The Commerce Department's Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA) has issued its February 2004 Textile and Apparel Trade Balance Report (containing data through February 28, 2004). The Trade Balance Report shows imports, exports, and the resulting U.S. trade balance for yarn, fabric, made-ups, and apparel, both individually and collectively (total). The Trade Balance report displays this information for the world, as well as for major U.S. trading partners.
On March 4, 2004, the Senate passed its version of H.R. 1047, the "Miscellaneous Trade and Technical Corrections Act of 2003."
On April 1, 2004, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a first set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and responses regarding the mandatory advance electronic information requirements for inbound air cargo.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted to its Web site an April 16, 2004 revised set of frequently asked questions (FAQ) and responses regarding the implementation of its final rule on the presentation of cargo manifests to CBP 24 hours prior to ocean vessel lading at foreign ports (24-Hour Rule).
The House Ways and Means Committee has issued an advisory stating that its Subcommittee on Trade will hold a hearing on April 29, 2004 on trade with sub-Saharan Africa and H.R. 4103, the "African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Acceleration Act of 2004" (also known as AGOA III).
On March 4, 2004, the Senate passed its version of H.R. 1047, the "Miscellaneous Trade and Technical Corrections Act of 2003."
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a press release announcing a contract with Northrop Grumman to design, implement and operate the Homeland Secure Data Network (HSDN). The HSDN will provide DHS officials with a modern IT infrastructure for securely communicating classified information. According to DHS, when completed, the HSDN will be a private, certified, and accredited network that will fully support the DHS' mission goals. (DHS press release dated 04/12/04, available at http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/display?content=3444)
The International Trade Administration (ITA) has initiated antidumping (AD) duty investigations of bottle-grade polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin from India, Indonesia, Taiwan and Thailand, and countervailing (CV) duty investigations of subject merchandise from India and Thailand.
The State Department has issued a final rule, effective April 9, 2004, that amends the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) regarding, among other things, the denial policy for certain small arms exports to Iraq.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued a notice announcing the availability of, and requesting public comment by May 7, 2004 on, its preliminary regulatory impact analysis (PRIA) of three interim final rules and one notice issued by FSIS on January 12, 2004 regarding additional protection measures in response to the detection of a case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE, also known as mad cow disease) in the U.S.