Updated July 20, 2020:  Selection of platform for conducting Section 337 confidential virtual hearings.

The USITC remains open for business and is closely monitoring the situation.

• Recently, the District of Columbia, the State of Maryland, and the Commonwealth of Virginia began measures for a phased reopening of the region.  These plans were developed in response to the President's guidance for Opening Up America Again, a three-phased approach based on the advice of public health experts that includes steps to help state, regional, and local officials when reopening their regions.  https://www.whitehouse.gov/openingamerica/#criteria.
   
• Similarly, based upon Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guidance adapted for federal agencies (https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/M-20-23.pdf), as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and other relevant agencies regarding COVID-19, the USITC has developed a Three-Phase Plan to Re-Establish On-Site Business Operations at the USITC Building 
   
• The Chairman has begun implementation of the USITC's three-phase plan, which utilizes the identified gating criteria and relevant factors, to determine the Commission's progression through the phases.  The Commission's three-phase plan will be in effect until further notice, and any updates will be provided on the agency's website.

OPERATIONAL PROCEDURES

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The Commission has updated its business operations to reflect entry into Phase One of its Three-Phase Plan to Re-Establish On-Site Business Operations at the USITC Building.

GENERAL PRACTICE

• The USITC Building is closed to the public until further notice or until Phase Three.  Information will be updated as needed.
   
• Commission employees will continue teleworking, except as required for necessary mission activities that require them to work in the USITC Building. Commission staff may be contacted at their USITC telephone numbers and email addresses, as usual.
   
• Federal Register notices announcing any changes to the Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure:
   
  • Temporary Change to Antidumping/Countervailing Duty Conference and Hearing Procedures (April 10, 2020)
     
  • Temporary Change to Filing Procedures (337 Investigations) (March 19, 2020)
     
  • Temporary Change to Filing Procedures (Title VII Investigations) (March 19, 2020)
     
• The Secretary’s Office will continue to accept only electronic filings during this time. Filings must be made through the Commission’s Electronic Document Information System (EDIS, https://edis.usitc.gov). No in-person paper-based filings or paper copies of any electronic filings will be accepted until further notice. See the Federal Register notices above.

VISITOR ACCESS to the USITC Building

• The USITC Building remains closed to the public during Phase One and Phase Two. Information regarding the change of phases will be posted on the website, as well as any necessary modifications to procedures or protocols related to public access.

SECTION 337 - UPDATED

• The Commission has ordered the Administrative Law Judges to postpone any in-person hearings until further notice or until the agency enters Phase Three.
   
  • 337 Federal Register Notice
     
• All discovery will continue and any essential outside participation by staff will be decided on a case-by-case basis.
   
  • Section 337-related FAQs
     
• [UPDATED (July 20, 2020)]   For information regarding the status of the Commission’s measures to conduct remote Section 337 evidentiary hearings involving confidential business information click here.

  • The Commission is pleased to announce that it has chosen WebEx Meeting as its secure FedRAMP-certified video teleconferencing solution for Section 337 hearings and investigation conferences involving confidential business information.  The Commission is implementing this software solution as quickly as possible and further details will be forthcoming.  The Administrative Law Judge presiding over each investigation has responsibility for determining appropriate hearing procedures.  Administrative Law Judges will provide appropriate instructions to parties regarding hearing procedures over WebEx.

    During the transition to WebEx, the Commission and Administrative Law Judges may continue to use other video teleconferencing software for hearings and investigation conferences that do not involve confidential business information. 

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TITLE VII PRELIMINARY CONFERENCES, HEARINGS, VOTES AND FACTFINDING HEARINGS - UPDATED

• Until further notice or until the agency enters Phase Three, no in-person preliminary phase Title VII (antidumping and countervailing duty) staff conferences will be held for new and ongoing investigations. Information and guidance regarding responses to staff questions through written submissions and/or via telephonic and videoconference will be provided to all interested parties by the investigative staff in each affected investigation.
   
• The Commission will conduct all Title VII votes by notation, and there will be no in-person vote until further notice or until the agency enters Phase Three. Vote outcomes will be reported via news releases in the News Release section on the homepage of the USITC web site, as usual, and posted on EDIS.
   
• Until further notice or until the agency enters Phase Three, no in-person hearings will be held for final phase Title VII investigations, five-year (sunset) reviews, and those held under Section 332 and Section 131. The Commission will continue to hold hearings through alternative means, including written submissions and/or via telephonic and videoconference.  The Commission staff will provide specific information and guidance to parties in each affected investigation on procedures, in lieu of in-person hearings. The Commission may also announce future changes to its procedures.
   
• Title VII-related FAQs (Updated)
   
• Temporary Change to Antidumping/Countervailing Duty Conference and Hearing Procedures

AGENCY MEETINGS, SEMINARS, AND BRIEFINGS WITH OUTSIDE VISITORS

• All scheduled in-person group meetings, seminars, and conferences are canceled or postponed until further notice or until the agency enters Phase Three. If you were scheduled for a meeting, seminar, or conference at the USITC building, contact the event organizer for further information.

VENDORS – INVOICE SUBMISSION

• Vendors should continue to submit invoices to Invoices@usitc.gov. The Commission will continue to process them as normal.

FOIA REQUESTS

• There may be delays in responding to FOIA requests that seek documents that are available only in hard copy. It is unlikely that FOIA staff will be unable to process requests and correspondence submitted by mail until FOIA staff is physically back in the office. You may submit FOIA requests using our online portal or by email to FOIA.SE.SE@usitc.gov. We encourage you to send any other FOIA-related correspondence to FOIA.SE.SE@usitc.gov or to our FOIA Public Liaison, Sharon Bellamy at sharon.bellamy@usitc.gov.

QUESTIONS?

Media inquiries and general questions: Peg O’Laughlin, margaret.olaughlin@usitc.gov

Filing questions: edis3help@usitc.gov
[Note: general telephone lines in the Office of the Secretary will not be monitored. Please send an email with your contact information and a staff member will call you.]

Hearing-related questions: commissionhearings@usitc.gov or preliminaryconferences@usitc.gov

FEDERAL LINKS ABOUT COVID-19

The U.S. Government has established 3 top-level websites for the latest official information on COVID-19.

• coronavirus.gov is the primary portal for public information curated by the COVID-19 Task Force at the White House, working in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other agency stakeholders, and links to the appropriate Federal agency website as the authoritative source for that information as necessary.
   
• www.cdc.gov/coronavirus provides the latest public health and safety information from the CDC and for the overarching medical and health provider community on COVID-19. The site contains consumer and medical information on how the virus spreads, symptoms, prevention and treatment, stigma, cases and what to do if you are sick, along with frequently asked questions.
   
• www.usa.gov/coronavirus catalogs all U.S. government activities related to COVID-19; it is also available in Spanish at https://www.usa.gov/espanol/coronavirus.

 

USITC THREE-PHASE PLAN TO RE-ESTABLISH ON-SITE BUSINESS OPERATIONS AT THE USITC BUILDING