This bill prohibits certain U.S. imports from receiving de minimis treatment and establishes related civil penalties. (Current law allows for imports under a de minimis threshold to enter the United States free of tariffs and taxes with minimal inspection. In 2016, Congress raised this threshold from $200 to $800.)
The bill prohibits imports from receiving de minimis treatment if those imports are subject to specified trade remedies, including
antidumping and countervailing duty tariffs (Subtitle A or B of Title VII of the Tariff Act of 1930),
safeguard measures (Section 201 of the Trade Act of 1974),
actions in response to unfair trade practices (Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974), or
actions for national security purposes (Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962).
The bill requires imports from countries that are subject to trade restrictions under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, in order to receive de minimis treatment, to have a 10-digit classification of the import under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS) that is provided to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. (HTS sets out the tariff rates and statistical categories for all U.S. imports.)
The bill also establishes civil penalties for any person who enters, introduces, or attempts to introduce an import in violation of this bill.
