Table Of Content

The U.S. International Trade Commission is an independent, nonpartisan, quasi-judicial federal agency that provides trade expertise to both the legislative and executive branches of government, determines the impact of imports on U.S. industries, and directs actions against certain unfair trade practices, such as patent, trademark, and copyright infringement. ITC analysts and economists investigate and publish reports on U.S. industries and the global trends that affect them. The agency also maintains the National Library of International Trade, a specialized library open to the public. United States International Trade Commission Annual Report Commissioners Lynn M. Bragg, Chairman Marcia E. Miller, Vice Chairman CarT. oCralwfo rd JenniA.f Heillrma n Fiscal Year 1998 Stephen Koplan ThelJ.m Aaske y USITC Internet Homepage: Attp://www.usitc.gov Address all communications to: United States International Trade Commission 500 E Street SW Washington, DC 20436 USITC Publication 3193 CONTENTS Mesfsrom atheg Cheairm an ..................c.c.c5 uu.e e 5 SE st tbececencveresseesetevenagrseeestecess 7 The Commissioners 0.0.c.cc. e ens 8 Di cbrceeabsbedeeresedebeceesceccsceeneseeceeee 11 2. Statutory Timetables for Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Investigations .....0. c.cc c.ece. ce.ce e.e ee.e e ees EE TET Tere Ter TTT Trey 13 InvesUndter Tiitleg VIIa of tthe iTarioff Anct sof 1 930 ........ 13 Append Investigations Under Section 337 of the TarAict foff 19 30 ..... 14 A. Summary of Investigations Completed During Fiscal Year 1998 Investigations Under the Trade Act of 1974...............05: is and Pending on September 30, 1998 ...............00055 InveUsndert Seictiogn 33a2 oft thei Taroiff nAct sof 1 930 ..... 15 B. Reports Completed During Fiscal Year 1998 and Pending Studies Analyzing Various Aspectso f U.S. Trade Agreements on September 30, 1998 2.0.0... . ccc cece cece eee eens and Other Special Trade Programs .................... 15 C. Statutes Involving the U.S. International Trade Commission . Studies on Special Areas of Congressional or USTR Interest 16 D. Reports Submitted to Congress on Proposed Legislation, Studies Analyzing the Competitivenoef sUs.S . Industry .... 19 4 BPPPTTTTTLITITITT TTT Studies Conducted on a Recurring Basis................. 19 E Annual Report On The U.S. Trade Agreements Program ....... 20 Partl i. Organizational Activities ......................... 23 Offofi Opceraetio ns .....0.6. ce.ce .ee.e .cec.e ee.e e ees 23 Offof iInvecstigeatio ns .................cecec ece ee e 23 Offoif Incdusetri es .....6c. ccc. cec.e .eee. ee.e e ee 24 Offofi Ecconeomi cs ........c.ec.e. c.ece. e.e e0ee ee 25 Office of Tariff Affairs and Trade Agreements ............ 27 Office of Unfair Import Investigations .................. 27 Office of Information Services ...............0.00eeee e 29 Offof iAdmiciusterati on .....0.. ..ccc. ce.ce. e.ee e es 29 Note to Readers: Commissioner Don E. Newquist, whose Office of Finance and Budget ...................000005 30 votes appear in the tables of this report, resigned during Office of Management Services ................000000- 30 FY 1998, on January 31, 1998. Offoif Pecrsoenne l .......c.cc. c.ece. c.ece. ee. ee es 30 Office of Equal Employment Opportunity ................... 30 Office of the AdministrLaatw iJuvdgee s .................... 30 Office of Inspector General .......0.. cc. cec.e c.ec.e .een s 31 Offof ithec Secereta ry ....0..... ce.ce .cec.e ee.e ee. e e ees 31 Office of the General Counsel ..........0.00.0 .ee.e. ee.ee e 32 Office of External Relations ...........0.c e.ce. ee.ee.ee.ee 32 MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN As I prepare this message, I am only a few months into my term as the Commission’s new Chairman, having been designated by the President in June. As we reflect on the past year and assess the current status and direction of the agency, the implementation of the new five-year (sunset) review investigations is the priority agency activity which commands much of our attention and resources. These investigations require the Commission to determine whether existing antidumping and countervailing duty orders should remain in effect, with an important mandate to review the 317 currently outstanding subject orders by the end of Fiscal Year 2001. At the same time, traditional areas of the Commission’s work continue to expand and play an increasingly important and visible role in the administration of our nation’s trade laws. The agency’s section 332 studies provide important assistance to the policymakers in both the Executive branch and Congress who need expert independent analysis of international trade issues. New title VII investigations continue to expand as petitioners seek redress against foreign dumping and subsidy practices. Likewise, our section 337 investigations provide important relief against unfair trade practices that interfere with U.S. patent rights. Detailed information on this important and vital workload follows in the text of this report. Important initiatives in information resources management have improved our responsiveness to the public we serve and those affected by our decisions. Specifically, the Electronic Document Imaging System (EDIS) makes access to investigation records available to agency staff at their desktop and to the public from terminals in the Commission’s reading room. Future implementation of EDIS On-Line will provide nationwide access to public documents via the Internet. Similarly, during FY 1998 the Commission upgraded its Trade and Tariff DataWeb, an internet-based interactive tariff and trade data retrieval product, which improved access to basic trade data for other government agencies and Commission employees. Also, the agency continues to use the Internet to deliver agency work products on a self-service basis to its federal and private-sector customers and to the public. Finally, during most of the fiscal year, the Commission had less than its full complement of Commissioners. Former Chairman and Commissioner Don Newquist’s resignation in January added a third vacancy at the Commission. In August, in the final days of the fiscal year, three new colleagues were sworn in: Commissioner Jennifer Hillman, Commissioner Stephen Koplan, and Commissioner Thelma Askey. As we look to the ensuing fiscal year, |w elcooumr ene w memofb thee Cormmisssio n. I am certain they already share my belief that the Commission’s dedicated and proficient employees are our most valuable resource and the key to our agency’s successes. Together, we face the challenge of continuing to guide and improve the administration of the agency, as well as Carrying out our decision-making and advisory responsibilities, including the demanding new review investigations. sonB ovey THE COMMISSION The ITC is an independent, * providing objective analyses of more than five years is ineligible for statutory two-year term. The Chairman nonpartisan, quasi-judicial federal other major trade issues, including reappointment. No more than three may not be of the same political party agency estabbly iConsgrehss ewidth a Commismsayi beo mnembeersr osf t he _as the preceding Chairman, nor may wide range of trade-related mandates. same political party. The Chairman the President desigtnwoa Cotmmeis - Under its factfaiuthnoridty,i tnheg I TC and the Vice Chairman are designated sioners of the same political party as exercises broad investigapotweirvs eo n by the President and serve for a the Chaiandr Vimce aChainrma n. mattoef rtrsade . In its adjudicative role, the ITC makes determinations industry as well as external factors with respect to unfair trade practices. Summary of Investigations Completed, Fiscal Year 1998 that affect the industry's competi- As the governmtehinnk tta'nks o n tiveness; interntaratde,i tohen IaTC lis a Tariff Act of 1930: national resource where trade data are * particini thpe daevteloipmnentg o f Section 332—general factfinding investigations ............... 14 gathaend ranealydzed . Information uniform statidsatta oinc imapolrts , and anaalre yprosvideid sto t he Section 337i—n vestigations of alleged unfair practices expanod dormesttic sprod,uct ion Preasnd tihe dCongeressn tot ass ist in the import and sale of imported products ................ 17 and in the establishomfe ann itn - them in develU.oS. ptraide npolgic y. ternational harmonized commodity Antidumping and counterdvutay iinvlestiignatgion s code; and (52 antidumping investigations—29 prelimaindn 2a3 rfinyal ; ITC activities include — 15 countervailidnugty investigations—9 preliminary ¢ advthie Psresiidennt wgheth er ED 000 06500000en0sseccenvdeds 2eeeeseoneeeess 67 ¢ deterwmhetihenr Ui.S.n igndu s- tries are materinijuaredl bly yre a- Section 751(b)}—changed circumstances review investigations .. . son of imports that benefit from Section 753—teview investigations . 0... 6.6.6 2 price-psrogurapms pofo trhe tU. S. pricing at less than fair value or Deparotf mAgericnultture . from subsidization; Trade Act of 1974: ¢ diraectiocns,t subijecnt tog Pr es- The six Commissionerasr e Section 201—global safeguard investigations ................. l idential disappragoaivnsta ulnf,ai r appboy tihe Pnresitdente andd c on- trade pracsutchi asc paetenst i n- firmed by the Senate for terms of nine fringement; years, unless appointot feildl a n unexpired term. The terarme sset by ¢ making recommendatitoon tsh e President regarding relief for in- statute and are staggesor tehadt a dustries serioinjuursed lbyy i n- different term expires every 18 months. creasing imports, A Commiswshoi haos nserevedr f or THE COMMISSIONERS le Lynn Munroe Bragg, a Republican of Maryland, was designated Chairman of the ITC by President Clinton for the term ending June 16, 2000. She served as Vice Chairman of the ITC from August 5, 1996, through June 16, 1998. Ms. Bragg was appointed by President Clinton and was sworn in as a member of the Commission on March 31, 1994, for the term endinJugn e 16, 2002. Prior to her appointment to the ITC, she served in a senior management position with the Edison Electric Institute as a director of government affairs. From 1981 to 1991, Ms. Bragg served on the staff of former Senator Malcolm Wallop (R-WY) as the Legislative Directoarn d a Legislative Assistant. Previously, she held several positions in the corporate affairs department of the Potomac Electric Power Company (PEPCO) in Washington, DC. She holad Bs.A . degree with Final Honors from Mary Washington College and a M.S. degree from Boston University. Marcia E. Miller, a Democrat of Indiana, was designated Vice Chairman of the ITC by President Clinton for the term ending June 16, 2000. She served as Chairman of the ITC from August 5, 1996, through June 16, 1998. She became a member of the Commisosn iAugousnt 5, 1996, to fill the Commission term ending December 16, 2003. Pritoor he r appointment, Ms. Milwasl thee Mirnori ty Chief International Trade Counselor with the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, which has jurisdiction over U.S. foreign trade policy, customs and import matters, and the budgets of several related agencies. She was named Chief International Trade Counselor to the Finance Committee by then-Chairman Daniel Patrick Moynihan in February 1993 following five years of service as a professional staff member with the Committee. Earlieri n her career, Ms. Miller was an international economist with the law firm of Wilmer, Cutler, and Pickering. Prito tohatr, s he handled international trade issues for the American Textile Manufacturers Institute. Ms. Miller holds a master of arts degree from the School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, and a bachelor of arts degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. CarT. oCralwfo rd Carol T. Crawford, a Republican of Virginia, was appointed by President Bush and sworn in as a member of the Commiosn sNoviemobern 2 2, 1991, for the term ending June 16, 1999. Prior to her appointmentM,s . Crawford was Assistant Attorney General (Legislative Affairs) in the U.S. Departomfe Junsttice . From 1985 to 1989, she serveda s Associate Director of the Office of Management and Budget where she was responsible for budget and policy oversight for five cabinet-ievel deparantd mreleatend atgenscie s. She served at the Federal Trade Commission as Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection from 1983 to 1985 and as Executive Assistant to the Chairman from 1981 to 1983. Previously, she practiced law inW ashington, D.C., was Senior Legislative Assistant to Senator Bob Packwood (R-OR), and was on the legislative staff of Rep. Robert Denney (R-NE). Ms. Crahwoldsf ao B.Ar. frdom Mt. Holyoke College anad J.D ., magna cum laude, from the Washington College of Law, American University.