The Commerce Department's Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA) has issued its November 2003 Textile and Apparel Trade Balance Report (containing data through November 30, 2003). The Trade Balance Report shows imports and exports and calculates the trade balance for U.S. textile and apparel trade with the world and with major U.S. trading partners.
On October 27, 2003, the State Department published a final rule which amended the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) to indicate that exporters that are required to report shippers export information of U.S. Munitions List (USML) articles must use the Automated Export System (AES).
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a notice which invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on information collection requirements concerning the U.S.-Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBTPA) non-textile Certificate of Origin (Form CBP-450).
According to a White House press release, the President intends to appoint Andrew B. Maner, of Michigan, to be the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). According to the press release, Mr. Maner currently serves as Chief of Staff and Director of the Transition Management Office of U.S. Customs and Border (CBP) for DHS. (Press Release dated 01/06/04, available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/01/20040106-2.html)
In the January 28, 2004 issue of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Bulletin (CBPBulletin) (Vol. 38, No. 5), CBP issued notices (a) proposing to revoke a classification ruling on certain waterproof clogs, (b) proposing to revoke a classification ruling regarding an artificial tree, (c) revoking a classification ruling on a canister of rain repellent, and (d) revoking a classification ruling on men's or boys' suit-type jackets. CBP states that it is also revoking, or proposing to revoke, any treatment it has previously accorded to substantially identical transactions that are contrary to its position in these notices.
The International Trade Administration (ITA) has preliminary determined to revoke the antidumping (AD) duty order on coumarin from China for all entries with a time of entry on or after February 1, 2003, the earliest date for which there are entries which have not been subject to an administrative review.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued a notice announcing that it is undertaking a pilot program to systematically review four of its current substantive regulations to ensure, to the maximum practical extent, consistency among them and with respect to accomplishing program goals.
The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA) has issued a notice stating that, effective February 2, 2004, the current limit for Group I is being increased for special shift, decreasing the limit for Group III to account for the special shift being applied to Group I.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a notice announcing that the next meeting of the Departmental Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (COAC) will be held on February 6, 2004 in Washington, DC. (This committee was previously called the "Treasury Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of the U.S. Customs Service.")
In early January 2004, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued an ABI administrative message announcing that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) prior notice affirmation of compliance for air waybill (AWB) would be edited for format: NNN-NNNNNNNN. In that message, CBP noted that this was also a change to the BN01 and BN02 records in the 'BN' application. (See ITT's Online Archives or 01/09/04 news, 04010955, for previous BP summary of previous message, Adm: 04-0031.)