Certain Apparel From Sri Lanka; Proposed Amended Conversion

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

[C-542-401]

Certain Apparel From Sri Lanka; Proposed Amended Conversion

AGENCY: International Trade Administration/Import Administration,

Commerce.

ACTION: Certain Apparel from Sri Lanka: Notice of Proposed Amendment to

the Existing Conversion of the Scope of the Order from the Tariff

Schedules of the United States Annotated to the Harmonized Tariff

Schedule.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: On January 1, 1989, the United States fully converted to the

international harmonized system of tariff classification. On January

11, 1989, the Department of Commerce (the Department) published the

Conversion to Use of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of Classifications

for Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Proceedings (54 FR 993; January

11, 1989) (1989 Conversion) for all antidumping and countervailing duty

orders in effect or investigations in progress as of January 1, 1989.

The Department now proposes to amend the 1989 Conversion governing the

countervailing duty order on certain apparel from Sri Lanka. Interested

parties are invited to comment on this proposed amended conversion.

EFFECTIVE DATE: March 29, 1994.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Martina Tkadlec or Kelly Parkhill,

Office of Countervailing Compliance, Import Administration,

International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce,

Washington, DC 20230, telephone (202) 482-2786.

Background

In 1985, the Department issued a countervailing duty order on

Certain Apparel from Sri Lanka (C-542-401) (50 FR 9826; March 12,

1985). The scope of this order was originally defined solely in terms

of the Tariff Schedules of the United States Annotated (TSUSA) item

numbers; no narrative product description was provided. On January 1,

1989, the United States fully converted from the TSUSA to the

Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS). Section 1211 of the Omnibus Trade and

Competitiveness Act of 1988 directed the Department to ``take whatever

actions are necessary to conform, to the fullest extent practicable,

with the tariff classification system of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule

[for] all * * * orders * * *'' in effect at the time of the

implementation of the HTS.

Accordingly, on January 11, 1989, after reviewing comments received

from the public, the Department published the 1989 Conversion for all

antidumping and countervailing duty orders in effect or investigations

in progress as of January 1, 1989 (54 FR 993). The notice also included

the conversion of the scope of the referenced apparel order from TSUSA

to HTS item numbers. The 1989 Conversion was based on a one-to-one

correspondence of the TSUSA and HTS item numbers. In the notice, the

Department stated that the conversion could be amended, as warranted,

at any time during the applicable proceeding as a result of the

submission of comments or new factual information.

As a result of comments submitted to the Department by the

importing public and advice received from the U.S. Customs Service, the

Department has determined that the 1989 Conversion did not accurately

reflect the scope of the Certain Apparel from Sri Lanka order and,

therefore, that the conversion should be amended.

To rectify the problems in the 1989 Conversion, the Department,

with the assistance of the U.S. Customs Service and the U.S.

International Trade Commission, has once again compared the TSUSA-

defined scope and the HTS-defined scope provided by the 1989

Conversion, and identified those HTS numbers that more reasonably

correspond with the TSUSA-defined scope of the Certain Apparel from Sri

Lanka countervailing duty order. A new proposed amended conversion is

found in the attached appendix.

Request for Public Comments

We invite interested parties to submit comments on the proposed

amended conversion within 30 days of the publication of this notice.

All comments must be in writing (10 copies), addressed to the attention

of the Director, Office of Countervailing Compliance, International

Trade Administration, IA Central Record Unit, room B-099, 14th Street

and Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230.

Dated: March 22, 1994.

Joseph A. Spetrini

Acting Assistant Secretary for Import Administration.

Appendix: Proposed Amended HTS List for Certain Apparel From Sri Lanka

(C-542-401)

*Coverage limited to garments that would be covered by this order

if separately entered.

Coverage excludes garments having embroidery or permanently

affixed applique work on the outer surface.

[FR Doc. 94-7264 Filed 3-28-94; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P