82_FR_31923 82 FR 31793 - Results of the 2016/2017 Annual Generalized System of Preferences Review and Initiation of a Country Practice Review of Bolivia

82 FR 31793 - Results of the 2016/2017 Annual Generalized System of Preferences Review and Initiation of a Country Practice Review of Bolivia

OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 130 (July 10, 2017)

Page Range31793-31795
FR Document2017-14369

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is announcing the results of the 2016/2017 Annual Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) Review with respect to: Products considered for addition to the list of eligible products for GSP; products considered for removal from the list of eligible products for certain beneficiary countries; decisions related to competitive need limitations (CNLs), including petitions for waivers of CNLs; and requests for re- designations of products previously excluded from GSP eligibility for certain countries. USTR also is announcing the initiation of a country practice review regarding child labor in the Plurinational State of Bolivia (Bolivia) including the schedule for public comments and a public hearing.

Federal Register, Volume 82 Issue 130 (Monday, July 10, 2017)
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 130 (Monday, July 10, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31793-31795]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-14369]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE

[Docket No. USTR-2017-0009]


Results of the 2016/2017 Annual Generalized System of Preferences 
Review and Initiation of a Country Practice Review of Bolivia

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice.

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

SUMMARY: The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is 
announcing the results of the 2016/2017 Annual Generalized System of 
Preferences (GSP) Review with respect to: Products considered for 
addition to the list of eligible products for GSP; products considered 
for removal from the list of eligible products for certain beneficiary 
countries; decisions related to competitive need limitations (CNLs), 
including petitions for waivers of CNLs; and requests for re-
designations of products previously excluded from GSP eligibility for 
certain countries. USTR also is announcing the initiation of a country 
practice review regarding child labor in the Plurinational State of 
Bolivia (Bolivia) including the schedule for public comments and a 
public hearing.

DATES: September 26, 2017: The GSP Subcommittee of the Trade Policy 
Staff Committee (TPSC) will convene a public hearing on the GSP country 
practice review of Bolivia in Rooms 1 and 2, 1724 F Street NW., 
Washington DC 20508, beginning at 10:00 a.m.
    September 5, 2017 at midnight EST: Deadline for submission of 
comments, pre-hearing briefs and requests to appear at the September 
26, 2017, public hearing.
    October 17, 2017 at midnight EST: Deadline for submission of post-
hearing briefs.

ADDRESSES: USTR strongly prefers electronic submissions made through 
the Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments in section C.3 below. The docket 
number is USTR-2017-0009. For alternatives to on-line submissions, 
please contact Naomi Freeman at (202) 395-2974.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Direct all questions regarding this 
notice to Naomi Freeman, Director for GSP at (202) 395-2974 or 
[email protected]. The fax number is (202) 395-9674.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

A. Background

    The GSP program provides for the duty-free treatment of designated 
articles when imported from beneficiary developing countries. The GSP 
program is authorized by Title V of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 
2461 et seq.), as amended, and is implemented in accordance with 
Executive Order 11888 of November 24, 1975, as modified by subsequent 
Executive Orders and Presidential Proclamations.

B. Results of the 2016/2017 Annual GSP Review

    In the 2016/2017 Annual GSP Review, the TPSC reviewed (1) petitions 
to add seven products to the list of those eligible for duty-free 
treatment under GSP; (2) a petition to remove the GSP eligibility of 
one product; (3) a petition to waive the CNL for a product from a 
beneficiary country; (4) products eligible for de minimis waivers of 
CNLs; and (5) requests for re-designation of products previously 
excluded from GSP

[[Page 31794]]

