
as the President determines that Australia has taken measures necessary
to bring it into compliance with those provisions of the Agreement that
are to take effect on the date on which the Agreement enters into
force, the President is authorized to exchange notes with the
Government of Australia providing for the entry into force, on or after
January 1, 2005, of the Agreement with respect to the United States.
SEC. 102. RELATIONSHIP OF THE AGREEMENT TO UNITED STATES AND STATE LAW.
(a) Relationship of Agreement to United States Law.--
(1) United states law to prevail in conflict.--No provision of
the Agreement, nor the application of any such provision to any
person or circumstance, which is inconsistent with any law of the
United States shall have effect.
(2) Construction.--Nothing in this Act shall be construed--
(A) to amend or modify any law of the United States, or
(B) to limit any authority conferred under any law of the
United States,
unless specifically provided for in this Act.
(b) Relationship of Agreement to State Law.--
(1) Legal challenge.--No State law, or the application thereof,
may be declared invalid as to any person or circumstance on the
ground that the provision or application is inconsistent with the
Agreement, except in an action brought by the United States for the
purpose of declaring such law or application invalid.
(2) Definition of state law.--For purposes of this subsection,
the term ``State law'' includes--
(A) any law of a political subdivision of a State; and
(B) any State law regulating or taxing the business of
insurance.
(c) Effect of Agreement With Respect to Private Remedies.--No
person other than the United States--
(1) shall have any cause of action or defense under the
Agreement or by virtue of congressional approval thereof; or
(2) may challenge, in any action brought under any provision of
law, any action or inaction by any department, agency, or other
instrumentality of the United States, any State, or any political
subdivision of a State, on the ground that such action or inaction
is inconsistent with the Agreement.
SEC. 103. IMPLEMENTING ACTIONS IN ANTICIPATION OF ENTRY INTO FORCE AND
INITIAL REGULATIONS.
(a) Implementing Actions.--
(1) Proclamation authority.--After the date of the enactment of
this Act--
(A) the President may proclaim such actions, and
(B) other appropriate officers of the United States
Government may issue such regulations,
as may be necessary to ensure that any provision of this Act, or
amendment made by this Act, that takes effect on the date the
Agreement enters into force is appropriately implemented on such
date, but no such proclamation or regulation may have an effective
date earlier than the date on which the Agreement enters into
force.
(2) Effective date of certain proclaimed actions.--Any action
proclaimed by the President under the authority of this Act that is
not subject to the consultation and layover provisions under
section 104, may not take effect before the 15th day after the date
on which the text of the proclamation is published in the Federal
Register.
(3) Waiver of 15-day restriction.--The 15-day restriction in
paragraph (2) on the taking effect of proclaimed actions is waived
to the extent that the application of such restriction would
prevent the taking effect on the date the Agreement enters into
force of any action proclaimed under this section.
(b) Initial Regulations.--Initial regulations necessary or
appropriate to carry out the actions required by or authorized under
this Act or proposed in the statement of administrative action
submitted under section 101(a)(2) to implement the Agreement shall, to
the maximum extent feasible, be issued within 1 year after the date on
which the Agreement enters into force. In the case of any implementing
action that takes effect on a date after the date on which the
Agreement enters into force, initial regulations to carry out that
action shall, to the maximum extent feasible, be issued within 1 year
after such effective date.
SEC. 104. CONSULTATION AND LAYOVER PROVISIONS FOR, AND EFFECTIVE DATE
OF, PROCLAIMED ACTIONS.
If a provision of this Act provides that the implementation of an
action by the President by proclamation is subject to the consultation
and layover requirements of this section, such action may be proclaimed
only if--
(1) the President has obtained advice regarding the proposed
action from--
(A) the appropriate advisory committees established under
section 135 of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2155); and
(B) the United States International Trade Commission;
(2) the President has submitted a report to the Committee on
Finance of the Senate and the Committee on Ways and Means of the
House of Representatives that sets forth--
(A) the action proposed to be proclaimed and the reasons
therefor; and
(B) the advice obtained under paragraph (1);
(3) a period of 60 calendar days, beginning on the first day on
which the requirements set forth in paragraphs (1) and (2) have
been met has expired; and
(4) the President has consulted with such Committees regarding
the proposed action during the period referred to in paragraph (3).
SEC. 105. ADMINISTRATION OF DISPUTE SETTLEMENT PROCEEDINGS.
(a) Establishment or Designation of Office.--The President is
authorized to establish or designate within the Department of Commerce
an office that shall be responsible for providing administrative
assistance to panels established under chapter 21 of the Agreement. The
office may not be considered to be an agency for purposes of section
552 of title 5, United States Code.
(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated for each fiscal year after fiscal year 2004 to the
Department of Commerce such sums as may be necessary for the
establishment and operations of the office under subsection (a) and for
the payment of the United States share of the expenses of panels
established under chapter 21 of the Agreement.
SEC. 106. EFFECTIVE DATES; EFFECT OF TERMINATION.
(a) Effective Dates.--Except as provided in subsection (b), the
provisions of this Act and the amendments made by this Act take effect
on the date on which the Agreement enters into force.
(b) Exceptions.--Sections 1 through 3 and this title take effect on
the date of the enactment of this Act.
(c) Termination of the Agreement.--On the date on which the
Agreement terminates, the provisionsof this Act (other than this
subsection) and the amendments made by this Act shall cease to be
effective.
TITLE II--CUSTOMS PROVISIONS
SEC. 201. TARIFF MODIFICATIONS.
(a) Tariff Modifications Provided for in the Agreement.--The
President may proclaim--
(1) such modifications or continuation of any duty,
(2) such continuation of duty-free or excise treatment, or
(3) such additional duties,
as the President determines to be necessary or appropriate to carry out
or apply articles 2.3, 2.5, and 2.6, and Annex 2-B of the Agreement.
(b) Other Tariff Modifications.--Subject to the consultation and
layover provisions of section 104, the President may proclaim--
(1) such modifications or continuation of any duty,
(2) such modifications as the United States may agree to with
Australia regarding the staging of any duty treatment set forth in
Annex 2-B of the Agreement,
(3) such continuation of duty-free or excise treatment, or
(4) such additional duties,
as the President determines to be necessary or appropriate to maintain
the general level of reciprocal and mutually advantageous concessions
with respect to Australia provided for by the Agreement.
(c) Conversion to Ad Valorem Rates.--For purposes of subsections
(a) and (b), with respect to any good for which the base rate in the
Schedule of the United States to Annex 2-B of the Agreement is a
specific or compound rate of duty, the President may substitute for the
base rate an ad valorem rate that the President determines to be
equivalent to the base rate.
SEC. 202. ADDITIONAL DUTIES ON CERTAIN AGRICULTURAL GOODS.
(a) General Provisions.--
(1) Applicability of subsection.--This subsection applies to
additional duties assessed under subsections (b), (c), and (d).
(2) Applicable ntr (mfn) rate of duty.--For purposes of
subsections (b), (c), and (d), the term ``applicable NTR (MFN) rate
of duty'' means, with respect to a safeguard good, a rate of duty
that is the lesser of--
(A) the column 1 general rate of duty that would have been
imposed under the HTS on the same safeguard good entered,
without a claim for preferential treatment, at the time the
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