Details of the Senate-Passed Miscellaneous Trade and Technical Corrections Act
On March 4, 2004, the Senate passed its version of H.R. 1047, the "Miscellaneous Trade and Technical Corrections Act of 2003."
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Senator's "Hold" is Preventing House-Senate Conference
As the House and Senate have passed different versions of H.R. 1047, the next step would normally be a House-Senate conference to resolve the differences between the two versions of the bill.
However, Congressional sources state that a Senator has placed a "hold" on the Senate's version of H.R. 1047 which prevents a House-Senate conference from being convened.
Congressional sources note that if this "hold" can be lifted, the Senate is expected to request a conference with the House to resolve the differences in their two versions of H.R. 1047. If resolved in this manner, each body would then pass the conference version of H.R. 1047, which would then be sent to the President for enactment.
This is Part XIV of a multi-part series of summaries on the Senate-passed version of H.R. 1047 (H.R. 1047) and highlights proposed new HTS subheadings for protective footwear, hair clippers and parts, tractor body parts, and flexible magnets. See future issues for additional summaries.
New HTS Subheadings for Protective Footwear
H.R. 1047 would amend HTS Chapter 64 to replace HTS 6401.99.30 and 6401.99.60 pertaining to footwear designed to be worn over, or in lieu of, other footwear as a protection against water, oil, grease or chemicals or cold or inclement weather with the following three new HTS subheadings:
| HTS 6401.99.15 | Footwear consisting of an outer sole affixed to an incomplete or unfinished upper to which additional upper parts or material must be affixed to permit the footwear to be held to the foot, such footwear having a bottom of vulcanized rubber and produced by the hand-laid assembly process or hand made, the foregoing footwear of a type that is not designed to be worn over other footwear |
| HTS 6401.99.30 | Other: Designed for use without closures |
| HTS 6401.99.65 | Other: Other |
The result of this change would be to provide Column 1 General duty-free treatment to footwear described in new HTS 6401.99.15 above.
H.R. 1047 states that any staged reduction of a rate of duty proclaimed by the President before the date of enactment, that (1) would take effect on or after such date of enactment; and (2) would, but for the above HTS amendment, apply to HTS 6401.99.60, would apply to the corresponding rate of duty set forth in new HTS 6401.99.65.
New HTS Subheadings for Hair Clippers and Parts
H.R. 1047 would amend HTS Chapter 85 to replace HTS 8510.20.00 pertaining to hair clippers with the following two new HTS subheadings in order to distinguish hair clippers used on a farm:
| HTS 8510.20.10 | Hair clippers for use on a farm |
| HTS 8510.20.90 | Other |
H.R. 1047 would also amend HTS Chapter 85 to replace HTS 8510.90.30 pertaining to parts of hair clippers with the following two new subheadings in order to distinguish parts of hair clippers to be used for agricultural or horticultural purposes:
| HTS 8510.90.30 | Parts of hair clippers to be used for agricultural or horticultural purposes |
| HTS 8510.90.40 | Other parts of hair clippers |
Neither of these proposed changes would affect the current Column 1 General duty rates for these articles.
New HTS Subheadings for Tractor Body Parts
H.R. 1047 would delete the current subheading for body stampings under HTS 8708.29.20 and replace it with the following two new subheadings:
| HTS 8708.29.21 | Body stampings for tractors suitable for agricultural use |
| HTS 8708.29.25 | Other [body stampings] |
This proposed change would provide Column 1 General and Column 2 duty-free entry to HTS 8708.29.21 and retain the current body stampings duty rates for HTS 8708.29.25.
H.R. 1047 states that any staged reduction of a rate of duty proclaimed by the President before the date of enactment, that (1) would take effect on or after such date of enactment; and (2) would, but for the above HTS amendment, apply to HTS 8708.29.20, would apply to the corresponding rate of duty set forth in new HTS 8708.29.25.
New HTS Subheadings for Flexible Magnets and Composite Goods Containing Flexible Magnets
H.R. 1047 would delete the subheading for nonmetal permanent magnets and articles intended to become permanent magnets after magnetization (either flexible or other) in HTS 8505.19.00 and replace it with the following new subheadings:
| HTS 8505.19.10 | Flexible magnets |
| HTS 8505.19.30 | Other |
Subscribers should note that although the introductory text of the provision regarding flexible magnets refers to three HTS numbers (HTS 8505.19.10, 8505.19.20, and 8505.19.30), the actual text of the proposed new subheadings contains text for only two of those HTS numbers (HTS 8505.19.10 and 8505.19.30). The actual text of the proposed new subheading for HTS 8505.19.20 does not appear. In the House-passed version of this provision, proposed new HTS 8505.19.20 would cover composite goods containing flexible magnets.
This proposed change would not affect the current Column 1 General duty rates for such magnets.
(See ITT's Online Archives or 03/11/04, 03/12/04, 03/18/04, 03/19/04, 03/24/04, 04/01/04, 04/02/04, 04/05/04, 04/06/04, 04/16/04, 04/20/04, 04/21/04, and 04/22/04 news, 04031105, 04031215, 04031820, 04031910, 04032415, 04040115, 04040205, 04040520, 04040620, 04041625, 04042020, 04042120, and 04042235 for Parts I-XIII of this series of summaries on the Senate-passed version of H.R. 1047.)
Senate-passed version of H.R. 1047 available at http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=108_cong_bills&docid=f:h1047eas.txt.pdf.