eligibility for certain beneficiary countries.
    In Presidential Proclamation 9625 of June 29, 2017, the President 
implemented his decisions regarding GSP product eligibility issues 
arising out of the 2016/2017 Annual GSP Review, including CNL waivers 
and product re-designations. This notice provides further information 
on the results of the 2016/2017 Annual GSP Review. You can view these 
results, comprising five lists, https://www.regulations.gov in docket 
USTR-2016-0009, under ``Supporting and Related Materials'' and at 
https://ustr.gov/issue-areas/preference-programs/generalized-system-preferences-gsp/current-reviews/gsp-20162017.
    The President added 23 travel and luggage goods products to the 
list of products eligible for duty-free treatment for all beneficiary 
developing countries (BDCs). The President also added rolled or flaked 
grains of cereals, other than barley or oats (HTS 1104.19.90); 
saturated acyclic monocarboxylic acids (HTS 2915.90.18); finishing 
agents, dye carriers and other preparations used in leather and like 
industries, <5% by weight aromatic (mod.) substance(s) (HTS 
3809.93.50); cellulose nitrates (including collodions), in primary 
forms (also referred to as nitrocellulose) (HTS 3912.20.00); and 
essential oils of lemon (HTS 3301.13.00), to the list of products 
eligible for duty-free treatment for all BDCs. The last product was 
deferred from the 2015/2016 annual review. The petitions to make 
pineapples, otherwise prepared or preserved (HTS 2008.20.00) eligible 
for duty free treatment under GSP and to make high-carbon 
ferromanganese (HTS 7202.11.50) eligible for duty free treatment under 
GSP for all BDCs were denied. See List I (Decisions on Petitions to Add 
a Product to the List of Eligible Products for GSP).
    The President removed glycine (HTS 2922.49.40.20) from GSP 
eligibility for all BDCs. See List II (Decision on Petition to Remove a 
Product from GSP eligibility). To reflect this change, glycine imported 
into the United States now falls under the new HTS 2922.49.43. Articles 
that exceeded the CNLs in 2016 and that, effective July 1, 2017, are 
excluded from GSP eligibility when imported from a specific beneficiary 
country are described in List III (Products Newly Subject to Exclusion 
by Competitive Need Limitation). These products are HTS 2933.99.22, 
other heterocyclic aromatic or modified aromatic pesticides with 
nitrogen hetero-atom(s) only, from India; and 6801.00.00 setts, 
curbstones and flagstones, of natural stone (except slate) from Turkey.
    The President granted a petition for a waiver of the CNL for 
coniferous wood continuously shaped along any of its ends, whether or 
not also continuously shaped along any of its edges or faces (HTS 
4409.10.05) from Brazil. See List IV (Products Receiving a Waiver of 
the Competitive Need Limitation).
    The President granted de minimis waivers to 100 articles that 
exceeded the 50-percent import-share CNL but for which the aggregate 
value of all U.S. imports of that article was below the 2016 de minimis 
level of $23 million. See List V (Decisions on Products Eligible for De 
Minimis Waivers). The articles for which de minimis waivers were 
granted will continue to be eligible for duty-free treatment under GSP 
when imported from the associated countries. No products previously 
excluded from GSP eligibility for certain countries were re-designated 
as eligible for GSP as a result of the 2016/2017 Annual Review.

C. Initiation of a Country Practice Review of Bolivia

1. Background

    The GSP Subcommittee of the TPSC will lead a review of the 
eligibility of Bolivia for benefits under the GSP. The GSP Subcommittee 
will review Bolivia's implementation of its commitments to eliminate 
the worst forms of child labor, and the steps it has taken to afford 
internationally recognized worker rights, including a minimum age for 
the employment of children pursuant to the Trade Act of 1974, 19 U.S.C. 
2462(b)(2)(H) and 19 U.S.C. 2462(b)(2)(G), respectively. The country 
practice review is undertaken on the recommendation of the TPSC 
pursuant to 15 CFR 2007.0(f). According to public reporting by the U.S. 
Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of State, the Government of 
Bolivia, in 2014, adopted a new Code for Children and Adolescents, 
which amended the previous code to lower the working age for children 
to 10 years old for self-employed workers, and to 12 years old for 
those in an employment relationship, under certain situations. U.S. 
government reporting also notes concerns about Bolivia's efforts to 
enforce its national labor laws and to make effective protections for 
working children as provided for in its labor laws. According to the 
U.S. Department of Labor's 2015 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child 
Labor, https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/resources/reports/child-labor/bolivia, the Offices of the Child Advocate, which are required by the 
Code for Children and Adolescents to authorize child work and assist 
victims of child labor, are absent or underfunded in many 
municipalities, leaving some children potentially unprotected and 
vulnerable to the worst forms of child labor. Additionally, the report 
questions whether the number of labor inspectors is sufficient to 
inspect for violations of child labor laws nationwide. Bolivia's 
changes to its labor laws, and the extent of Bolivia's efforts to 
combat child labor and eliminate the worst forms of child labor, raise 
questions about the compliance of Bolivia's laws and practices with 
mandatory country eligibility criteria as defined in 19 U.S.C. 
2462(b)(2)(H)-(G).
    In undertaking the review, the TPSC also notes discussions held in 
international fora, such as the International Labor Organization, 
public media reporting, and public reporting by non-governmental 
organizations. The goal of this action is to review Bolivia's child 
labor laws and practices to determine whether Bolivia's current law and 
practices meet the GSP eligibility criteria.

