PETITIONS AND DETERMINATIONS.

SEC. 251. PETITIONS AND DETERMINATIONS. (a) A petition for a certification of eligibility to apply for adjustment assistance under this chapter may be filed with the Secretary of Commerce (hereinafter in this chapter referred to as the “Secretary”) by a firm or its representative. Upon receipt of the petition, the Secretary shall promptly publish notice in the Federal Register that he has received the petition and initiated an investigation. (b) If the petitioner, or any other person, organization, or group found by the Secretary to have a substantial interest in the proceedings, submits not later than 10 days after the date of the Secretary’s publication under subsection (a) a request for a hearing, the Secretary shall provide for a public hearing and afford such interested persons an opportunity to be present, to produce evidence, and to be heard. (c) The Secretary shall certify a firm 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 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 have decreased absolutely, and (3) that increases of imports of articles like or directly competitive with articles produced by such firm 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. (d) A determination shall be made by the Secretary as soon as possible after the date on which the petition is filed under this section, but in any event not later than 60 days after that date.