1. Short title This Act may be cited as the GSP Footwear Act of 2017 . 2. Findings Congress makes the following findings: (1) The Generalized System of Preferences under title V of the Trade Act of 1974 ( 19 U.S.C. 2461 et seq.) was enacted to promote economic development in developing and least-developed countries by expanding trade opportunities. (2) Articles referred to as footwear and classified under chapter 64 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States may not be designated as eligible articles for purposes of the Generalized System of Preferences. (3) Global trade and manufacturing dynamics have evolved since the enactment of the Generalized System of Preferences in 1974, and many footwear articles may no longer be import-sensitive to industries in the United States. Companies in the United States benefit when sourcing options are increased, which is key goal of the Generalized System of Preferences. (4) By removing certain footwear articles from the list of articles excluded from eligibility under the Generalized System of Preferences, Congress is not changing rates in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, but instead is allowing those articles access to the annual review process under the Generalized System of Preferences, which relies on investigations and recommendations from the independent United States International Trade Commission, among other agencies of the United States Government. (5) As of 2015, 66 of the 124 countries designated as beneficiary developing countries under the Generalized System of Preferences export to the United States articles classified under Chapter 64 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States. Fifteen of those countries have been designated as least-developed beneficiary developing countries for purposes of the Generalized System of Preferences. (6) Countries designated as beneficiary developing countries under the Generalized System of Preferences account for only 6.7 percent of imports of footwear into the United States. (7) The