2. Notice of Public Hearing

    The GSP Subcommittee will hold a hearing on September 26, 2017, 
beginning at 10:00 a.m., to receive information regarding the country 
practice review of Bolivia. The hearing will be held in Rooms 1 and 2, 
1724 F Street NW., Washington, DC 20508 and will be open to the public 
and to the press. We will make a transcript of the hearing available on 
https://www.regulations.gov within approximately two weeks after the 
date of the hearing.
    All interested parties wishing to make an oral presentation at the 
hearing must submit, following the ``Requirements for Submissions'' set 
out below, the name, address, telephone number, and email address, if 
available, of the witness(es) representing their organization by 
midnight on September 5, 2017. Requests to present oral testimony must 
be accompanied by a written brief or summary statement, in English. The 
GSP Subcommittee will limit oral testimony before the GSP Subcommittee 
to five-minute presentations that summarize or supplement information 
contained in briefs or statements submitted for the record. The GSP 
Subcommittee will accept post-hearing briefs or statements if they 
conform with the requirements set out below and are submitted in 
English, by midnight on October 17, 2017. Parties not wishing to appear 
at the public hearing may submit pre-hearing and post-hearing briefs or 
comments by these deadlines.

[[Page 31795]]

    In order to be assured of consideration, you must submit all post-
hearing briefs or statements by the October 17, 2017 deadline to docket 
number USTR-2017-0009 via https://www.regulations.gov/. However, if 
there are new developments or information that parties wish to share 
with the GSP Subcommittee after this date, the regulations.gov docket 
will remain open until a final decision is made. Post all comments, 
letters, or other submissions related to Bolivia's eligibility review 
to docket number USTR-2017-0009 via https://www.regulations.gov/.

3. Requirements for Submissions

    All submissions in response to this notice must conform to the GSP 
regulations set forth at 15 CFR part 2007 (https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=271bd12a5ef9cae0c4c178d1131ac292&mc=true&node=pt15.3.2007&rgn=div5), except as modified below.
    The GSP Subcommittee strongly encourages on-line submissions, using 
the https://www.regulations.gov Web site. All submissions must be in 
English and must be transmitted electronically via www.regulations.gov 
using docket number USTR-2017-0009. To make a submission via 
www.regulations.gov, enter docket number USTR-2017-0009 on the home 
page and click ``search.'' The site will provide a search-results page 
listing all documents associated with this docket. Find a reference to 
this notice and click on the link entitled ``Comment Now!'' For further 
information on using the www.regulations.gov Web site, please consult 
the resources provided on the Web site by clicking on ``How to Use 
Regulations.gov'' on the bottom of the home page. We will not accept 
hand-delivered submissions.
    The https://www.regulations.gov Web site allows users to provide 
comments by filling in a ``Type Comment'' field, or by attaching a 
document using an ``Upload File'' field. The GSP Subcommittee prefers 
that you provide submissions as an attached document. If a document is 
attached, please type ``GSP Review of Bolivia'' in the ``Type Comment'' 
field. USTR prefers submissions in Microsoft Word (.doc) or Adobe 
Acrobat (.pdf) format. If the submission is in another file format, 
please indicate the name of the software application in the ``Type 
Comment'' field. File names should reflect the name of the person or 
entity submitting the comments. Please do not attach separate cover 
letters to electronic submissions; rather, include any information that 
might appear in a cover letter in the comments themselves. Similarly, 
to the extent possible, please include any exhibits, annexes, or other 
attachments in the same file as the comment itself, rather than 
submitting them as separate files. Submissions should not exceed 30 
single-spaced, standard letter-size pages in 12-point type, including 
attachments.
    For any comments submitted electronically containing business 
confidential information, the file name of the business confidential 
version should begin with the characters ``BC''. Any page containing 
business confidential information must be clearly marked ``BUSINESS 
CONFIDENTIAL'' on the top of that page and the submission should 
clearly indicate, via brackets, highlighting, or other means, the 
specific information that is business confidential. A filer requesting 
business confidential treatment must certify that the information is 
business confidential and would not customarily be released to the 
public by the submitter. Additionally, the submitter should type 
``Business Confidential GSP Review of Bolivia'' in the ``Type Comment'' 
field. Filers of submissions containing business confidential 
information also must submit a public version of their comments that we 
will place in the docket for public inspection. The file name of the 
public version should begin with the character ``P''. The ``BC'' and 
``P'' should be followed by the name of the person or entity submitting 
the comments. Filers submitting comments containing no business 
confidential information should name their file using the name of the 
person or entity submitting the comments.
    You will receive a submission tracking number upon completion of 
the submissions procedure at https://www.regulations.gov. The tracking 
number is your confirmation that the submission was received into 
https://www.regulations.gov. The GSP Subcommittee is not able to 
provide technical assistance for the Web site. The GSP Subcommittee may 
not consider documents that are not submitted in accordance with these 
instructions.
    As noted, the GSP Subcommittee strongly urges submitters to file 
comments through www.regulations.gov. You must make any alternative 
arrangements with Naomi Freeman in advance of transmitting a comment. 
You can contact Ms. Freeman at (202) 395-2974.
    We will post comments in the docket for public inspection, except 
business confidential information. You can view comments on the https://www.regulations.gov Web site by entering the relevant docket number in 
the search field on the home page.

Erland Herfindahl,
Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for the Generalized System 
of Preferences and Chair of the GSP Subcommittee of the Trade Policy 
Staff Committee, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
[FR Doc. 2017-14369 Filed 7-7-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3290-F7-P



                                                                                Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 130 / Monday, July 10, 2017 / Notices                                            31793

                                                   (5) Notify applicants and beneficiaries                 b. Title II Beneficiary Identification              and requests for re-designations of
                                                that their records are subject to                        Code,                                                 products previously excluded from GSP
                                                matching; and                                              c. Name, and                                        eligibility for certain countries. USTR
                                                   (6) Verify match findings before                        d. Date of birth                                    also is announcing the initiation of a
                                                reducing, suspending, terminating, or                      CMS’ response file will contain the                 country practice review regarding child
                                                denying a person’s benefits or                           following information for each                        labor in the Plurinational State of
                                                payments.                                                individual:                                           Bolivia (Bolivia) including the schedule
                                                   We have taken action to ensure that                     a. CMS File Number                                  for public comments and a public
                                                all of our computer matching programs                      b. Whether CMS matched Beneficiary                  hearing.
                                                comply with the requirements of the                        c. Whether Medicare Used in Last 3                  DATES:  September 26, 2017: The GSP
                                                Privacy Act, as amended.                                 Years                                                 Subcommittee of the Trade Policy Staff
                                                Mary Ann Zimmerman,                                        d. Whether the beneficiary is a part of             Committee (TPSC) will convene a
                                                Acting Executive Director, Office of Privacy             an Health Maintenance Organization                    public hearing on the GSP country
                                                and Disclosure, Office of the General Counsel.             e. Whether the beneficiary lives in a               practice review of Bolivia in Rooms 1
                                                                                                         Nursing Home, as defined in 42 CFR                    and 2, 1724 F Street NW., Washington
                                                PARTICIPATING AGENCIES:                                  483.5                                                 DC 20508, beginning at 10:00 a.m.
                                                   SSA and CMS                                             f. Whether the beneficiary has Private                 September 5, 2017 at midnight EST:
                                                AUTHORITY FOR CONDUCTING THE MATCHING
                                                                                                         Health Insurance                                      Deadline for submission of comments,
                                                PROGRAM:                                                 SYSTEM(S) OF RECORDS:
                                                                                                                                                               pre-hearing briefs and requests to
                                                  The legal authority for this matching                                                                        appear at the September 26, 2017,
                                                                                                            We will disclose to CMS information                public hearing.
                                                program is section 202 of the Act (42                    from Master Beneficiary Record (MBR)
                                                U.S.C. 402), which outlines the                                                                                   October 17, 2017 at midnight EST:
                                                                                                         (60–0090), published January 11, 2006
                                                requirements for eligibility to receive                                                                        Deadline for submission of post-hearing
                                                                                                         (71 FR 1826) and updated on December
                                                Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability                                                                             briefs.
                                                                                                         10, 2007 (72 FR 69723) and July 5, 2013
                                                Insurance Benefits under Title II of the                 (78 FR 40542).                                        ADDRESSES: USTR strongly prefers
                                                Act. Section 205(c) of the Act (42 U.S.C.                   CMS will disclose to us information                electronic submissions made through
                                                405) directs the Commissioner of Social                  from the following SORs: National                     the Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://
                                                Security to verify the eligibility of a                  Claims History (NCH) (09–70–0558),                    www.regulations.gov. Follow the
                                                beneficiary.                                             published November 20, 2006 (71 FR                    instructions for submitting comments in
                                                                                                         67137); Enrollment Data Base (EDB)                    section C.3 below. The docket number
                                                PURPOSE(S):
                                                                                                         (09–70–0502), published February 26,                  is USTR–2017–0009. For alternatives to
                                                   The purpose of this matching program                                                                        on-line submissions, please contact
                                                                                                         2008 at 73 FR 10249; and Long Term
                                                is to set forth the terms, conditions, and                                                                     Naomi Freeman at (202) 395–2974.
                                                                                                         Care—Minimum Data Set (MDS) (90–
                                                safeguards under which CMS will
                                                                                                         70–0528), published March 19, 2007 at                 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
                                                disclose to SSA Medicare identifying
                                                                                                         72 FR 12801.                                          Direct all questions regarding this notice
                                                and non-utilization information for
                                                                                                            SSA’s and CMS’s SORs have routine                  to Naomi Freeman, Director for GSP at
                                                Social Security Title II beneficiaries
                                                                                                         uses permitting the disclosures needed                (202) 395–2974 or Naomi_S_Freeman@
                                                aged 90 and above.
                                                                                                         to conduct this match.                                ustr.eop.gov. The fax number is (202)
                                                   CMS will identify Medicare enrollees
                                                                                                         [FR Doc. 2017–14346 Filed 7–7–17; 8:45 am]            395–9674.
                                                whose records have been inactive for
                                                three or more years. We will use this                    BILLING CODE 4191–02–P                                SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
                                                data as an indicator to select and                                                                             A. Background
                                                prioritize cases for review to determine
                                                continued eligibility for benefits under                 OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES                              The GSP program provides for the
                                                Title II of the Social Security Act (Act).               TRADE REPRESENTATIVE                                  duty-free treatment of designated
                                                We will contact these individuals to                                                                           articles when imported from beneficiary
                                                                                                         [Docket No. USTR–2017–0009]                           developing countries. The GSP program
                                                verify ongoing eligibility. We will refer
                                                individual cases of suspected fraud,                                                                           is authorized by Title V of the Trade Act
                                                                                                         Results of the 2016/2017 Annual
                                                waste, or abuse to the Office of the                                                                           of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2461 et seq.), as
                                                                                                         Generalized System of Preferences
                                                Inspector General for investigation.                                                                           amended, and is implemented in
                                                                                                         Review and Initiation of a Country
                                                                                                                                                               accordance with Executive Order 11888
                                                CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS:
                                                                                                         Practice Review of Bolivia
                                                                                                                                                               of November 24, 1975, as modified by
                                                  The individuals whose information is                   AGENCY: Office of the United States                   subsequent Executive Orders and
                                                involved in this matching program are                    Trade Representative.                                 Presidential Proclamations.
                                                Social Security Title II beneficiaries                   ACTION: Notice.                                       B. Results of the 2016/2017 Annual GSP
                                                aged 90 and above. CMS will identify
                                                                                                                                                               Review
                                                Medicare enrollees whose records have                    SUMMARY:    The Office of the United
                                                been inactive for three or more years.                   States Trade Representative (USTR) is                    In the 2016/2017 Annual GSP Review,
                                                We will use this data as an indicator to                 announcing the results of the 2016/2017               the TPSC reviewed (1) petitions to add
                                                select and prioritize cases for review to                Annual Generalized System of                          seven products to the list of those
                                                                                                         Preferences (GSP) Review with respect                 eligible for duty-free treatment under
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES




