[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 22 (Wednesday, February 2, 2011)] [Notices] [Pages 5821-5822] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 2011-2217] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION [Investigation No. 332-503] Earned Import Allowance Program: Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the Program for Certain Apparel From the Dominican Republic; Second Annual Report AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission. ACTION: Notice of public hearing and opportunity to provide testimony and written comments in connection with the Commission's second annual report. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The U.S. International Trade Commission (Commission) has announced its schedule, including the date for the public hearing and deadlines for filing briefs and other written submissions, in connection with the preparation of its second annual report in investigation No. 332-503, Earned Import Allowance Program: Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the Program for Certain Apparel from the Dominican Republic. DATES: March 3, 2011: Deadline for filing requests to appear at the public hearing. March 8, 2011: Deadline for filing pre-hearing briefs and statements. March 22, 2011: Public hearing. April 1, 2011: Deadline for filing post-hearing briefs and statements and all other written submissions. July 22, 2011: Transmittal of second report to House Committee on Ways and Means and Senate Committee on Finance. ADDRESSES: All Commission offices, including the Commission's hearing rooms, are located in the United States International Trade Commission Building, 500 E Street, SW., Washington, DC. All written submissions, including requests to appear at the hearing, statements, and briefs, should be addressed to the Secretary, United States International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW., Washington, DC 20436. The public record for this investigation may be viewed on the Commission's electronic docket (EDIS) at http://www.usitc.gov/secretary/edis.htm. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Project Leader Kimberlie Freund (202- 708-5402 or [email protected]) for information specific to this investigation. For information on the legal aspects of this investigation, contact William Gearhart of the Commission's Office of the General Counsel (202-205-3091 or [email protected]). The media should contact Margaret O'Laughlin, Office of External Relations (202-205-1819 or [email protected]). Hearing-impaired individuals may obtain information on this matter by contacting the Commission's TDD terminal at 202-205-1810. General information concerning the Commission may also be obtained by accessing its Internet server (http://www.usitc.gov). Persons with mobility impairments who will need special assistance in gaining access to the Commission should contact the Office of the Secretary at 202-205-2000. Background: Section 404 of the Dominican Republic-Central America- United States Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act (DR-CAFTA Act) (19 U.S.C. 4112) required the Secretary of Commerce to establish an Earned Import Allowance Program (EIAP) and directed the Commission to conduct annual reviews of the program for the purpose of evaluating its effectiveness and making recommendations for improvements. Section 404 of the DR-CAFTA Act authorizes certain apparel articles wholly assembled in an eligible country to enter the United States free of duty if accompanied by a certificate that shows evidence of the purchase of certain U.S. fabric. The term ``eligible country'' is defined to mean the Dominican Republic. More specifically, the program allows producers (in the Dominican Republic) that purchase a certain quantity of qualifying U.S. fabric for use in the production of certain bottoms of cotton in the Dominican Republic to receive a credit that can be used to ship a certain quantity of eligible apparel using third country fabrics from the Dominican Republic to the United States duty free. Section 404(d) directs the Commission to conduct an annual review of the program for the purpose of evaluating the effectiveness of the program and making recommendations for improvements. The Commission is required to submit its reports to the House Committee on Ways and Means and the Senate Committee on Finance. The Commission submitted its first annual report (USITC Publication 4175) on July 28, 2010 and expects to submit its second report to the committees by July 22, 2011. The Commission instituted this investigation pursuant to section 332(g) of the Tariff Act of 1930 to facilitate docketing of submissions and also to facilitate public access to Commission records through the Commission's EDIS electronic records system. Public Hearing: A public hearing in connection with this second report will be held at the U.S. International Trade Commission Building, 500 E Street, SW., Washington, DC beginning at 9:30 a.m. on March 22, 2011. Requests to appear at the public hearing should be filed with the Secretary no later than 5:15 p.m., March 3, 2011, in accordance with the requirements in the ``Submissions'' section below. All pre-hearing briefs and statements should be filed not later than 5:15 p.m., March 8, 2011; and all post-hearing briefs and statements responding to matters raised at the hearing should be filed not later than 5:15 p.m., April 1, 2011. If, at of the close of business on March 3, 2011, no witnesses are scheduled to appear at the hearing, the hearing will be canceled. Any person interested in attending the hearing as an observer or non-participant may call the Secretary (202- 205-2000) after March 3, 2011, to determine whether the hearing will be held. Submissions: In lieu of or in addition to participating in the hearing, interested parties are invited to file written submissions concerning this investigation. All written submissions, including requests to appear at the hearing, statements, and briefs, should be addressed to the Secretary and must conform to the provisions of section 201.8 of the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure (19 CFR 201.8). Section 201.8 requires that a signed original (or a copy so designated) and fourteen (14) copies of each document be filed. If confidential treatment of a document is requested, at least four (4) additional copies must be filed, in which the confidential information must be deleted (see the following paragraph for further information regarding confidential business information). The Commission's rules [[Page 5822]] authorize filing submissions with the Secretary by facsimile or electronic means only to the extent permitted by section 201.8 of the rules (see Handbook for Electronic Filing Procedures, http://www.usitc.gov/secretary/fed_reg_notices/rules/documents/handbook_on_electronic_filing.pdf). Persons with questions regarding electronic filing should contact the Secretary (202-205-2000). Any submissions that contain confidential business information must also conform to the requirements of section 201.6 of the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure (19 CFR 201.6). Section 201.6 of the rules requires that the cover of the document and the individual pages be clearly marked as to whether they are the ``confidential'' or ``non- confidential'' version, and that the confidential business information is clearly identified by means of brackets. All written submissions, except for confidential business information, will be made available for inspection by interested parties. The Commission intends to publish only a public report in this investigation. Consequently, the report that the Commission sends to the committees will not contain any confidential business information. Any confidential business information received by the Commission in this investigation and used in preparing its report will not be published in a manner that would reveal the operations of the firm supplying the information. By order of the Commission. Issued: January 26, 2011. Marilyn R. Abbott, Secretary to the Commission. [FR Doc. 2011-2217 Filed 2-1-11; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7020-02-P