Title 19 — Customs DutiesRelease 119-73
§2436 Market disruption
Title 19 › Chapter CHAPTER 12— - TRADE ACT OF 1974 › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER IV— - TRADE RELATIONS WITH COUNTRIES NOT RECEIVING NONDISCRIMINATORY TREATMENT › Part Part 1— - Trade Relations With Certain Countries › § 2436
Summary
Requires the International Trade Commission (ITC) to quickly investigate if imports from a Communist country are hurting a U.S. industry. The ITC must start an investigation when asked by the groups named in section 2252(a), the President, the U.S. Trade Representative, either House trade committee, or on its own. The ITC must report to the President and explain its decision no later than 3 months after the petition, request, resolution, or motion. If the ITC finds market disruption, it must say how much extra duty or other import limit is needed to prevent or fix the problem. The ITC gives the President the hearing transcripts and briefs, makes the report public (except confidential parts), and files a summary in the Federal Register. A finding of disruption is handled under the older rules in sections 2251(b), 2252, and 2253, applies only to the country or countries involved, and any orderly marketing agreement in the relief must be entered within 60 days after the import relief determination date. The President can ask the ITC to start an investigation if he has reasonable grounds and may take emergency action under sections 2252 and 2253 as if the ITC had already found disruption; that emergency action ends if the ITC later reports a negative finding (the day the report is sent) or when a later affirmative action becomes effective. A petition can also ask the President to begin consultations under safeguard agreements in section 2435; the President must start those consultations if he finds reasonable grounds. Definitions: "Communist country" = a country controlled by communism. "Market disruption" = imports of like goods rising rapidly and being a significant cause of material injury or threat. The ITC must consider import volume, effects on U.S. prices, impact on domestic producers, and signs of unfair pricing or other efforts to distort trade.
Full Legal Text
Title 19, §2436
Customs Duties — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)(1)Upon the filing of a petition by an entity described in section 2252(a) of this title, upon request of the President or the United States Trade Representative, upon resolution of either the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives or the Committee on Finance of the Senate, or on its own motion, the International Trade Commission (hereafter in this section referred to as the “Commission”) shall promptly make an investigation to determine, with respect to imports of an article which is the product of a Communist country, whether market disruption exists with respect to an article produced by a domestic industry.
(2)The provisions of subsections (a)(3), (b)(4),11 See References in Text note below. and (c)(4) of section 2252 of this title shall apply with respect to investigations by the Commission under paragraph (1).
(3)The Commission shall report to the President its determination with respect to each investigation under paragraph (1) and the basis therefor and shall include in each report any dissenting or separate views. If the Commission finds, as a result of its investigation, that market disruption exists with respect to an article produced by a domestic industry, it shall find the amount of the increase in, or imposition of, any duty or other import restriction on such article which is necessary to prevent or remedy such market disruption and shall include such finding in its report to the President. The Commission shall furnish to the President a transcript of the hearings and any briefs which may have been submitted in connection with each investigation.
(4)The report of the Commission of its determination with respect to an investigation under paragraph (1) shall be made at the earliest practicable time, but not later than 3 months after the date on which the petition is filed (or the date on which the request or resolution is received or the motion is adopted, as the case may be). Upon making such report to the President, the Commission shall also promptly make public such report (with the exception of information which the Commission determines to be confidential) and shall cause a summary thereof to be published in the Federal Register.
(b)With respect to any affirmative determination of the Commission under subsection (a)—
(1)such determination shall be treated as an affirmative determination made under section 2251(b) of this title (as in effect on the day before the date of the enactment of the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988); and
(2)section 2252 and 2253 of this title (as in effect on the day before the date of the enactment of such Act of 1988), rather than the provisions of part 1 of subchapter II of this chapter as amended by section 1401 of such Act of 1988, shall apply with respect to the taking of subsequent action, if any, by the President in response to such affirmative determination;
(A)the President may take action under such section 2252 and 2253 of this title only with respect to imports from the country or countries involved of the article with respect to which the affirmative determination was made; and
(B)if such action consists of, or includes, an orderly marketing agreement, such agreement shall be entered into within 60 days after the import relief determination date.
(c)If, at any time, the President finds that there are reasonable grounds to believe, with respect to imports of an article which is the product of a Communist country, that market disruption exists with respect to an article produced by a domestic industry, he shall request the Commission to initiate an investigation under subsection (a). If the President further finds that emergency action is necessary, he may take action under section 2252 and 2253 of this title referred to in subsection (b) as if an affirmative determination of the Commission had been made under subsection (a). Any action taken by the President under the preceding sentence shall cease to apply (1) if a negative determination is made by the Commission under subsection (a) with respect to imports of such article, on the day on which the Commission’s report of such determination is submitted to the President, or (2) if an affirmative determination is made by the Commission under subsection (a) with respect to imports of such article, on the day on which the action taken by the President pursuant to such determination becomes effective.
