On May 20, 2003, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) issued a proposed rule to require imported solid wood packing material (SWPM) to be either heat treated or fumigated with methyl bromide, as well as marked, prior to importation, in accordance with the International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPM) 15 entitled "Guidelines for Regulating Wood Packaging Material in International Trade." ISPM 15 was approved by the Interim Commission on Phytosanitary Measures of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) on March 15, 2002.
| Proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2005 for border security and enforcement and immigration services | 03/30/04 | Subcommittee on Homeland Security; Senate Committee on Appropriations |
| Aviation security | 03/30/04 | Subcommittee on Aviation; Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation |
| Science and Technology | 03/30/04 | Subcommittee on Homeland Security; House Committee on Appropriations |
| U.S. Coast Guard | 03/31/04 | Subcommittee on Homeland Security; House Committee on Appropriations |
| Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection | 04/01/04 | Subcommittee on Homeland Security; House Committee on Appropriations |
| \"U.S.-China Trade: Preparations for the Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade\" | 03/31/04 | Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection; House Committee on Energy and Commerce |
| \"A Review to Assess Progress with the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection's Targeting Program for Sea Cargo\" | 03/31/04 | Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations; House Committee on Energy and Commerce |
| \"A System Rued: Inspecting Food\" | 03/30/04 | Subcommittee on Civil Service and Agency Organization; House Committee on Government Reform |
| Mark up of: H.R. 3978, Designation of Foreign Terrorist Organizations Reform Act and H. Res. 576, Urging the Government of the People's Republic of China to improve its protection of intellectual property rights | 03/31/04 | House Committee on International Relations |
| Nuclear, Biological, Chemical, Radiological Threats to the Homeland | 03/30/04 | Subcommittee on Terrorism and Homeland Security; House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence |
| \"Homeland Cybersecurity and DHS Enterprise Architecture Budget Hearing for Fiscal Year 2005\" | 03/30/04 | Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Science and Research and Development; House Select Committee on Homeland Security |
The International Trade Administration (ITA) has issued a notice stating that at the request of the petitioner, International Imaging Materials, Inc. (IIMAK), it has further postponed the final antidumping (AD) duty determination on wax and wax/resin thermal transfer ribbons from South Korea until no later than March 29, 2004 (from March 22, 2004).
The World Customs Organization (WCO) is encouraging all its Members to implement recommended security measures without delay, in light of the March 11, 2004 terrorist attacks in Madrid, Spain.
| H.R. 3993 |
| H.R. 4004 |
| H.R. 3979 |
The Commerce Department's Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA) has issued its January 2004 Textiles and Apparel Import Report, which includes statistics on general imports (both quota and non-quota) of cotton, wool, man-made fiber, silk blend, and non-cotton vegetable fiber textiles and apparel.
The Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has issued a notice to the wildlife import/export community, dated March 12, 2004, detailing the universal labeling requirements for sturgeon and paddlefish caviar that were adopted by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
As required by the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 2003 (P.L. 107-228), the Census Bureau has been developing regulations to mandate filing through the Automated Export System (AES) of all exports that require Shipper's Export Declaration (SED) information.
According to Presidential Proclamation 7758, which was issued on March 1, 2004, as well as U.S. governmental sources, Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) duty free treatment will terminate for goods entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption, on or after May 1, 2004 from the following seven countries:
Customs Not in Contempt for Revoking is Approval for the "Duty-free" Sale of Fuels.In Ammex, Inc. v. U.S., the Court of Appeal for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) affirmed the Court of International Trade's (CIT's) denial of Ammex's motion to hold Customs in contempt because it revoked approval of the sale of gasoline and diesel fuel on a duty- and tax-free basis at the Ambassador Bridge between Detroit, MI and Windsor, Canada.