U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued messages on a number of antidumping (AD) and countervailing (CV) duty actions, many of which (marked by an * in the action column) were previously published in the Federal Register by the International Trade Administration (ITA) and summarized in International Trade Today.

On February 2, 2004, President Bush transmitted to Congress his fiscal year (FY) 2005 budget request. (FY 2005 is October 1, 2004 through September 30, 2005.) President Bush has requested $40.2 billion for Department of Homeland Security (DHS), a 10% increase over the comparable FY 2004 budget.

The International Trade Commission (ITC) has initiated a review to provide advice to the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) concerning a petition filed under the "commercial availability" provisions of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), U.S.-Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBTPA), and Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act (ATPDEA) on apparel of certain combed compact yarns. Written comments are due by February 13, 2004. (See ITT's Online Archives or 01/27/04 news, 04012725, for BP summary of the Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreement's (CITA's) related notice.) (ITC notice, dated 02/02/04, available at http://www.usitc.gov/332s/shortsup/332_458_001nl.pdf)

The Department of Transportation's (DOT's) Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has issued a press release announcing that the DOT intends to begin a rulemaking process to launch a safety inspection program for intermodal container chassis.

The International Trade Administration (ITA) has initiated an antidumping (AD) duty investigation on outboard engines from Japan.

The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has announced that, effective February 2, 2004, a new security system went into place for its office. According to the announcement, in order to gain access to the 9th and 10th floors of the FMC's building, visitors must check in with the building security force and have one of the guards call the office or employee the visitor wishes to see. Visitors will be required to have an appropriate escort to gain access to the 9th and 10th floors of the building. See FMC announcement for further details. (FMC announcement available at http://www.fmc.gov/New%20Security%20Notice.htm)

ITA sources state that it has been determined that CV export subsidies exist. As a result, the antidumping (AD) rates given in the companion AD duty investigation are expected to be reduced. Sources add that these new AD rates have not yet been determined. (See ITT's Online Archives or 01/29/04 news, 04012945 for BP summary of the AD duty orders on subject merchandise from India (companion investigation) and four other countries.) BP will update subscribers when new information becomes available.

On October 27, 2003, the State Department published a final rule that amended the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) to indicate that exporters that are required to report shippers export information for U.S. Munitions List (USML) hardware must use the Automated Export System (AES).

On January 23, 2004, President Bush signed into law (Public Law (P.L.) 108-199) the conference version of the fiscal year (FY) 2004 omnibus appropriations bill (H.R. 2673), entitled the "Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2004." P.L. 108-199 includes eight separate appropriations measures that provide FY 2004 appropriations for the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Education, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, Veterans Affairs, etc.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a general notice announcing that it is accepting applications to establish Truck Carrier Accounts for a National Customs Automation Program (NCAP) test for the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE).