On March 31, 2010, President Obama signed into law the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act of 2009 (PACT Act). The law goes into effect on June 29, 2010. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is currently working to publish an Interpretive Rule, including a request for comments, in the Federal Register. This website will be updated as further developments occur.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has issued its Spring CMV Safety Belt Newsletter. The newsletter contains information on the International Registration Plan (IRP). IRP is a registration reciprocity agreement among the 48 contiguous U.S., DC, and provinces of Canada, providing for payment of fees on the basis of total distance operated in all jurisdictions.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has posted the prepared remarks of Chief Safety Officer McMurray to the National Association of Small Trucking Companies. McMurray discussed the importance of small trucks, the trucking industry, and safety. McMurray also talked about new enforcement initiatives being undertaken by the FMCSA.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control is publishing the names of two individuals in Peru and Mexico whose property and interests in property have been unblocked pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, effective June 10, 2010.

The Office of Management and Budget has approved a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration final rule that would eliminate the requirement for most for-hire motor carriers of property and freight forwarders to maintain cargo insurance in prescribed minimum amounts and file evidence of this insurance with FMCSA. Household goods motor carriers and household goods freight forwarders would continue to be subject to this cargo insurance requirement.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control has targeted a financial network of the 48th Front, a part of the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC), pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, which prohibits U.S. persons from conducting financial or commercial transactions with these individuals and entities, and freezes any assets they may have under U.S. jurisdiction.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announces a meeting via telephone on July 8, 2010, in which the Unified Carrier Registration Plan Board of Directors will continue its work in developing and implementing the Unified Carrier Registration Plan and Agreement.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission requests comments on a proposed collection of information regarding burden estimates for the marking and instructional literature requirements in the safety standard for infant walkers. Comments are due by August 20, 2010.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has published notice of the following voluntary recalls:

The U.S. Trade Representative has posted readouts from days 2-4 of the second round of negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement that took place in San Francisco, CA. On Day 2, topics raised included services and development elements in the TPP, and how USTR will stay in touch with stakeholders beyond the face-to-face meetings in San Francisco. On Day 3, several working groups from the eight TPP partner countries began negotiations on various issue areas (customs cooperation, labor, etc.), while others continued their talks. Day 4 included discussions on how best to address the needs of small- and medium-sized enterprises and supply chains across the Asia-Pacific.