The USITC's Trade Remedy Assistance Office (TRAO) provides general information to small businesses and other small entities concerning the remedies and benefits available under U.S. trade laws and provides technical and legal assistance to eligible small entities seeking remedies.
For further information, contact the Trade Remedy Assistance program manager at 202) 205-3236 or 1-800-343-9822.
Technical assistance includes informal advice and assistance, including informal legal support, intended to enable eligible small entities to determine the appropriateness of pursuing remedies under the trade laws, to prepare petitions and complaints, and to seek to obtain the remedies and benefits available under the trade laws. Relevant USITC rules are in 19 CFR 213. [PDF]
"Eligible small entity" means any business concern that qualifies as a small business under the appropriate U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Size Standard, any trade association at least 80 percent of whose members qualify as small businesses under the appropriate SBA Size Standard, or any worker organization with fewer than 10,000 members within the industry for which trade relief is being sought. Small entities applying for technical assistance often have neither adequate internal resources nor financial ability to obtain qualified outside assistance to pursue relief under the trade laws.
Small businesses and trade associations must certify in their application that they qualify under the appropriate SBA Size Standard. A worker organization must certify in its application that it has fewer than 10,000 members.
To receive certification of eligibility, a business concern, trade association, or worker organization must complete an appropriate application for technical assistance: