The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has issued a notice stating that the President's Export Council Subcommittee on Export Administration (PECSEA) will hold a partially open meeting on February 25, 2004 in Washington, DC. According to BIS, PECSEA provides advice on matters regarding portions of the Export Administration Act, as amended, that deal with U.S. policies of encouraging and controlling certain trade. (FR Pub 02/03/04, available at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2004/pdf/04-2112.pdf)
(a) The ITA states that La Pointe & Roy, as both producer and exporter, has a de minimis CV rate of 0.08%. As a result, suspension of liquidation continues, but at a CV cash deposit rate of zero.
The International Trade Administration (ITA) frequently issues notices on antidumping (AD) and countervailing (CV) duty orders which Broker Power considers to be "minor" in importance as they concern actions that occur after an order is issued and neither announce nor cause any changes to an order's duty rates, scope, affected firms, or effective period.
On October 27, 2003, the State Department published a final rule that amended the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) to indicate that exporters that are required to report shippers export information for U.S. Munitions List (USML) hardware must use the Automated Export System (AES).
The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has issued two notices announcing that it has received two new, similar petitions as described below. According the FMC, interested persons are requested to submit comments on these petitions on or before February 13, 2004.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has posted to its Web site the draft text of the U.S.-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), which is dated January 28, 2004.
The International Trade Administration (ITA) has issued a notice announcing the opportunity to request administrative reviews of the following antidumping (AD) and countervailing (CV) duty orders or suspended investigations:
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reports that the European Union (EU) is poised to impose trade sanctions on billions of dollars of U.S. goods starting in March 2004, as congressional leaders signaled their inability to reach agreement on repeal of the U.S. Foreign Sales Corp./Extraterritorial Income Exclusion Act (FSC/ETI) tax regime. The World Trade Organization (WTO) has ruled this tax deduction illegal and given the EU permission to impose as much as $4 billion in sanctions a year. According to an EU official, if the law isn't repealed, the EU is certain to retaliate starting March 1, 2004. (WSJ Pub, 01/26/04, www.wallstreetjournal.com)
| The President's fiscal year (FY) 2005 budget proposals | 02/03/04 | Senate Committee on the Budget |
| The President's FY 2005 budget proposals | 02/04/04 | Senate Committee on the Budget |
| Maintaining confidence in consumer products relating to mad cow disease | 02/05/04 | Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions |
| The Administration's Budget for FY 2005 | 02/03/04 | House Committee on the Budget |
| The Department of the Treasury Budget Priorities FY 2005 | 02/04/04 | House Committee on the Budget |
| Effective Strategies Against Terrorism | 02/03/04 | Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations; House Committee on Government Reform |
| Law Enforcement Efforts within the Department of Homeland Security | 02/03/04 | Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations; House Committee on the Judiciary |
| The Administration's Budget Proposals for FY 2005 | 02/03/04 & 02/04/04 | House Committee on Ways and Means |
The General Accounting Office (GAO) has issued a report entitled, International Trade: U.S. Customs and Border Protection Faces Challenges in Addressing Illegal Textile Transshipment in response to requests from the Chairmen and Ranking Minority Members of the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee.