The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a notice stating that the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) Subcommittee of the Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) is seeking public comments by May 12, 2004 on which products of Bangladesh should no longer be eligible for GSP duty-free treatment if the GSP Subcommittee decides to recommend limiting Bangladesh's GSP benefits.
According to an article in the Journal of Commerce, the California legislature is poised to act if industry doesn't improve congestion at the state's ports. The article notes that port efforts currently include promoting voluntary appointment times for trucker pick-ups, and that this spring terminal operators will initiate a mandatory program for the placement of an RFID tag on trucks that call regularly at West Coast ports. The article states that the California legislature is considering a bill that would require a premium fee for daytime use of the marine terminals in Los Angeles/Long Beach, if the port community does not establish a program for extended gate hours by summer. (JoC, March 22-28, 2004. www.joc.com)
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued a notice seeking comments by June 7, 2004 on a petition requesting that it issue mandatory fire safety standards for candles and candle accessories including candleholders.
On April 2, 2004, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued its third version of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and responses regarding the inbound portion of its final rule requiring the advance electronic presentation of information pertaining to cargo (sea, air, rail, or truck) prior to its being brought into, or sent from, the U.S.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a press release announcing that it and the Department of Commerce signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on April 7, 2004 to provide certain export validation information to the Mexican government for purposes of mutual border protection, export control, and the detection and deterrence of revenue fraud.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a notice advising the trade on the upcoming system requirements that will be needed to file a U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (SFTA) claim under HTS 9999.00.84 through the Automated Broker Interface (ABI).
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has announced that the following vessel operating common carriers (VOCCs) have become Sea Automated Manifest System (AMS) operational:
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued an administrative message amending one aspect of its original message that announced several changes that would be made to ABI and FDA software, effective April 14, 2004, to improve the process for filing FDA Prior Notices of imported foods.
Due to the large number of bills introduced during the week of March 29, 2004 through April 2, 2004, this is Part II of a two-part series of summaries.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has announced that the following vessel operating common carriers (VOCCs) have become Sea Automated Manifest System (AMS) operational: