(a) Agriculture Pima Trust—(1) Establishment. The Agriculture Pima Trust has been established to provide funding for payments under this subpart.

(2) Purpose. The purpose of the Agriculture Pima Trust is to reduce the injury to domestic manufacturers resulting from tariffs on cotton fabric that are higher than tariffs on certain apparel articles made of cotton fabric.

(3) Funding availability. $16,000,000 will be available annually for eligible payments authorized under this subpart.

(4) Definitions. As used in this subpart:

Agriculture Pima Trust means the Pima Agriculture Cotton Trust Fund.

CCC means the Commodity Credit Corporation.

FAS means the Foreign Agricultural Service.

Secretary means the Secretary of Agriculture.

U.S. means the United States of America.

(b) Other provisions common to this subpart—(1) Affidavits. FAS shall annually, not later than February 15 of the year of the applicable payment, make affidavits available on the FAS website. Affidavits must be submitted in accordance with the instructions provided on the FAS website.

(2) Filing deadline. Any person filing an affidavit under this subpart for a particular year must file the affidavit not later than March 15 of the applicable calendar year.

(3) Affirmation. By submitting an affidavit under this subpart, an applicant is affirming that all information contained in the application is complete and correct and that the information does not contain a false claim, statement, or representation.

(4) Document retention. All persons receiving a payment under this subpart must maintain all pertinent documentation for 3 years after the year of receipt of the payment.

(5) False statements. Persons providing false or fraudulent claims, or persons making materially false statements or representations in their affidavit, are subject to civil or criminal penalties pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1001.

(6) Confidentiality. Specific business information that is marked “business confidential” will be protected from disclosure to the full extent permitted by law.

(7) Review of affidavits. Affidavits will be reviewed to determine whether they are complete and responsive to the content and form of affidavit requirements under this subpart.

(8) Finality of determinations by Secretary. A determination by the Secretary about a payment under this subpart shall be final and is not subject to appeal or protest.

(9) Timing of payments. A payment for which a person is eligible under this subpart will be disbursed not later than April 15 of the applicable year.

(10) Sequester. Payments covered by this subpart shall be subject to sequester of payments, if required by law.

From available funds in the Agriculture Pima Trust, CCC will annually make payments as follows:

(a) Twenty-five percent of the amounts in the Agriculture Pima Trust shall be paid to one or more nationally recognized associations established for the promotion of pima cotton for use in textile and apparel goods, as determined by the Secretary, during the calendar year immediately preceding the payment.

(b) Twenty-five percent of the amounts in the Agriculture Pima Trust shall be paid to yarn spinners of pima cotton that produce ring spun cotton yarns in the U.S. during the calendar year immediately preceding the payment, to be allocated to each yarn spinner in an amount that bears the same ratio as:

(1) The yarn spinner's production of ring spun cotton yarns measuring less than 83.33 decitex (exceeding 120 metric number) from pima cotton in single and plied form during the prior calendar year; bears to

(2) The production of the yarns described in paragraph (b)(1) of this section during the prior calendar year by all yarn spinners that qualify under this paragraph (b).

(3) A yarn spinner will not receive an amount under this paragraph (b) that exceeds the cost of pima cotton that was:

(i) Purchased during the prior calendar year; and

(ii) Used in spinning any cotton yarns.

(4) The Secretary will reallocate any amounts reduced by reason of the limitation under paragraph (b)(3) of this section to spinners using the ratio described in this paragraph (b), disregarding production of any spinner subject to that limitation.

(c) Fifty percent of the amounts in the Agriculture Pima Trust shall be paid to manufacturers that certify, pursuant to the affidavit under § 1471.4, that, during the calendar year immediately preceding the payment, they used imported cotton fabric to produce men's and boys' shirts, to be allocated to each manufacturer in an amount that bears the same ratio as:

(1) The dollar value (excluding duty, shipping, and related costs) of imported woven cotton shirting fabric of 80s or higher count and 2-ply in warp purchased by the manufacturer during the prior calendar year to produce men's and boys' shirts; bears to

(2) The dollar value (excluding duty, shipping, and related costs) of the fabric described in paragraph (c)(1) of this section purchased during the prior calendar year by all manufacturers that qualify under this paragraph (c).

In addition to any applicable information requirements in § 1471.1, a producer of ring spun cotton yarn must annually provide an affidavit that affirms:

(a) During the calendar year immediately preceding the payment, the yarn spinner used pima cotton to produce ring spun cotton yarns in the U.S. measuring less than 83.33 decitex (exceeding 120 metric number), in single and plied form;

(b) In the prior calendar year, the yarn spinner actually produced the quantity, measured in pounds, of ring spun cotton yarns measuring less than 83.33 decitex (exceeding 120 metric number), in single and plied form, reported on the affidavit;

(c) The yarn spinner maintains supporting documentation about such production during the prior calendar year that shows the actual quantity of such yarns produced, and evidencing the yarns as ring spun pima cotton yarns measuring less than 83.33 decitex (exceeding 120 metric number), in single and plied form; and

(d) The dollar amount of pima cotton purchased during the prior calendar year that was used in spinning any cotton yarns, and for which the producer maintains supporting documentation.

(a) Definition of qualifying fabric. In this section, the term “qualifying fabric” means imported woven cotton shirting fabric of 80s or higher count and 2-ply in warp.

(b) In general. In addition to any applicable information requirements in § 1471.1, a producer of men's and boys' cotton shirts must annually provide an affidavit that affirms:

(1) During the calendar year immediately preceding the payment, the manufacturer used qualifying fabric to cut and sew men's and boys' cotton shirts in the U.S. and the manufacturer has maintained production records evidencing the dollar value of qualifying fabric used to cut and sew men's and boys' cotton shirts;

(2) The dollar value of qualifying fabric purchased by the manufacturer during the calendar year immediately preceding the payment, except that the dollar value of fabric reported shall not exceed the dollar value of qualifying fabric used by the manufacturer to cut and sew men's and boys' woven cotton shirts in the U.S. during the calendar year immediately preceding the payment, as supported by production records maintained under paragraph (b)(1) of this section;

(3) The manufacturer maintains invoices and other supporting documentation (such as price lists and other technical descriptions of the fabric qualities) showing the dollar value of qualifying fabric purchased, the date of purchase, and evidencing the fabric as qualifying fabric; and

(4) The imported cotton fabric purchased in the calendar year immediately preceding the payment was suitable for use in the manufacturing of men's and boys' cotton shirts.

(c) Date of purchase. For purposes of the affidavit under paragraph (b) of this section, the date of purchase shall be the invoice date.

(d) Dollar value of purchase. For purposes of the affidavit under paragraph (b) of this section, the dollar value shall be determined excluding duty, shipping, and related costs.

(e) Fabric use. For purposes of the affidavit under paragraph (b) of this section, and in specific reference to paragraph (b)(2) of this section, a manufacturer shall not report a dollar value of qualifying fabric purchased that is more than the dollar value of qualifying fabric that it used to cut and sew men's and boys' shirts during the calendar year immediately preceding the payment. The value of qualifying fabric purchased for any other purpose, including fabric held in inventory or destined for resale or other use, is not eligible for payment under the Agriculture Pima Trust and shall not be included by the manufacturer in the amount reported under paragraph (b)(2) of this section.

In addition to any applicable information requirements in § 1471.1, trade associations filing a claim for a payment under the Agriculture Pima Trust must provide a statement that states that during the calendar year immediately preceding the payment they were, as determined by the Secretary, a domestic nationally recognized association established and operating for the promotion of pima cotton for domestic use in textile and apparel goods.