The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a press release announcing that on September 14, 2004, the U.S. and Bahrain signed the U.S.-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
After adopting numerous amendments, on September 14, 2004 the Senate passed its version of H.R. 4567, the fiscal year (FY) 2005 appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). (See ITT's Online Archives or 07/08/04 news, 04070810, for BP summary of the June 18, 2004 passage by the House of Representatives of its own version of H.R. 4567.) (Congressional Record dated 09/14/04, available at http://thomas.loc.gov/r108/r108d14se4.html.)
The Journal of Commerce Online (JoC Online) has reported that as of 7 a.m. on September 13, 2004, the Ports of Tampa, Manatee, and St. Petersburg, FL were reopened to normal vessel traffic. In addition, JoC Online reports that Port Canaveral's harbor re-opened on Friday to ships with drafts of as much as 28 feet. JoC Online explains that this port had been closed since September 3, 2004 due to heavy silting of its approach channels. (JoC Online Pub 09/13/04 and 09/10/04, www.joc.com)
The International Trade Commission (ITC) has instituted an investigation (No. 1205-6) on proposed modifications to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the U.S. (HTS), pursuant to 19 USC 3005.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a notice announcing the initiation of a review to consider the designation of Serbia and Montenegro as a beneficiary developing country under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program.
The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA) has issued a notice stating that, effective September 13, 2004, certain textile and apparel articles from Tanzania are eligible for duty-free treatment under the "handloomed, handmade, and folklore articles" provision of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a notice requesting comments on a list of goods whose duties may be increased in the event the U.S. cannot reach agreement with the European Union (EU) for adequate compensation owed under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules as a result of EU enlargement and EU changes to its rice import regime.
The Journal of Commerce reports that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has asked for permission to keep the hours-of-service (HOS) final rule for truck drivers in effect for at least six more months while it tries to revise it after it was vacated by a court decision in July. (See ITT's Online Archives or 09/08/04 news, 04090810, for the FMCSA's filing to stay the court decision.) (JoC, dated 09/06/04, www.joc.com)
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.
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: