§1198 — Title 15 Commerce and Trade | U.S. Code

Summary

Imported products, fabrics, or related materials that must follow federal flammability rules cannot leave customs custody unless customs rules allow it. If customs lets the goods leave under a bond (a promise to the government) and they later are found not to meet the flammability rules that applied when they entered, the Treasury Department must demand the goods be returned. If the goods are not returned, the Treasury will make a claim for a set money penalty under its rules. If the Treasury seeks money because the importer did not return nonconforming goods, and that same importer was charged a similar penalty within the past five years, the penalty must be at least 10 percent of the value of the goods.

Title 15, §1198

Commerce and Trade — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

An imported product, fabric, or related material to which flammability standards under this chapter are applicable shall not be delivered from customs custody except as provided in section 1499 of title 19. In the event an imported product, fabric, or related material is delivered from customs custody under bond, as provided in section 1499 of title 19 and fails to conform with an applicable flammability standard in effect on the date of entry of such merchandise, the Secretary of the Treasury shall demand redelivery and in the absence thereof shall assert a claim for liquidated damages for breach of a condition of the bond arising out of such failure to conform or redeliver in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury or his delegate. When asserting a claim for liquidated damages against an importer for failure to redeliver such nonconforming goods, the liquidated damages shall be not less than 10 per centum of the value of the nonconforming merchandise if, within five years prior thereto, the importer has previously been assessed liquidated damages for failure to redeliver nonconforming goods in response to a demand from the Secretary of the Treasury as set forth above.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1967—Pub. L. 90–189 substituted provisions prohibiting the delivery from customs of imported products, fabrics, or related materials to which flammability standards are applicable, except as provided in section 1499 of title 19, and requiring the Secretary of the Treasury to demand redelivery in the event any such imported product, fabric, or related material is delivered from customs custody under bond and fails to conform with an applicable flammability standard, and in the absence of such redelivery to assert a claim for liquidated damages for breach of the bond, which damages shall not be less than 10 per centum of the value of the nonconforming merchandise if, within 5 years prior thereto, the importer has previously been assessed liquidated damages for failure to redeliver nonconforming goods in response to a demand by the Secretary for provisions which authorized the Commission to prohibit any person who had exported or who had attempted to export from any foreign country into the United States any wearing apparel or fabric which was so highly flammable as to be dangerous when worn by individuals from further participation in the exportation from any foreign country into the United States of any wearing apparel or fabric except upon filing bonds with the Secretary of the Treasury in a sum double the value of said products and any duty thereon, conditioned upon compliance with the provisions of this chapter.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Transfer of Functions

Functions of Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, Secretary of Commerce, and Federal Trade Commission under this chapter transferred to Consumer Product Safety Commission, along with functions of Federal Trade Commission under Federal Trade Commission Act, to extent such functions relate to administration and

Enforcement

of this chapter, see section 2079 of this title.

§1198 Shipments From Foreign Countries; Demand for Redelivery; Claim for Liquidated Damages