(d)(1)A petition may be filed with the President by an entity described in section 2252(a) of this title requesting the President to initiate consultations provided for by the safeguard arrangements of any agreement entered into under section 2435 of this title with respect to imports of an article which is the product of the country which is the other party to such agreement.
(2)If the President determines that there are reasonable grounds to believe, with respect to imports of such article, that market disruption exists with respect to an article produced by a domestic industry, he shall initiate consultations with such country with respect to such imports.
(e)For purposes of this section—
(1)The term “Communist country” means any country dominated or controlled by communism.
(2)(A)Market disruption exists within a domestic industry whenever imports of an article, like or directly competitive with an article produced by such domestic industry, are increasing rapidly, either absolutely or relatively, so as to be a significant cause of material injury, or threat thereof, to such domestic industry.
(B)For purposes of subparagraph (A):
(i)Imports of an article shall be considered to be increasing rapidly if there has been a significant increase in such imports (either actual or relative to domestic production) during a recent period of time.
(ii)The term “significant cause” refers to a cause which contributes significantly to the material injury of the domestic industry, but need not be equal to or greater than any other cause.
(C)The Commission, in determining whether market disruption exists, shall consider, among other factors—
(i)the volume of imports of the merchandise which is the subject of the investigation;
(ii)the effect of imports of the merchandise on prices in the United States for like or directly competitive articles;
(iii)the impact of imports of such merchandise on domestic producers of like or directly competitive articles; and
(iv)evidence of disruptive pricing practices, or other efforts to unfairly manage trade patterns.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
References in Text
Subsection (b)(4) of section 2252 of this title, referred to in subsec. (a)(2), was repealed by Pub. L. 103–465, title III, § 301(c), Dec. 8, 1994, 108 Stat. 4932. See section 2252(b)(3) of this title. The date of the enactment of the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988, referred to in subsec. (b), is the date of enactment of Pub. L. 100–418, which was approved Aug. 23, 1988. section 1401 of such Act of 1988, referred to in subsec. (b)(2), is section 1401 of Pub. L. 100–418, known as the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988, which enacted section 2254 of this title, amended section 1330, 2133, 2251 to 2253, 2274, 2354, and 2703 of this title, enacted a provision set out as a note under section 2251 of this title, and amended a provision set out as a note under section 2112 of this title.
Amendments
1999—Subsec. (e)(2)(B), (C). Pub. L. 106–36 realigned margins. 1988—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 100–418, § 1411(b)(1), substituted “section 2252(a)” for “section 2251(a)(1)”. Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 100–418, § 1411(b)(2), substituted “subsections (a)(3), (b)(4), and (c)(4) of section 2252” for “subsections (a)(2), (b)(3), and (c) of section 2251”. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 100–418, § 1411(a)(1), amended subsec. (b) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (b) read as follows: “For purposes of section 2252 and 2253 of this title, an affirmative determination of the Commission under subsection (a) of this section shall be treated as an affirmative determination under section 2251(b) of this title, except that— “(1) the President may take action under section 2252 and 2253 of this title only with respect to imports from the country or countries involved of the article with respect to which the affirmative determination was made, and “(2) if such action consists of, or includes, an orderly marketing agreement, such agreement shall be entered into within 60 days after the import relief determination date.” Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 100–418, § 1411(a)(2), inserted “referred to in subsection (b)” after “section 2252 and 2253 of this title”. Subsec. (d)(1). Pub. L. 100–418, § 1411(b)(1), substituted “section 2252(a)” for “section 2251(a)(1)”. Subsec. (e)(2). Pub. L. 100–418, § 1411(a)(3), designated existing provisions as subpar. (A) and added subpars. (B) and (C).
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 1988 Amendment Pub. L. 100–418, title I, § 1411(c), Aug. 23, 1988, 102 Stat. 1242, provided that: “The
Amendments
made by subsections (a) and (b) [amending this section] apply with respect to investigations initiated under section 406(a) of the Trade Act of 1974 [19 U.S.C. 2436(a)] on or after the date of the enactment of this Act [Aug. 23, 1988].”
Executive Documents
Change of Name
“United States Trade Representative” substituted for “Special Representative for Trade Negotiations” in subsec. (a)(1), pursuant to Reorg. Plan No. 3 of 1979, § 1(b)(1), 44 F.R. 69273, 93 Stat. 1381, eff. Jan. 2, 1980, as provided by section 1–107(a) of Ex. Ord. No. 12188, Jan. 2, 1980, 45 F.R. 993, set out as notes under section 2171 of this title. See, also, section 2171 of this title as amended by Pub. L. 97–456.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
19 U.S.C. § 2436
Title 19 — Customs Duties
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73