GROUP ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS.

SEC. 222. GROUP ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS. The Secretary shall certify a group of workers as eligible to apply for adjustment assistance under this chapter if he determines— (1) that a significant number or proportion of the workers in such workers’ firm or an appropriate subdivision of the firm have become totally or partially separated, or are threatened to become totally or partially separated, (2) that sales or production, or both, of such firm or subdivision have decreased absolutely, and (3) that increases of imports of articles like or directly competitive with articles produced by such workers’ firm or an appropriate subdivision thereof contributed importantly to such total or partial separation, or threat thereof, and to such decline in sales or production. For purposes of paragraph (3), the term “contributed importantly” means a cause which is important but not necessarily more important than any other cause.