“A bill to provide for the refund of duties imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section expresses the sense of Congress that (1) following the Supreme Court's holding that duties imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) are unlawful, the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection must refund those duties; (2) the Commissioner should process such refunds as swiftly as possible without additional requirements that disproportionately burden individuals and small businesses; and (3) importers, wholesalers, and larger businesses—particularly those that raised prices or passed on the duties' costs—should pass refunds to customers, including small businesses and families.
This section directs the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection to refund, with interest, all duties imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA, 50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) on covered articles (i.e., articles subject to such duties) to importers within 180 days of enactment, including by reliquidating prior entries. The section further (1) requires prioritization of refunds to small business concerns (as defined in 15 U.S.C. 632, i.e., independently owned and operated businesses that are not dominant in their field); (2) directs coordination with the Small Business Administration Administrator for outreach to small businesses on refund processes and timelines; (3) requires reports every 30 days to specified congressional committees on refund progress, including small business breakdowns and completion estimates, until all refunds are paid; and (4) requires guidance within 60 days on drawback claims for such duties under section 313 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1313).