The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued a final rule, effective April 14, 2004, that adjusts for inflation the Customs Value or ex-factory price for certain disposable cigarette lighters to $2.25 (from $2.00).

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has issued a final rule which amends an interim final rule (IFR) on security threat assessment standards for commercial drivers authorized to transport hazardous materials (hazmats) to, among other things, postpone for a second time the date on which fingerprint-based background checks must begin in all States. The TSA now requires all States to begin such checks by January 31, 2005.

Public Announcementson Significant Security Risks are the State Department's means to disseminate information about terrorist threats or certain other relatively short-term and/or transnational conditions. The following have been issued since BP's most recent update:

The Commerce Department's Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA) has issued its Major Shippers Textiles and Apparel Report, which contains selected general import statistics by date of import from the Census Bureau through February 29, 2004 by country and category (including merged and part category).

Broker Power has previously reported that effective from February 2, 2004 through April 30, 2004, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) would detain and request production documents for, or send to a laboratory for testing, importations of socks from at most 22 targeted countries.

¹ The ITA states that the China-wide rate applies to all entries of subject merchandise except for entries from exporters/producers that are identified individually above.

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 issued a notice on the effect that Nepal's April 23, 2004 World Trade Organization (WTO) membership will have on the quota and visa requirements imposed on certain of its textile and apparel products.

On March 4, 2004, the Senate passed its version of H.R. 1047, the "Miscellaneous Trade and Technical Corrections Act of 2003."