As of February 20, 2012, certain compacted, plied, ring spun cotton yarns are removed from the DR-CAFTA short supply list in accordance with the Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements' (CITA) August 2011 determination that an acceptable substitute is now available in the DR-CAFTA countries in commercial quantities in a timely manner. As a result, textile and apparel articles containing the yarns will not be considered DR-CAFTA-originating if the yarns are obtained from non-DR-CAFTA sources effective for goods entered on or after February 20, 2012. CITA sources previously noted that this is the first time a product has been removed from this list.

Mexico’s Ministry of Economy has published a December 23, 2011 Diario notice that modifies its Official Standard on the labeling of textiles, apparel, accessories, and household linens. The revised Standard includes, among other things, updated definitions and labeling requirements.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission published notice of the following additional voluntary recalls for March 9, 2012:

The Consumer Product Safety Commission published notice of the following voluntary recalls for March 7-8, 2012:

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced that it canceled its meeting scheduled for March 7, 2012, where the Commission was expected to consider the agency's Fiscal Year 2012 Operating Plan. CBP posted a draft version of the plan, which states that key expenditures include import surveillance, which has been expanded; enforcement of Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) rules through field enforcement programs at establishments, retail stores, and ports; upcoming rulemakings; and efforts to upgrade and improve information technology systems; etc.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has posted a March 1, 2012 speech by Chairman Tenenbaum at the International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization Conference. Her speech covers the agency's 2012 priorities, including rulemakings, and comments on the website SaferProducts.gov.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has been advised that effective March 1, 2012, the Dominican Republic lost its eligibility for using the DR-CAFTA cumulation provisions under HTS 9822.05.11 or 9822.05.13 as the basis for preferential treatment. These provisions permit certain materials to be sourced from Mexico. CBP states a Presidential Proclamation to amend the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) as necessary to implement this change is forthcoming.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission published notice of the following voluntary recalls for March 7, 2012:

The Consumer Product Safety Commission published notice of the following voluntary recalls for March 6, 2012:

The Consumer Product Safety Commission Chairman Inez Tenenbaum addressed the American Pyrotechnics Association (APA) Education & Leadership Conference on February 22, 2012 regarding fireworks safety and the Commission's concerns about the labeling and composition of "adult snappers." The Chairman also stated the agency would be working with APA on a sparkler specific education program, as children younger than 15 years old typically account for about 40% of July 4th injuries. The CPSC Chairman noted that the agency was working closely with its Chinese counterpart, the AQSIQ (holding training sessions for stakeholders, etc.), as more than 98% of the consumer fireworks purchased in the U.S. in 2010 were made in China, with about three-quarters sourced in Hunan Province.