On March 16, 2010, the Congressional Research Service issued a report entitled “the Haitian Economy and the HOPE Act.” The CRS report discussed the impact that Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement Acts of 2006 and 2008 (i.e., HOPE I and HOPE II) has had on the Haitian economy. Many of the legislative improvements discussed in the CRS report were included in the Haiti Economic Lift Program (HELP) Act, which was signed into law on May 24, 2010.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced a closed meeting on June 16, 2010, in which the staff will brief the Commission on various compliance matters.

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

The Commerce Department states that senior Commerce officials and more than 400 companies from the U.S, Haiti and the Dominican Republic attended the “Building a New Haiti: Commerce, Business, Investment” conference in Montrouis on June 10, 2010 -- the first meeting to bring companies from all three countries together since the January 12 earthquake.

Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Manufacturing and Services Lamb-Hale attended the IPC -- Association Connecting Electronics Industries executive market and technology conference, stating that the Obama Administration has committed to a next-generation manufacturing agenda by partnering with the private sector to spur innovation.

Representing the U.S. Department of Commerce, General Counsel Cameron Kerry emphasized the importance of strengthening commercial ties between the United States and Spain at New America Alliance's June 9, 2010 Spain-U.S. Latino Business Forum. The goal of the forum was to connect U.S. Latino and Spanish firms to stimulate U.S.-Spanish commercial growth.

The Department of Justice has issued a press release announcing that AU Optronics Corporation, the largest Taiwanese thin-film transistor-liquid crystal display panels (TFT-LCD) producer and seller, its Houston-based American subsidiary, and certain executives have been indicted for participating in a LCD price-fixing conspiracy.

On June 10, 2010, the Commerce Department's Census and Economic Analysis Bureaus released its April 2010 U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services report, which showed that U.S. exports in April 2010 decreased by 0.7 percent to $148.8 billion from their March 2010 level. Imports in April decreased 0.4 percent over March to $189.1 billion.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has posted highlights of Deputy USTR Marantis' June 9-10, 2010 meetings in Vietnam. Issues discussed included continued implementation of Vietnam’s WTO commitments, protection of intellectual property rights, agricultural biotechnology, market access for U.S. potatoes, fruits and beef, and other topics.

The Defense Department has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget a proposed rule, FAR Case 2009-041, Sudan Waiver Process.