                                                determine continue eligibility for
                                                benefits under Title II of the Act.                      to: Products considered for addition to               GSP; (2) a petition to remove the GSP
                                                                                                         the list of eligible products for GSP;                eligibility of one product; (3) a petition
                                                CATEGORIES OF RECORDS:
                                                                                                         products considered for removal from                  to waive the CNL for a product from a
                                                   We will provide CMS with a finder                     the list of eligible products for certain             beneficiary country; (4) products
                                                file containing the following                            beneficiary countries; decisions related              eligible for de minimis waivers of CNLs;
                                                information for each individual:                         to competitive need limitations (CNLs),               and (5) requests for re-designation of
                                                   a. Title II Claim Account Number,                     including petitions for waivers of CNLs;              products previously excluded from GSP


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                                                31794                           Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 130 / Monday, July 10, 2017 / Notices

                                                eligibility for certain beneficiary                      flagstones, of natural stone (except slate)           required by the Code for Children and
                                                countries.                                               from Turkey.                                          Adolescents to authorize child work and
                                                   In Presidential Proclamation 9625 of                     The President granted a petition for a             assist victims of child labor, are absent
                                                June 29, 2017, the President                             waiver of the CNL for coniferous wood                 or underfunded in many municipalities,
                                                implemented his decisions regarding                      continuously shaped along any of its                  leaving some children potentially
                                                GSP product eligibility issues arising                   ends, whether or not also continuously                unprotected and vulnerable to the worst
                                                out of the 2016/2017 Annual GSP                          shaped along any of its edges or faces                forms of child labor. Additionally, the
                                                Review, including CNL waivers and                        (HTS 4409.10.05) from Brazil. See List                report questions whether the number of
                                                product re-designations. This notice                     IV (Products Receiving a Waiver of the                labor inspectors is sufficient to inspect
                                                provides further information on the                      Competitive Need Limitation).                         for violations of child labor laws
                                                results of the 2016/2017 Annual GSP                         The President granted de minimis                   nationwide. Bolivia’s changes to its
                                                Review. You can view these results,                      waivers to 100 articles that exceeded the             labor laws, and the extent of Bolivia’s
                                                comprising five lists, https://                          50-percent import-share CNL but for                   efforts to combat child labor and
                                                www.regulations.gov in docket USTR–                      which the aggregate value of all U.S.                 eliminate the worst forms of child labor,
                                                2016–0009, under ‘‘Supporting and                        imports of that article was below the                 raise questions about the compliance of
                                                Related Materials’’ and at https://                      2016 de minimis level of $23 million.                 Bolivia’s laws and practices with
                                                ustr.gov/issue-areas/preference-                         See List V (Decisions on Products                     mandatory country eligibility criteria as
                                                programs/generalized-system-                             Eligible for De Minimis Waivers). The                 defined in 19 U.S.C. 2462(b)(2)(H)–(G).
                                                preferences-gsp/current-reviews/gsp-                     articles for which de minimis waivers                    In undertaking the review, the TPSC
                                                20162017.                                                were granted will continue to be eligible             also notes discussions held in
                                                   The President added 23 travel and                     for duty-free treatment under GSP when                international fora, such as the
                                                luggage goods products to the list of                    imported from the associated countries.               International Labor Organization, public
                                                products eligible for duty-free treatment                No products previously excluded from                  media reporting, and public reporting
                                                for all beneficiary developing countries                 GSP eligibility for certain countries                 by non-governmental organizations. The
                                                (BDCs). The President also added rolled                  were re-designated as eligible for GSP as             goal of this action is to review Bolivia’s
                                                or flaked grains of cereals, other than                  a result of the 2016/2017 Annual                      child labor laws and practices to
                                                barley or oats (HTS 1104.19.90);                         Review.                                               determine whether Bolivia’s current law
                                                saturated acyclic monocarboxylic acids                                                                         and practices meet the GSP eligibility
                                                (HTS 2915.90.18); finishing agents, dye                  C. Initiation of a Country Practice                   criteria.
                                                carriers and other preparations used in                  Review of Bolivia
                                                leather and like industries, <5% by                                                                            2. Notice of Public Hearing
