The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has issued three orders in response to petitions filed with the FMC by three Chinese carriers requesting to be exempt from certain provisions of Section 9(c) of the Shipping Act of 1984 (46 USC app. 1708) (Controlled Carrier Act), which would enable the petitioners to reduce tariff rates immediately, rather than be subject to the 30-day waiting period prescribed by the Controlled Carrier Act.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a notice announcing its determination that Sierra Leone (1) has adopted an effective visa system and related procedures to prevent unlawful transshipment and the use of counterfeit documents in connection with shipments of textile and apparel articles, and (2) has implemented and follows, or is making substantial progress toward implementing and following, the customs procedures required by the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). This determination is effective April 5, 2004.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) lists on its Web site its top intellectual property rights (IPR) seizures by top trading partner and commodity for fiscal year (FY) 1999 through FY 2003.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a notice announcing that the interest rates for the third quarter of fiscal year (FY) 2004 (April 1, 2004 - June 30, 2004) for overpayments and underpayments of Customs duties are:
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has announced the following Air Automated Manifest System (AMS) expansions:
| Proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005 for foreign operations | 04/08/04 | Subcommittee on Foreign Operations; Senate Committee on Appropriations |
| U.S. Coast Guard activities | 04/07/04 | Subcommittee on Oceans, Fisheries and Coast Guard; Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation |
| Safety concerns of America's Mass Transportation System | 04/08/04 | Senate Committee on the Judiciary |
The State Department's Washington File reports that the Bush Administration is seeking from Congress a two-year delay of a requirement that "visa waiver countries" issue machine-readable passports that incorporate biometric identifiers. This delay would allow countries whose passport holders are not required to have a U.S. visa to enter the country to meet technical challenges of issuing passports containing biometric data, such as digital, inkles finger scans and digital photographs. (Washington File Pub, 04/02/04, available at http://usinfo.state.gov/usinfo/Archive/washfile_feature2.html)
The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has issued a final rule, effective April 6, 2004, that amends its regulations to allow a $21,000 optional bond rider to be filed with a licensed non-vessel operating common carrier's (NVOCC's) proof of financial responsibility, for such carriers serving the U.S. oceanborne trade with China.
On April 1, 2004, a bipartisan group led by the House Ways and Means Committee Chairman introduced H.R. 4103, the African Growth and Opportunity (AGOA) Acceleration Act. (This bill is referred to by some as "AGOA III.")
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has published in the Federal Register three separate notices announcing the following: