Brief
History Historic
Milestones
The functions performed by the International Trade Administration
date from the establishment of the Department of Commerce and Labor
in 1903. Two original bureaus of that Department, the Bureau of
Statistics and the Bureau of Manufactures were the forerunners of
the International Trade Administration. The Bureau of Foreign and
Domestic Commerce was established in 1912 to foster, promote, and
develop the various manufacturing industries of the United States,
and markets for the same at home and abroad, by compiling and making
available information concerning industries and markets.
The Bureau grew greatly during the twenties bringing the
Department to a closer relationship with American business. The next
major reorganization of Foreign and Domestic Commerce came in 1941
when the bureau was reorganized around a program of foreign and
domestic requirements for defense and export controls. The bureau
was a major supplier of data to war emergency agencies.
Following World War II, emphasis was placed on promotion of
foreign trade and service to American business. In 1962, the
domestic and international commerce areas of the Department were
combined under the Assistant Secretary for Domestic and
International Business to provide, under one authority, the entire
range of services available to U.S. business. The organization
remained essentially the same until November 1972 when the Domestic
and International Business Administration (DIBA) was established as
a primary operating unit under the Assistant Secretary for Domestic
and International Business.
On January 2, 1980, the International Trade Administration (ITA)
was established as a principal element of the reorganization of
international trade functions in the Federal Government. ITA is
responsible for non-agricultural trade operations of the U.S.
Government, and assists the Office of the United States Trade
Representative in the coordination of trade policy. Reorganization
Plan No. 3 created the Under Secretary for International Trade and
consolidated in ITA the export promotion, export control, and trade
policy programs of the Department of Commerce, the administration of
the antidumping and countervailing duty laws (formerly in the
Department of the Treasury), and operation of the Foreign Commercial
Service (a new service created from the commercial officer position
of the Foreign Service). In 1984, responsibility for industry sector
analysis was transferred to ITA from the Under Secretary of Commerce
for Economic Affairs. The Export Administration Amendments Act of
1985 established an Under Secretary for Export Administration. On
October 1, 1987, responsibility for the Export Administration Act
functions was transferred from ITA to the newly established Bureau
of Export Administration (BXA ). Responsibility for import trade
laws, including the antidumping and countervailing duty laws,
remains in ITA. These laws are administered by the Assistant
Secretary for Import Administration (AS/IA). On October 1, 1988,
responsibility for industrial resources administration was
transferred from ITA to BXA. In 1988, the OMNIBUS Trade and
Competitiveness Act established a more clearly defined role and
program purpose for the U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service
(US&FCS) Program. The Export Enhancement Act of 1992 created a
statutory basis for the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee
(TPCC), which had previously only been mandated by executive order.
It also mandated an annual National Export Strategy. This also led
to the establishment of the Trade Information Center (TIC) in ITA
and the National Trade Data Bank (NTDB) to ensure both effective
collection and dissemination of trade. In addition, this act
established U.S. Export Assistance Centers (USEAC) to function as
one-stop shops for small and medium sized exporters. In 1996, the
International Economic Policy program was re-organized into the
newly created Market Access and Compliance (MAC) program. This was
done as a result of both Congress and the Executive Branch
recognizing the importance of market access and compliance issues.
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Historic
Milestones
1980: ITA was established as a result of the reorganization of
the US Government’s international trade functions to carry out
non-agricultural trade operations and assist the Office of the
United States Trade Representative in the coordination of trade
policy. The reorganization:
- Created the Under Secretary for International Trade;
- Consolidated existing Commerce Department exports promotion;
export administration and trade policy programs;
- Transferred the administration of the antidumping and
countervailing duty laws from the Treasury Department;
- Transferred the foreign commercial functions from the State
Department to create the Foreign Commercial Service.
1984: Responsibility for industry sector analysis was transferred
to ITA (Trade Development) from the Under Secretary of Commerce for
Economic Affairs.
1987: Export Administration Act functions were transferred to a
newly established Bureau of Export Administration (BXA).
1988: Responsibility for industrial resources administration was
transferred from ITA to BXA. Note: Now Bureau of Industry and
Security (BIS)
1988: The OMNIBUS Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 clearly
established and defined the current role of US & Foreign
Commercial Service (US&FCS) Program.
1992: The Export Enhancement Act of 1992 created a statutory
mandate for the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee (TPCC) and
mandated an annual National Export Strategy.
1996: The International Economic Policy Bureau was re-organized
into the newly created Market Access and Compliance (MAC).
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