                                                                                                         1. Background
                                                weight aromatic (mod.) substance(s)                                                                               The GSP Subcommittee will hold a
                                                (HTS 3809.93.50); cellulose nitrates                        The GSP Subcommittee of the TPSC                   hearing on September 26, 2017,
                                                (including collodions), in primary forms                 will lead a review of the eligibility of              beginning at 10:00 a.m., to receive
                                                (also referred to as nitrocellulose) (HTS                Bolivia for benefits under the GSP. The               information regarding the country
                                                3912.20.00); and essential oils of lemon                 GSP Subcommittee will review Bolivia’s                practice review of Bolivia. The hearing
                                                (HTS 3301.13.00), to the list of products                implementation of its commitments to                  will be held in Rooms 1 and 2, 1724 F
                                                eligible for duty-free treatment for all                 eliminate the worst forms of child labor,             Street NW., Washington, DC 20508 and
                                                BDCs. The last product was deferred                      and the steps it has taken to afford                  will be open to the public and to the
                                                from the 2015/2016 annual review. The                    internationally recognized worker                     press. We will make a transcript of the
                                                petitions to make pineapples, otherwise                  rights, including a minimum age for the               hearing available on https://
                                                prepared or preserved (HTS 2008.20.00)                   employment of children pursuant to the                www.regulations.gov within
                                                eligible for duty free treatment under                   Trade Act of 1974, 19 U.S.C.                          approximately two weeks after the date
                                                GSP and to make high-carbon                              2462(b)(2)(H) and 19 U.S.C.                           of the hearing.
                                                ferromanganese (HTS 7202.11.50)                          2462(b)(2)(G), respectively. The country                 All interested parties wishing to make
                                                eligible for duty free treatment under                   practice review is undertaken on the                  an oral presentation at the hearing must
                                                GSP for all BDCs were denied. See List                   recommendation of the TPSC pursuant                   submit, following the ‘‘Requirements for
                                                I (Decisions on Petitions to Add a                       to 15 CFR 2007.0(f). According to public              Submissions’’ set out below, the name,
                                                Product to the List of Eligible Products                 reporting by the U.S. Department of                   address, telephone number, and email
                                                for GSP).                                                Labor and the U.S. Department of State,               address, if available, of the witness(es)
                                                   The President removed glycine (HTS                    the Government of Bolivia, in 2014,                   representing their organization by
                                                2922.49.40.20) from GSP eligibility for                  adopted a new Code for Children and                   midnight on September 5, 2017.
                                                all BDCs. See List II (Decision on                       Adolescents, which amended the                        Requests to present oral testimony must
                                                Petition to Remove a Product from GSP                    previous code to lower the working age                be accompanied by a written brief or
                                                eligibility). To reflect this change,                    for children to 10 years old for self-                summary statement, in English. The
                                                glycine imported into the United States                  employed workers, and to 12 years old                 GSP Subcommittee will limit oral
                                                now falls under the new HTS                              for those in an employment                            testimony before the GSP Subcommittee
                                                2922.49.43. Articles that exceeded the                   relationship, under certain situations.               to five-minute presentations that
                                                CNLs in 2016 and that, effective July 1,                 U.S. government reporting also notes                  summarize or supplement information
                                                2017, are excluded from GSP eligibility                  concerns about Bolivia’s efforts to                   contained in briefs or statements
                                                when imported from a specific                            enforce its national labor laws and to                submitted for the record. The GSP
                                                beneficiary country are described in List                make effective protections for working                Subcommittee will accept post-hearing
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                                                III (Products Newly Subject to Exclusion                 children as provided for in its labor                 briefs or statements if they conform with
                                                by Competitive Need Limitation). These                   laws. According to the U.S. Department                the requirements set out below and are
                                                products are HTS 2933.99.22, other                       of Labor’s 2015 Findings on the Worst                 submitted in English, by midnight on
                                                heterocyclic aromatic or modified                        Forms of Child Labor, https://                        October 17, 2017. Parties not wishing to
                                                aromatic pesticides with nitrogen                        www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/resources/                  appear at the public hearing may submit
                                                hetero-atom(s) only, from India; and                     reports/child-labor/bolivia, the Offices              pre-hearing and post-hearing briefs or
                                                6801.00.00 setts, curbstones and                         of the Child Advocate, which are                      comments by these deadlines.


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                                                                                Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 130 / Monday, July 10, 2017 / Notices                                                  31795

                                                  In order to be assured of                              Similarly, to the extent possible, please             entering the relevant docket number in
                                                consideration, you must submit all post-                 include any exhibits, annexes, or other               the search field on the home page.
                                                hearing briefs or statements by the                      attachments in the same file as the
                                                                                                                                                               Erland Herfindahl,
                                                October 17, 2017 deadline to docket                      comment itself, rather than submitting
                                                number USTR–2017–0009 via https://                       them as separate files. Submissions                   Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative
                                                                                                                                                               for the Generalized System of Preferences and
                                                www.regulations.gov/. However, if there                  should not exceed 30 single-spaced,                   Chair of the GSP Subcommittee of the Trade
                                                are new developments or information                      standard letter-size pages in 12-point                Policy Staff Committee, Office of the U.S.
                                                that parties wish to share with the GSP                  type, including attachments.                          Trade Representative.
                                                Subcommittee after this date, the                           For any comments submitted                         [FR Doc. 2017–14369 Filed 7–7–17; 8:45 am]
                                                regulations.gov docket will remain open                  electronically containing business                    BILLING CODE 3290–F7–P
                                                until a final decision is made. Post all                 confidential information, the file name
                                                comments, letters, or other submissions                  of the business confidential version
                                                related to Bolivia’s eligibility review to               should begin with the characters ‘‘BC’’.
                                                docket number USTR–2017–0009 via                                                                               DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
                                                                                                         Any page containing business
                                                https://www.regulations.gov/.                            confidential information must be clearly              Federal Aviation Administration
                                                3. Requirements for Submissions                          marked ‘‘BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL’’
                                                                                                         on the top of that page and the                       [Summary Notice No. PE–2017–49]
                                                   All submissions in response to this                   submission should clearly indicate, via
                                                notice must conform to the GSP                                                                                 Petition for Exemption; Summary of
                                                                                                         brackets, highlighting, or other means,
                                                regulations set forth at 15 CFR part 2007                                                                      Petition Received; Rolls-Royce plc
                                                                                                         the specific information that is business
                                                (https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-                      confidential. A filer requesting business             AGENCY:  Federal Aviation
                                                idx?SID=271bd12a5ef9cae0c4c17                            confidential treatment must certify that              Administration (FAA), Department of
                                                8d1131ac292&mc=true&node=                                the information is business confidential              Transportation (DOT).
                                                pt15.3.2007&rgn=div5), except as                         and would not customarily be released
                                                modified below.                                                                                                ACTION: Notice of petition for exemption
                                                                                                         to the public by the submitter.                       received.
                                                   The GSP Subcommittee strongly
                                                                                                         Additionally, the submitter should type
                                                encourages on-line submissions, using
                                                                                                         ‘‘Business Confidential GSP Review of                 SUMMARY:    This notice contains a
                                                the https://www.regulations.gov Web
                                                                                                         Bolivia’’ in the ‘‘Type Comment’’ field.              summary of a petition seeking relief
                                                site. All submissions must be in English
                                                                                                         Filers of submissions containing                      from specified requirements of Title 14,
                                                and must be transmitted electronically
                                                                                                         business confidential information also                Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR).
                                                via www.regulations.gov using docket
                                                                                                         must submit a public version of their                 The purpose of this notice is to improve
                                                number USTR–2017–0009. To make a
                                                                                                         comments that we will place in the                    the public’s awareness of, and
                                                submission via www.regulations.gov,
                                                                                                         docket for public inspection. The file                participation in, the FAA’s exemption
