(a) Section 339 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, establishes in the Commission an office known as the Trade Remedy Assistance Office and directs the Commission to provide general information to the public, upon request, and, to the extent feasible, assistance and advice to interested parties concerning the remedies and benefits available under the trade laws identified in § 213.2(b) and the procedures to be followed and appropriate filing dates in investigations under the trade laws. In coordination with other agencies administering the trade laws, the Trade Remedy Assistance Office also shall provide technical assistance, as defined in § 213.2(d), to eligible small businesses seeking to obtain the remedies and benefits available under the trade laws.

(b) The rules in this part govern the establishment of the Trade Remedy Assistance Office, its function, small business eligibility for technical assistance and procedures for obtaining such assistance. Members of the public seeking general information from the Trade Remedy Assistance Office are not subject to the application procedures set forth in this part.

(a) Office. The Trade Remedy Assistance Office (hereinafter Office) provides general information to the public, upon request, and, to the extent feasible, assistance and advice to interested parties concerning the remedies and benefits available under the trade laws identified in § 213.2(b) and the procedures to be followed and appropriate filing dates in investigations under those trade laws. In coordination with other agencies responsible for administering the trade laws listed in § 213.2(b), the Office also provides technical assistance, as defined in § 213.2(d) to eligible small businesses that seek to obtain remedies and benefits under the trade laws. The Office's address is Trade Remedy Assistance Office, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW., Washington, DC 20436.

(b) Trade laws. The trade laws (with respect to which general information and technical assistance are available) are defined as:

(1) Chapter 1 of title II of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2251 et seq., relating to injury caused by import competition);

(2) Chapters 2 and 3 of such title II (relating to adjustment assistance for workers and firms);

(3) Chapter 1 of title III of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2411 et seq., relating to relief from foreign import restrictions and export subsidies);

(4) Title VII of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1671 et seq., relating to the imposition of countervailing duties and antidumping duties);

(5) Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 (19 U.S.C. 1862, relating to the safeguarding of national security);

(6) Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1337, relating to unfair practices in import trade); and

(7) Section 406 of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2436, relating to market disruption).

(c) Administering agencies. Administering agency refers to the agency or agencies responsible for administering a particular trade law. The trade laws relating to injury caused by import competition, unfair practices in import trade and market disruption are administered by the Commission. The trade laws relating to countervailing and antidumping duties are jointly administered by the Commission and the Department of Commerce. The trade laws relating to adjustment assistance for firms and safeguarding national security are administered by the Department of Commerce. The trade law relating to adjustment assistance for workers is administered by the Department of Labor. The trade law relating to relief from foreign import restrictions and export subsidies is administered by the United States Trade Representative.

(d) Technical assistance. Technical assistance is informal advice and assistance, including informal legal advice, provided under 19 U.S.C. 1339(b) and intended to enable eligible small businesses to determine the appropriateness of pursuing particular trade remedies, to prepare petitions and complaints and to seek to obtain the remedies and benefits available under the trade laws identified in § 213.2(b). Technical assistance is available to eligible small businesses at any time until the completion of administrative review or of an appeal to the administering agency regarding proceedings under the trade laws listed in § 213.2(b). Technical assistance does not include legal representation of an eligible small business or advocacy on its behalf and receipt of technical assistance does not ensure that the recipient will prevail in any trade remedy proceeding. The Office provides such technical assistance independently of other Commission staff but may consult with other staff as appropriate.

(e) Applicant. An applicant is an individual, partnership, corporation, joint venture, trade or other association, cooperative, group of workers, or certified or recognized union, or other entity that applies for technical assistance under this part.

(f) Eligible small business. An eligible small business is an applicant that the Office has determined to be entitled to technical assistance under 19 U.S.C. 1339(b) in accordance with the SBA size standards and the procedures set forth in this part.

(g) SBA size standards. The Office has adopted for its use SBA size standards, which are the small business size standards of the Small Business Administration set forth in 13 CFR part 121.

(a) Application for technical assistance from small businesses. An applicant for technical assistance under 19 U.S.C. 1339(b) must certify that it qualifies as a small business under the appropriate size standard(s) and that it is an independently owned and operated company. An application for technical assistance is available from the Office and on the Commission's Web site. The application must be signed under oath by an officer or principal of the applicant. The completed application should be submitted to the Office at the address set forth in § 213.2(a).

(b) Application for technical assistance from joint applicants, trade associations and unions. If several businesses jointly or simultaneously from the same industry apply for technical assistance, each business must meet the appropriate SBA size standard(s) and so certify. If a trade association applies for technical assistance, an officer of the trade association must certify that eighty (80) percent of the trade association's members are companies that meet the appropriate size standard(s) and provide a listing of members of the association. If a union applies for technical assistance, an officer of the union must certify that the union has less than ten thousand (10,000) members within the industry for which trade relief is being sought. Applications for trade associations or for unions to request technical assistance are available from the Office. Applications must be signed under oath by an officer of the association or union and completed applications should be submitted to the Office as set forth in § 213.2(a).

(c) Determination of eligibility and notification of determination. The Office shall determine whether the applicant is eligible for technical assistance and notify the applicant of the determination within ten (10) days of receipt of a properly completed application. Pursuant to 19 U.S.C. 1339(c)(1), the Office's determination of eligibility is not reviewable by any other agency or by any court.

(d) Notification to administering agencies. When an applicant seeks technical assistance on matters involving the trade laws, and the Office determines that the applicant is eligible for technical assistance, the Office shall:

(1) Promptly notify the appropriate administering agency or agencies of the Office's determination that the applicant is eligible to receive technical assistance; and

(2) Consult with the administering agency or agencies as to the provision of technical assistance to that applicant.

An eligible small business that has received technical assistance from the Office must state that it has received technical assistance from the Trade Remedy Assistance Office in any resulting petition, complaint or application which is filed with the Commission or any other agency which administers the trade law under which remedies or benefits are sought.

Commission resources, in addition to the Office's resources, are available to an eligible small business to the same extent as those resources are available to members of the general public. No special rights of access to Commission resources shall be accorded to an eligible small business.

Any person may contact the Office with questions regarding eligibility for technical assistance. Summaries of the trade laws and the SBA size standards can be obtained by writing to the Trade Remedy Assistance Office, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW., Washington, DC 20436. Information is also provided on the Commission's Web site at http://www.usitc.gov.