Residue Entries and Streamlining Trade Act

Residue Entries and Streamlining Trade Act

This bill amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to exempt from duty treatment the residue of bulk cargo contained in instruments of international traffic previously exported from the United States.

The following terms are defined:

• "residue" means material of bulk cargo, of no or de minimis value, that remains in an instrument of international traffic after a certain amount of the bulk cargo is removed;
• "bulk cargo" means cargo that is unpackaged and is in either solid, liquid, or gaseous form; and
• "instruments of international traffic" means certain reusable containers or holders (i.e. lift vans, cargo vans, shipping tanks, skids, pallets, caul boards, and cores for textile fabrics) arriving (whether loaded or empty) for use in the shipment of merchandise in international traffic, as well as any additional articles that the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection designates as instruments of international traffic.

[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1773 Introduced in House (IH)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1773

To amend the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to exempt 
      from duty residue of bulk cargo contained in instruments of 
   international traffic previously exported from the United States.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 14, 2015

Mr. Marchant (for himself and Mr. Kind) introduced the following bill; 
         which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to exempt 
      from duty residue of bulk cargo contained in instruments of 
   international traffic previously exported from the United States.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Residue Entries and Streamlining 
Trade Act''.

SEC. 2. EXEMPTION FROM DUTY OF RESIDUE OF BULK CARGO CONTAINED IN 
              INSTRUMENTS OF INTERNATIONAL TRAFFIC PREVIOUSLY EXPORTED 
              FROM THE UNITED STATES.

    (a) In General.--General Note 3(e) of the Harmonized Tariff 
Schedule of the United States is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (v), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) in subparagraph (vi), by adding ``and'' at the end;
            (3) by inserting after subparagraph (vi) (as so amended) 
        the following new subparagraph:
                    ``(vii) residue of bulk cargo contained in 
                instruments of international traffic previously 
                exported from the United States,''; and
            (4) by adding at the end of the flush text following 
        subparagraph (vii) (as so added) the following: ``For purposes 
        of subparagraph (vii) of this paragraph: The term `residue' 
        means material of bulk cargo that remains in an instrument of 
        international traffic after the bulk cargo is removed, with a 
        quantity, by weight or volume, not exceeding 7 percent of the 
        bulk cargo, and with no or de minimis value. The term `bulk 
        cargo' means cargo that is unpackaged and is in either solid, 
        liquid, or gaseous form. The term `instruments of international 
        traffic' means containers or holders, capable of and suitable 
        for repeated use, such as lift vans, cargo vans, shipping 
        tanks, skids, pallets, caul boards, and cores for textile 
        fabrics, arriving (whether loaded or empty) in use or to be 
        used in the shipment of merchandise in international traffic, 
        and any additional articles or classes of articles that the 
        Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection designates 
        as instruments of international traffic.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) take 
effect on the date of the enactment of this Act and apply with respect 
to residue of bulk cargo contained in instruments of international 
traffic that are imported into the customs territory of the United 
States on or after such date of enactment and that previously have been 
exported from the United States.
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