A bill to reduce certain duties, to suspend temporarily certain duties, to extend certain existing suspensions of duties, and for other purposes.

(Conference report filed in House, H. Rept. 97-989)

Title I: Tariff Provisions - Subtitle A: In General - Amends the Tariff Schedules of the United States to revise the tariff treatment of various articles. Excludes from the tariff on canned tuna any tuna produced by insular possessions.

Permits imports of furs from the People's Republic of China.

Requires that imported potatoes certified as seed potatoes must be imported for use as seed (not for human consumption).

Imposes the current thrift tariff on corduroy and velveteen fabrics of a pile construction whether or not the filling floats are cut.

Grants duty-free treatment to certain Fourdinier wires suitable for use in capacitor papermaking machines. Retains the current tariff on such wires if made of plastic.

Reduces and sets a schedule for further reducing the duty on ceramic insulators used in spark plugs for internal combustion engines. Repeals the temporary reduction of the duty on ceramic insulators having a specified alumina oxide content and used in spark plugs.

Makes permanent the duty-free treatment of Yankee dryer cylinders.

Exempts from duty aircraft components and materials contained in an aircraft which was: (1) previously exported from the United States; (2) composed, at the time of its exportation, of components and materials made and installed in the United States; (3) returned to the United States without having been improved; and (4) entered for use in the United States before 1970.

Changes the dutiable status of watches and watch movements imported from insular possessions of the United States. Defines the insular possessions as the Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa.

Authorizes duty-free importation of watches and watch movements built in the insular possessions without regard to the value of the foreign materials they contain if they meet specified conditions. Provides that ntowithstanding the provisions of this section, articles containing materials produced by communist countries are still subject to duty.

Imposes a quota on the number of such watches and watch movements that may be imported duty-free during calendar year 1983. Directs the Secretaries of Commerce and of the Interior to establish quotas for subsequent calendar years. Sets forth guidelines for determining such quotas. Allocates the number of duty-free imports of watches, and watch movements among the insular possessions for calendar year 1983. Authorizes the Secretaries to establish new territorial shares for subsequent calendar years. Directs the Secretaries to allocate the duty exemptions among producers located in the insular possessions.

Directs the Secretaries to: (1) verify the wages paid by each producer to permanent residents of the insular possessions in the preceding calendar year; and (2) issue a certificate for the applicable amount of each producer. Sets forth a formula for determining the value of a producer's certificate. States that such certificates entitle the certificate holder to a refund of duties equal to the face value of the certificate on imported watches, watch movements, and parts. Makes such certificates negotiable. Requires such certificates to expire one year after issuance. Permits the certificates to be applied against duties on articles imported within two years before their issuance.

Extends duty-free treatment to pipe organ parts and ceramic toy tea sets.

Changes the definitions of certain dolls, doll skins, and toy figures for purposes of the Tariff Schedules.

Sets forth tariff rates for toy figures of inanimate objects which do not have a spring mechanism.

Grants duty-free treatment to casein button blanks. Provides that such treatment shall be considered to be a trade agreement obligation.

Increases the value limitations for duty-free importations of articles: (1) accompanying a U.S. resident returning from a country other than a U.S. possession; and (2) whether or not accompanying a person coming directly or indirectly from a U.S. possession. Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to increase the value limitations for duty-free importations of gifts from U.S. possessions and from other countries.

Grants duty-free treatment to: (1) certain materials that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration intends for use in connection with a space launch; and (2) prayer shawls, bags for the shawls, and religious headwear.

Increases the value limitations of informal entries of imported merchandise.

Extends duty free treatment to copper waste and scrap and copper articles if the market price of copper is 51 cents per pound or more. Extends duty-free treatment to certain other metal waste and scrap. Sets forth the method of determining the market price of copper.

Suspends the duty on: (1) culled fresh carrots; (2) fresh cantaloupes imported between January 1 and May 15 of certain years; (3) carob flour; (4) hatters' fur; (5) certain needlecraft display models; (6) p-hydroxybenzoic acid; (7) triphenyl phosphate; (8) 4-chloro-3-methylphenol; (9) certain photographic couplers; (10) ethylbiphenyl; (11) uncompounded allyl resins; (12) sulfapyridine; (13) tartaric acid and certain tartaric chemicals; (14) copper scale; (15) certain freight containers; (16) certain clock radios; (17) machines specifically designed for stretch or heat-set texturing of continuous manmade fibers; (18) hosiery knitting machines; (19) double-headed latch needles; (20) certain externally-powered electric prosthetic devices; (21) certain small toy and novelty items; and (22) certain doll clothing, doll skins, dolls, and toy figures.

Extends the suspension of duty on: (1) certain red peppers; (2) wood excelsior; (3) Bis (4-aminobenzoate)-1, 3 propanediol (trimethylene glycol di-p-aminobenzoate); (4) doxorubicin hydrochloride; (5) natural graphite; (6) cobolt; and (7) certain bicycle parts.

Provides for temporarily reducing the duty on: (1) dicofol; (2) sulfathiazole; (3) chipper knife steel. Sets forth schedules for such reductions.

Extends for two years the presidential authority to implement the International Sugar Agreement. Extends for one year the presidential authority to implement the International Coffee Agreement.

Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to deem as an import under a special quota any upland cotton imported during the time a special quota is in effect. Makes such cotton duty-free. Makes such provision effective for the 1982-1985 crops of upland cotton.

Sets forth the effective dates for the provisions of this Act.

Subtitle B: Implementation of Nairobi Protocol - Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Materials Importation Act of 1982 - Declares that the purpose of this Act is to enable the United States to give effect to the Nairobi Protocol to the Florence Agreement on the Importation of Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Materials.

Provides duty-free treatment for: (1) catalogs of educational, scientific, or cultural visual and auditory material; (2) architectural, engineering, industrial, or commercial drawings and plans; (3) certain illustrations and proofs used for the production of books; (4) developed photographic film and similar articles; (5) motion picture films on which pictures or sound and pictures have been recorded; (6) magnetic video tape on which pictures or pictures and sound have been recorded; (7) other sound recordings, combination sound and visual recordings, and magnetic recordings; (8) certain educational, scientific, or cultural models; (9) tools specifically designed for maintaining certain scientific instruments or apparatus that are used by nonprofit institutions; and (10) articles specially designed or adapted for use by blind or other handicapped persons.

Authorizes the President to limit the duty-free treatment, or temporary duty-free treatment accorded under this subtitle, for certain tools for scientific instruments or for certain articles for the blind or other handicapped persons, if the duty-free treatment of the article: (1) has significant adverse impact on a competing domestic industry; and (2) is not provided for in the Florence Agreement or the Nairobi Protocol. Authorizes the President to reinstate the duty-free treatment of such articles if it would no longer cause such adverse impact.

Sets forth the effective date for the tariff changes made by this subtitle.

Directs the President to proclaim changes in the Tariff Schedules of the United States to implement temporarily the duty-free treatment provided under this subtitle for certain articles for the blind or other handicapped persons. Authorizes the President to implement temporarily the duty-free treatment provided under this subtitle for certain: (1) books, publications, and documents; (2) visual and auditory materials; and (3) tools for scientific instruments or apparatus.

Title II: Miscellaneous Customs Provisions - Allows certain records concerning business, engineering, or exploration conducted outside the United States to enter the United States as "intangibles" which are not subject to the Tariff Schedules. Repeals the provision which made such records duty-free.

Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to repeal the provision that deemed the nominal consignee of merchandise entering the United States to be the owner of the merchandise. Provides that the required documentation for the entry of merchandise into the United States must be filed by either the owner, purchaser, or a person holding a valid license as a customshouse broker. Authorizes the appropriate customs officer to accept, without liability, the declaration of a consignee that the consignee is the owner or purchaser of the import. Requires that the importer of record must be one of the parties eligible to file the required documentation. Authorizes the carrier of the merchandise to certify any person to be the owner, purchaser, or consignee of the merchandise. Authorizes the customs officer to accept such certification.

Allows articles withdrawn from a bonded warehouse to be delivered into successive bonded warehouses located anywhere in the United States for export. (Current law requires the successive bonded warehouses to be located at an exterior port and requires the articles to be exported immediately.)

Title III: Implementation of Convention on Cultural Property - Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act - Authorizes the President to enter into agreements with countries which are parties to the "Convention on the means of prohibiting and preventing the illicit import, export, and transfer of ownership of cultural property," to apply import restrictions on the archaeological or ethnological materials of requesting countries. Directs the President to seek a commitment of the requesting country to allow exchanges of such materials where such an exchange would not jeopardize such country's cultural patrimony.

Prohibits the President from entering into such an agreement unless both the United States and the countries with significant import trade in such materials will apply import restrictions on such materials in concert. Authorizes the President to enter into such an agreement even though a country with significant import trade is not likely to impose import restrictions on such materials, if: (1) the restrictions are not essential for deterring a serious pillage situation; and (2) the application of import restrictions, by the United States and other nations with a significant import trade in such materials, would be a substantial help in deterring a serious pillage situation. Provides for the suspension of import restrictions under such agreements and for the extension of such agreements. Requires the President to report to Congress on such agreements and on emergency import restrictions. Authorizes the President to impose emergency import restrictions. Limits such Presidential authority.

Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to make a list of the materials covered by any such agreement or emergency condition.

Establishes a Cultural Property Advisory Committee to review requests and recommend whether: (1) an agreement should be consummated or extended; and (2) an emergency action should be implemented. Requires the Committee to review the effectiveness of such agreements or emergency actions.

Declares that the Federal Advisory Committee Act shall apply to the Committee, except that certain public notice provisions shall not apply if disclosure of matters involved in the Committee's proceedings would compromise the Government's bargaining position.

Provides for protecting the confidentiality of information submitted to the Committee by private parties and by the Government.

Prohibits the importation into the United States of: (1) designated archaeological or ethnological materials, unless the appropriate country issues a document of lawful exportation; and (2) cultural articles stolen from a museum or a religious or secular institution.

Sets forth procedures for temporary disposition, seizure, and forfeiture of articles under this title. Exempts certain articles from this title.

Authorizes appropriations.