§3004 Enactment of Harmonized Tariff Schedule

Summary

The President must, as soon as possible after August 23, 1988, update the Harmonized Tariff Schedule to match the new Convention format shown in Publication No. 2030 and Supplement No. 1. Those updates must also put into effect the scheduled tariff cuts Congress already approved in the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2101 et seq.) and the Trade Agreements Act of 1979 (19 U.S.C. 2501 et seq.) for the Tokyo Round, and the cut from the United States-Israel Free Trade Area Implementation Act of 1985 [19 U.S.C. 2112 note]. The President must also make changes needed because of new laws, executive actions, final court decisions, and any technical corrections he thinks are needed. The text also lists examples of actions like presidential proclamations, agency public notices, and agency findings or orders. The Harmonized Tariff Schedule as enacted, any statutory amendments, and any lawful changes the President makes to it are treated as law. Passing this chapter or later amendments does not limit the President’s power to change import treatment to carry out, modify, withdraw, suspend, or end trade agreements, or to change duty rates or other import limits as needed. If the President sets a higher rate in column 1 than the current column 2 rate, he may raise the column 2 rate to match. If a rate is suspended or ended and no replacement rate is named, the last rate before the suspension becomes the effective rate.