                                                enter docket number USTR–2017–0009
                                                                                                         name of the public version should begin               process. Neither publication of this
                                                on the home page and click ‘‘search.’’
                                                The site will provide a search-results                   with the character ‘‘P’’. The ‘‘BC’’ and              notice nor the inclusion or omission of
                                                page listing all documents associated                    ‘‘P’’ should be followed by the name of               information in the summary is intended
                                                with this docket. Find a reference to this               the person or entity submitting the                   to affect the legal status of the petition
                                                notice and click on the link entitled                    comments. Filers submitting comments                  or its final disposition.
                                                ‘‘Comment Now!’’ For further                             containing no business confidential                   DATES: Comments on this petition must
                                                information on using the                                 information should name their file using              identify the petition docket number and
                                                www.regulations.gov Web site, please                     the name of the person or entity                      must be received on or before July 20,
                                                consult the resources provided on the                    submitting the comments.                              2017.
                                                Web site by clicking on ‘‘How to Use                        You will receive a submission                      ADDRESSES: Send comments identified
                                                Regulations.gov’’ on the bottom of the                   tracking number upon completion of the                by docket number FAA–2017–0642
                                                home page. We will not accept hand-                      submissions procedure at https://                     using any of the following methods:
                                                delivered submissions.                                   www.regulations.gov. The tracking                       • Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to
                                                   The https://www.regulations.gov Web                   number is your confirmation that the                  http://www.regulations.gov and follow
                                                site allows users to provide comments                    submission was received into https://                 the online instructions for sending your
                                                by filling in a ‘‘Type Comment’’ field, or               www.regulations.gov. The GSP                          comments electronically.
                                                by attaching a document using an                         Subcommittee is not able to provide                     • Mail: Send comments to Docket
                                                ‘‘Upload File’’ field. The GSP                           technical assistance for the Web site.                Operations, M–30; U.S. Department of
                                                Subcommittee prefers that you provide                    The GSP Subcommittee may not                          Transportation (DOT), 1200 New Jersey
                                                submissions as an attached document. If                  consider documents that are not                       Avenue SE., Room W12–140, West
                                                a document is attached, please type                      submitted in accordance with these                    Building Ground Floor, Washington, DC
                                                ‘‘GSP Review of Bolivia’’ in the ‘‘Type                  instructions.                                         20590–0001.
                                                Comment’’ field. USTR prefers                               As noted, the GSP Subcommittee                        • Hand Delivery or Courier: Take
                                                submissions in Microsoft Word (.doc) or                  strongly urges submitters to file                     comments to Docket Operations in
                                                Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format. If the                      comments through                                      Room W12–140 of the West Building
                                                submission is in another file format,                    www.regulations.gov. You must make                    Ground Floor at 1200 New Jersey
                                                please indicate the name of the software                 any alternative arrangements with                     Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590–
                                                application in the ‘‘Type Comment’’                      Naomi Freeman in advance of
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                                                                                                                                                               0001, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.,
                                                field. File names should reflect the                     transmitting a comment. You can                       Monday through Friday, except Federal
                                                name of the person or entity submitting                  contact Ms. Freeman at (202) 395–2974.                holidays.
                                                the comments. Please do not attach                          We will post comments in the docket                   • Fax: Fax comments to Docket
                                                separate cover letters to electronic                     for public inspection, except business                Operations at (202) 493–2251.
                                                submissions; rather, include any                         confidential information. You can view                   Privacy: In accordance with 5 U.S.C.
                                                information that might appear in a cover                 comments on the https://                              553(c), DOT solicits comments from the
                                                letter in the comments themselves.                       www.regulations.gov Web site by                       public to better inform its rulemaking


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Document Created: 2017-07-08 00:55:29
Document Modified: 2017-07-08 00:55:29
CategoryRegulatory Information
CollectionFederal Register
sudoc ClassAE 2.7:
GS 4.107:
AE 2.106:
PublisherOffice of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration
SectionNotices
ActionNotice.
DatesSeptember 26, 2017: The GSP Subcommittee of the Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) will convene a public hearing on the GSP country practice review of Bolivia in Rooms 1 and 2, 1724 F Street NW., Washington DC 20508, beginning at 10:00 a.m.
ContactDirect all questions regarding this notice to Naomi Freeman, Director for GSP at (202) 395-2974 or [email protected] The fax number is (202) 395-9674.
FR Citation82 FR 31793 

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