01-16590. Announcement of Public Comment Period on the Elimination of the Paper Visa Requirement with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Regime of the People's Republic of China (HKSAR)

June 26, 2001.

AGENCY:

Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA).

ACTION:

Seeking public comments on the elimination of the paper visa requirement with the HKSAR.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Lori Mennitt, Office of Textiles and Apparel, U.S. Department of Commerce, [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Authority: Section 204 of the Agricultural Act of 1956, as amended (7 U.S.C. 1854); Executive Order 11651 of March 3, 1972, as amended. The Electronic Visa Information System (ELVIS) allows foreign governments to electronically transfer shipment information to the U.S. Customs Service on textile and apparel shipments. On November 9, 1995, a notice was published in the Federal Register (61 FR 56576) seeking public comments on the implementation of ELVIS. Subsequently, a document published on December 29, 1998 (63 FR 71621) announced that, starting on January 1, 1999, the HKSAR would implement the ELVIS system. This implementation did not eliminate the requirement for a valid paper visa to accompany each shipment for entry into the United States. As a result of successful use of the dual visa system, preparations are under way to move beyond the current dual system to the paperless ELVIS system with Hong Kong. The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements is requesting interested parties to submit comments on the elimination of the paper visa requirement for Hong Kong and utilization of the ELVIS system exclusively. Comments must be received on or before insert date 60 days from publication. Comments may be mailed to D. Michael Hutchinson, Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements, room 3001, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th and Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20230. The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements has determined that this action falls within the foreign affairs exception of the rulemaking provisions of 5 U.S.C.553(a)(1).

D. Michael Hutchinson,

Acting Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements.