Congress: 101 · Status: active · Israel/Palestine classification: neutral
Data (JSON) — machine-readable record of this bill (identifiers, sponsor, classification, actions, and the member-by-member vote breakdown).
Official record on Congress.gov — full text, actions, and cosponsor history for HR 2628.
Sponsor: Gibbons, Sam (D-FL)
Customs User Fees Amendments Act of 1989 - Amends the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 to require the Secretary of the Treasury to collect a customs user fee not exceeding $575 for the processing of merchandise that is entered, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, during FY 1990. Requires fees charged for Canadian goods to be in accordance with the U.S.-Canada Free-Trade Agreement. Prohibits such fees from being charged for Israeli products if an exemption is implemented under this Act. Declares that expenses incurred in conducting commercial operations do not include costs incurred in: (1) air passenger processing; (2) export control; and (3) international affairs. Sets forth certain costs that may not be funded with money contained in the Customs User Fee Account. Declares that the user fees shall be treated and enforced as if they are customs duties. Exempts Israeli products from user fees as of the date on which the United States Trade Representative publishes in the Federal Register a determination that Israel has provided reciprocal concessions. Requires the Comptroller General to report to specified congressional committees on the costs incurred by the U.S. Customs Service in conducting commercial operations and appropriate fees charged to the beneficiaries of such services. Authorizes the Service to collect user fees for the operation of foreign trade zones at certain small airports that are not ports-of-entry. Amends the Trade and Tariff Act of 1984 to declare that customs services provided at such a zone shall also be considered provided at such an airport.
This bill authorizes the Treasury Department to charge customs user fees (capped at $575 per shipment) for processing imports in fiscal 1990. It exempts Canadian goods under the U.S.-Canada Free Trade Agreement and conditionally exempts Israeli products once the U.S. Trade Representative determines Israel has offered reciprocal trade concessions. The bill also clarifies which customs costs can be funded through the user fee account and expands fee collection authority at foreign trade zones.
The Israel exemption is narrowly tied to trade reciprocity, not substantive Middle East policy. It aligns with standard free trade agreement practice and does not alter U.S. security assistance, aid conditions, or settlement policy, making it peripheral to core Israel-Palestine accountability issues.