U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted to its Web site a notice announcing the opening of the tariff-rate quota (TRQ) on fibers of cotton as provided for in HTS Chapter 52, Additional U.S. Note (AUSN) 10 for the period September 11, 2004 through September 10, 2005.
The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA) has published a notice regarding a petition submitted on behalf of Narroflex Inc., which had alleged that two coated, fusible interlining fabrics for use in waistbands1 (also termed ultra-fine elastomeric crochet fabrics), classified in HTS 5903.90.2500, which had been previously determined by CITA in April 2003 not to be available in commercial quantities in a timely manner, were in fact availablefrom the domestic industry.
On September 7, 2004, President Bush signed Proclamation 7808 which makes various changes to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) with respect to: the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Acceleration Act of 2004 (AGOA III), the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a press release announcing that the U.S. and Poland have signed an agreement, the Immigration Advisory Program (IAP), which is designed to substantially reduce the number of Polish citizens arriving via direct flights from Warsaw who are denied entry at U.S. airports because of invalid or expired visas or other defective entry documents. (CBP press release, dated 09/08/04, available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/press_releases/09082004.xml)
The International Trade Commission (ITC) has instituted two investigations on the probable effect of proposed modifications to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) rules of origin for certain textile articles from Canada and/or Mexico, as U.S. negotiators have recently reached agreements in principle with these countries on such modifications. Comments for these investigations are due by September 23, 2004.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued an ABI administrative message which amends the interim procedures it issued on June 22, 2004 for processing entries of "prototypes" entered under HTS 9817.85.01.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) regarding the Bioterrorism Act (BTA) for Prior Notice (PN) of imported foods and the registration of food facilities.
The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA) has issued a notice requesting public comments by September 23, 2004 regarding a "commercial availability" petition it received under the U.S.-Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBTPA) on behalf of Jaclyn, Inc. of New York:
The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA) has issued a notice requesting public comments by September 23, 2004 regarding a "commercial availability" petition it received under the U.S.-Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBTPA) on behalf of Mast Industries, Inc.:
In the September 1, 2004 issue of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Bulletin (CBP Bulletin) (Vol. 38, No. 36), CBP issued a notice proposing to revoke a classification ruling on an air blow gun kit. CBP states that it is also proposing to revoke any treatment it has previously accorded to substantially identical transactions that are contrary to its position in this notice.