Miscellaneous International Trade Notices
The House Ways and Means Committee has issued a press release announcing that on December 7, 2005, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 4340, the U.S.-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act of 2005. According to the press release, H.R. 4340 must now be approved by the Senate before being sent to the President to be signed. (Ways and Means press release, dated 12/07/05, available at http://waysandmeans.house.gov/News.asp?FormMode=release&ID=359.)
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
If your job depends on informed compliance, you need International Trade Today. Delivered every business day and available any time online, only International Trade Today helps you stay current on the increasingly complex international trade regulatory environment.
1. House Passes U.S.-Bahrain FTA Implementing Legislation
2. U.S. Welcomes Proposed WTO Amendment on Access to Medicines
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a press release stating that the U.S. welcomes the agreement reached in the World Trade Organization (WTO) regarding a proposed amendment that would allow countries to override patent rights when necessary to export life-saving drugs to developing countries that face public health crises but cannot produce drugs for themselves. Under the rules of the WTO, the amendment will now be circulated to WTO members for adoption. WTO members have until December 1, 2007 to accept the amendment. The amendment will go into effect, for those members that adopt it, once 2/3 of the membership has adopted it. USTR facts on providing access to medicines available at http://www.ustr.gov/assets/Document_Library/Fact_Sheets/2005/asset_upload_file330_8514.pdf (USTR Press Release, dated 12/06/05, available at http://www.ustr.gov/Document_Library/Press_Releases/2005/December/United_States_Welcomes_Negotiations_Leading_to_Positive_Outcome_on_Enhancing_Access_to_Medicines.html)
3. BIS Corrects Spelling of Russian Entity on its Unverified List
The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has issued a notice correcting the inadvertent misspelling of a name of an entity that was recently added to BIS' Unverified List. BIS states that in an October 31, 2005 notice it added five new entities to the Unverified List, one of which was inadvertently misspelled. BIS is now revising the Unverified List to reflect that the correct information for this entity is: Etalon Company, 20B Berezhkovskaya Naberezhnaya, Moscow, Russia. (See ITT's Online Archives or 11/02/05 news, 05110215, for BP summary of BIS' October 31, 2005 notice which reflected BIS' misspelling.) (BIS notice, FR Pub 12/08/05, available at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20051800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2005/pdf/05-23805.pdf.)
4. DHS' Data Privacy and Integrity Advisory Committee Meeting
The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS') has issued a notice announcing that the Data Privacy and Integrity Advisory Committee was scheduled to meet on December 6, 2005 in Washington, DC. The meeting was to include a partially closed session. (FR Pub 11/16/05, available at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20051800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2005/pdf/05-22711.pdf)
5. President Continues National Emergency With Respect to Iran
The President has issued a notice, dated November 9, 2005, announcing his decision to continue the national emergency declared with respect to Iran for one year. This national emergency was originally declared on November 14, 1979. (FR Pub 11/10/05, available at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20051800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2005/pdf/05-22583.pdf)
6. TSA Issues Interpretive Rule Allowing Small Scissors & Tools on Aircraft
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has issued an interpretive rule to enable transportation security officers to concentrate on more effectively confronting the threat of concealed explosives being taken into the cabin of an aircraft. According to TSA, this interpretive rule, effective December 22, 2005, removes certain low threat, high volume, and easily identified items from the prohibited items list. Specifically, the items being removed from the prohibited items list are small scissors and certain small tools. (FR Pub 12/08/05, available at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20051800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2005/pdf/05-23817.pdf)
7. Various Agencies Seek Comments on Information Collections
Various U.S. government agencies are seeking comments on the following information collections for which they have requested Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval or extension of approval (see notices for specific details):
| Agency | Information Collection | Comments Due |
|---|---|---|
| APHIS | Importation of Clementines from Spain | 30 days of 09/27/05 |
| BIS | Firearms Convention | 12/12/05 |
| BIS | Statement by Ultimate Consignee and Purchaser (BIS Form 711) | 12/12/05 |
| TSA | Application for Participation in Biometric Device Performance Qualification Testing Program | 12/12/05 |
| TTB | Application and Permits to Ship Liquors and Articles of Puerto Rican Manufacture Taxpaid (TTB Form 5170.7) | 11/17/05 |
| TTB | Export Warehouse Proprietor (TTB Form 5220.4) | 11/17/05 |
| TTB | Manufacturer of Tobacco Products or Cigarette Papers and Tubes (TTB Form 5210.5) | 11/17/05 |
| TTB | Withdrawal of Spirits, Specially Denatured Spirits or Wines for Exportation (TTB Form 5100.11) | 11/17/05 |
| TTB | Application for Operating Permit Under 26 U.S. C. 5171 (d) (TTB Form 5110.25) | 11/17/05 |
| TTB | Application for a Permit as a Manufacture of Tobacco Products or an Export Warehouse Proprietor, Application for an Amended Permit as a Manufacture of Tobacco Products or an Export Warehouse Proprietor; Application for Permit Under 26 U.S.C. Chapter 52, Importer of Tobacco Products and Application for an Amended Permit Under 26 U.S.C. 5712, Importer of Tobacco Products. (TTB Form 5200.3, 5200.16, 5230.4, and 5230.5) | 11/17/05 |
| APHIS | User Fee Regulation, 7 CFR 354 and 9 CFR 130 | 11/11/05 |
| AMS | Specified Commodities Imported into the United States Exempt from Import Requirements | 12/19/05 |
| DOC | BISNIS Publication Subscription Form | 11/24/05 |
(BIS Information Collection, FR Pub 10/13/05, available at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20051800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2005/pdf/05-20473.pdf)
(BIS Information Collection, FR Pub 10/13/05, available at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20051800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2005/pdf/05-20474.pdf)
(TSA Information Collection, FR Pub 10/14/05, available at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20051800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2005/pdf/05-20578.pdf)
(TTB Information Collection, FR Pub 10/18/05, available at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20051800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2005/pdf/05-20762.pdf)
(APHIS Information Collection, FR Pub 10/18/05, available at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20051800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2005/pdf/05-20827.pdf)
(AMS Information Collection, FR Pub 10/18/05, available at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20051800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2005/pdf/05-20861.pdf)
(DOC Information Collection, FR Pub 10/26/05, available at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20051800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2005/pdf/05-21328.pdf)