19 USC 4515 – Administration of dispute settlement proceedings
(a) United States Section of Secretariat
(1) Establishment or designation of office
The President is authorized to establish or designate within the Department of Commerce an office to serve as the United States Section of the Secretariat established under article 30.6 of the USMCA.
(2) Functions and administrative assistance
The office established or designated under paragraph (1), subject to the oversight of the interagency group established under section 411(c)(2),1 shall—
(A) carry out its functions within the Secretariat to facilitate the operation of the USMCA, including the operation of section D of chapter 10 and chapter 31 of the USMCA; and
(B) provide administrative assistance to—
(i) panels established under chapter 31 of the USMCA, including under Annex 31-A (relating to the Facility-Specific Rapid Response Labor Mechanism);
(ii) technical advisers and experts provided for under chapter 31 of the USMCA;
(iii) binational panels and extraordinary challenge committees established under section D of chapter 10 of the USMCA; and
(iv) binational panels and extraordinary challenge committees established under NAFTA for matters covered by article 34.1 of the USMCA (relating to transition from NAFTA).
(3) Treatment of office under Freedom of Information Act
The office established or designated under paragraph (1) shall not be considered an agency for purposes of section 552 of title 5.
(b) Authorization of appropriations
There are authorized to be appropriated for each fiscal year after fiscal year 2020 to the Department of Commerce $2,000,000 for—
(1) the operations of the office established or designated under subsection (a)(1); and
(2) the payment of the United States share of the expenses of—
(A) panels established under chapter 31 of the USMCA, including under Annex 31-A (relating to the Facility-Specific Rapid Response Labor Mechanism);
(B) binational panels and extraordinary challenge committees established under section D of chapter 10 of the USMCA; and
(C) binational panels and extraordinary challenge committees established under NAFTA for matters covered by article 34.1 of the USMCA (relating to transition from NAFTA).
(c) Reimbursement of certain expenses
Terms Used In 19 USC 4515
- Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
- Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
- Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
If the Canadian Section or the Mexican Section of the Secretariat provides funds to the United States Section during any fiscal year as reimbursement for expenses in connection with dispute settlement proceedings under section D of chapter 10 or chapter 31 of the USMCA, or under chapter 19 of NAFTA, the United States Section may, notwithstanding section 3302 of title 31, retain and use such funds to carry out the functions described in subsection (a)(2).