The Trade Remedy Assistance Office (TRAO) provides small businesses and other small entities with general information on specific U.S. trade laws and provides technical assistance to eligible small entities seeking relief under the trade laws. The program was established to provide information and assistance to eligible small businesses, small trade associations, and small worker organizations.

Technical Assistance

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 Entities

"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:

• Small Business application (20,804 bytes) [PDF]
• Trade Association application (27,056 bytes) [PDF]
• Worker organization application (10,489 bytes) [PDF]
• Trade Remedy Laws