Morocco FTA coverage expands for women’s clothing

   Preferential treatment under the U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement will expand to imports of additional women’s clothing, including skirts, blouses and trousers, from Morocco starting April 1, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative announced.
   Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) general note 27, which pertains to the U.S.-Morocco FTA, is amended to read: “For purposes of determining whether a good is originating, a product listed in this rule shall be considered originating, notwithstanding the origin of the input mentioned in the rule, provided the good meets any specified requirement, including any end use requirement.”
   Such products include:
   • Women’s or girls’ cotton corduroy skirts and divided skirts classified in subheading 6204.52, of cotton corduroy fabrics classified in subheading 5801.22;
   • Women’s or girls’ man-made fiber blouses, shirts and shirt-blouses classified in subheading 6206.40, of polyester corduroy fabrics classified in subheading 5801.32;
   • Women’s trousers classified in subheading 6204, of synthetic bi-stretch fabric containing 45 to 52 percent by weight of polyester, 45 to 52 percent by weight of rayon and 1 to 7 percent by weight of spandex, classified in subheading 5515.11;
   • Women’s trousers classified in subheading 6204, of woven fabric containing 60 to 68 percent by weight of polyester, 29 to 37 percent by weight of rayon and 1 to 7 percent by weight of spandex, classified in subheading 5515.11;
   • And women’s trousers classified in subheading 6204, of woven herringbone fabric containing 31 to 37 percent by weight of viscose rayon, 17 to 23 percent by weight of polyester, 17 to 23 percent by weight of cotton, 13 to 19 percent by weight of wool, 5 to 11 percent by weight of nylon and 1 to 6 percent by weight of spandex, classified in subheading 5408.33.
   The new language in the note should be read in conjunction with the other product-specific rules of general note 27, the amendment says.
   In 2015 and 2016, the government of Morocco submitted requests to modify certain textile and apparel rules of origin based on commercial availability of specific inputs. After public comment and reviews by the International Trade Commission, a federal trade advisory committee and Congress, President Donald Trump on Dec. 21 modified HTS general note 27 with respect to goods from Morocco.