On February 26, 2004, the White House announced that in recognition of Libya's concrete steps toward repudiating weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and to build a foundation for Libya's economic growth and reintegration into the international community, the U.S. will take the following steps (partial list): (a) the restriction on the use of U.S. passports for travel to Libya has been rescinded; (b) the Treasury Department will issue a general license on February 26, 2004 for all travel-related expenditures in Libya; (c) U.S. companies with pre-sanctions holdings in Libya will be authorized as of February 26, 2004 to negotiate the terms of their re-entry into operations in Libya, subject to certain requirements; (d) etc. According to the White House announcement, as Libya continues to take steps that will lead to the dismantling of WMD and Missile Technology Control Regime- (MCTR)-class missiles programs and adheres to the renunciation of terrorism, the U.S. will continuously evaluate the range of bilateral sanctions that remain in place relating to Libya. (White House statement, dated 02/26/04, available at www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/02/print/20040226-1.html.)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has scheduled the next Customs Broker Licensure Examination for Monday, April 5, 2004.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued its first version (dated February 12, 2004) of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on 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.
The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA) has posted to the Office of Textiles and Apparel's (OTEXA's) Web site the text of the Vietnam Electronic Visa Information System (ELVIS) and Textile Visa Arrangement (ELVIS Arrangement)which was signed by the U.S. and Vietnam on February 19, 2004.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a notice announcing that the U.S. intends to initiate free trade negotiations with Thailand. (See ITT's Online Archives or 02/18/04 news, 04021820, for BP summary of USTR's press release announcing its Congressional notification of this intention.)
The International Trade Administration (ITA) has issued its preliminary results of the antidumping (AD) duty changed circumstances review of carbon and certain alloy steel wire rod from Canada.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued an ABI administrative message announcing a change in format on the Automated Commercial System (ACS) Reconciliation Prototype Line Item Spreadsheet for reporting changes in the merchandise processing fee (MPF).
| The development of a national animal identification plan | 03/04/04 | Subcommittee on Marketing, Inspection, and Product Promotion; Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry |
| Proposed budget estimates for fiscal year (FY) 2005 for the Department of Commerce | 03/02/04 | Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State, and the Judiciary; Senate Committee on Appropriations |
| Proposed budget estimates for FY 2005 for science and technology programs, information analysis, and infrastructure protection | 03/02/04 | Subcommittee on Homeland Security; Senate Committee on Appropriations |
| Current status of federal efforts to coordinate and combat money laundering and terrorist financing | 03/04/04 | Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control |
| Inspector General | 03/03/04 | Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies; House Committee on Appropriations |
| Secretary of State | 03/03/04 | Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State, Judiciary and Related Agencies; House Committee on Appropriations |
| Secretary of Transportation | 03/03/04 | Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury and Independent Agencies; House Committee on Appropriations |
| Marketing and Regulatory Programs | 03/04/04 | Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies; House Committee on Appropriations |
| Secretary of Homeland Security | 03/04/04 | Subcommittee on Homeland Security; House Committee on Appropriations |
| Fish and Wildlife Service | 03/04/04 | Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies; House Committee on Appropriations |
| \"America's New Welcome Mat: A Look at the Goals and Challenges of the US-VISIT Program\" | 03/04/04 | House Committee on Government Reform |
| U.S. Priorities in Europe | 03/03/04 | Subcommittee on Europe; House Committee on International Relations |
| U.S. Patent and Trademark Fee Modernization Act of 2003 | 03/02/04 | House Committee on Rules |
| U.S. Coast Guard and Federal Maritime Commission FY 2005 Budget Requests and the Coast Guard Authorization Act for FY 2005 | 03/04/04 | Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation; House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure |
| \"The Department of Homeland Security's Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection Budget Proposal for FY 2005\" | 03/04/04 | Subcommittees on Intelligence and Counterterrorism and Infrastructure and Border Security; House Select Committee on Homeland Security |
The Commerce Department's Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA) has issued its December 2003 Textiles and Apparel Import Report, which includes statistics on general imports (both quota and non-quota) of cotton, wool, man-made fiber, silk blend, and non-cotton vegetable fiber textiles and apparel.
According to The Journal of Commerce (JoC), the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach may reduce the time that importers and exporters have to store their containers for free. (JoC, dated 02/16/04-02/22/04, www.joc.com)