On February 29, 2012 the following trade-related bills and resolutions were introduced:
During the February 29, 2012 House Ways and Means Committee hearing on the President’s trade agenda, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk testified that the U.S. is working with the governments of Columbia and Panama to fulfill their commitments so their free trade agreements can take effect soon. He stated that the administration wants to conclude the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) talks this year with an agreement that will address cross-cutting issues such as promoting regulatory coherence among countries, enhancing the participation of small businesses in Asia-Pacific trade, and building regional supply chains that promote U.S. jobs.
The Foreign Trade Zones Board has issued a final rule, effective April 30, 20121, to comprehensively revise and update the Foreign Trade Zone regulations in 15 CFR Part 400. Key revisions in the final rule pertain to activities in and procedures for zones in which an imported component is combined with one or more other components to create a different finished product, and expedited access to FTZ benefits for U.S. manufacturers.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service reports that the Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Codex Task Force on Animal Feeding concluded its Sixth Session in Berne, Switzerland on February 24, 2012. The Task Force focused on drafting Proposed Guidelines on the Application of Risk Assessment for Feed and the proposed Prioritized List of Hazards in Feed.
The International Trade Administration has published its quarterly list of (i) completed antidumping and countervailing duty scope rulings and anticircumvention determinations; and (ii) pending scope inquiries and anticircumvention rulings.
The International Trade Administration has initiated an administrative review for certain firms subject to the antidumping duty order on wooden bedroom furniture from China. The ITA intends to issue the final results of this review not later than January 31, 2013.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, together with more than 30 trade associations and business groups, sent a letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on DOJ’s expected guidance on enforcement under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The letter calls for DOJ to address key definitions under the statute, corporate compliance programs in enforcement decisions, and parent-subsidiary and successor liability, and to establish an exception for de minimis gifts, among other considerations.
The Foreign Trade Zones Board has issued a final rule, effective April 30, 20121, to comprehensively revise and update the Foreign Trade Zone regulations in 15 CFR Part 400. Key revisions in the final rule pertain to activities in and procedures for zones in which an imported component is combined with one or more other components to create a different finished product, and expedited access to FTZ benefits for U.S. manufacturers.
The International Trade Administration has issued the final results of the antidumping duty administrative review of fresh garlic from China (A-570-831). The final results continue the China-wide AD cash deposit rate at the same amount, effective February 27, 2012. A message from U.S. Customs and Border Protection is expected soon.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control has issued General License No. 5a under the Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferators Sanctions Regulations (31 CFR 544), Iranian Transactions Regulations (31 CFR 560), and Executive Order 13599 on "Blocking Property of the Government of Iran and Iranian Financial Institutions," to authorize certain transactions related to the arrest in Mundra, India, detention, and judicial sale of the MV Dianthe, a vessel on OFAC’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons list. Such transactions include, but are not limited to: (i) bidding on the purchase of the vessels; (ii) paying deposits; (iii) providing financing, insurance, or funding in connection with the purchase; (iv) repairing or modifying the Vessel for commercial use; etc. This authorization expires on November 30, 2012.