On May 14, 2004, the General Accounting Office (GAO) submitted to the Homeland Security Subcommittees of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees a report entitled "Information Technology - Early Releases of Customs Trade System Operating, but Pattern of Cost and Schedule Problems Needs to be Addressed."
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a notice announcing that it has created a new Web page regarding the January 1, 2005 full integration (elimination of quotas) for textiles and apparel manufactured in countries that are members of the World Trade Organization (WTO). This is the fourth and final phase of quota elimination and on January 1, 2005, CBP states that all textiles and textile apparel manufactured in a WTO country and exported on/after January 1, 2005 will no longer be subject to quota restrictions.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted a notice to its Web site stating that the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) Status Report (dated October 2003 - March 2004) is currently in the review process within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and it will be posted once approved and forwarded to Congress. (CBP notice available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/toolbox/about/modernization/quarterly_reports/)
Washington Trade Daily reports that the outlook for Congressional consideration of the U.S.-Australia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) has improved as the Speaker of the House of Representatives has indicated that he will no longer stand in the way of the FTA. According to the article, the House is expected to consider U.S.-Australia FTA implementing legislation sometime in summer 2004. (See ITT's Online Archives or 05/20/04 news, 04052005, for BP summary on the signing of the U.S.-Australia FTA.) (WTD dated 05/19/04, www.washingtontradedaily.com .)
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) have issued an interim final rule, effective June 17, 2004, to revise the TSA's regulations governing sensitive security information (SSI) in order to protect the confidentiality of maritime security measures adopted under the Coast Guard's October 2003 final rules implementing the Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA) and other activities related to port and maritime security. Currently, the TSA's SSI regulations apply primarily to information related to aviation security.
In a semi-annual general notice, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is notifying the public that no foreign entities (i.e. entities located outside the Customs territory of the U.S.) are currently listed as having been assessed penalties under 19 USC 1592 for certain violations of the customs laws regarding textile and apparel transshipment and/or rules of origin (e.g., false country of origin documentation, counterfeit visas, illegal transshipment, etc.). According to CBP, this list is for the 6-month period starting March 31, 2004 through September 30, 2004.
The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA) has issued a notice stating that, effective May 18, 2004, the above-listed Singapore quotas were adjusted for swing and carryover.
(a) preliminary de minimis AD rate (Diler: 0.36%, ICDAS: 0.02%, and Fuyao: 0.13%)
On May 14, 2004, the General Accounting Office (GAO) submitted to the Homeland Security Subcommittees of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees a report entitled "Information Technology - Early Releases of Customs Trade System Operating, but Pattern of Cost and Schedule Problems Needs to be Addressed."
The International Trade Administration (ITA) has issued its preliminary results of the antidumping (AD) duty changed circumstances review of structural steel beams from Japan.