Miscellaneous International Trade Notices
On October 5, 2004, a House and Senate Conference Committee approved HR 4520, the Jumpstart Our Business Strength (JOBS) bill. Among other things, the JOBS bill would repeal the Foreign Sales Corporation/Extraterritorial Income Act (FSC/ETI) in order to end a trade dispute with the European Union (EU). The EU has imposed additional duties on certain U.S.-origin products as a result of the U.S.' failure to repeal the WTO-illegal FSC/ETI. As the conferees have approved this bill, it is now ready for full Congressional action. (See ITT's Online Archives or 07/07/04 news, 04070715, for BP summary of the House-passed version of 4520.) (HR 4520 Bill Summary available at http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery)
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1. House and Senate Conference Committee Approves Bill to Repeal FSC/ETI
2. WCO Regional Conference Adopts Declaration for Customs Capacity Building in N. Africa and Near, Middle East
The World Customs Organization (WCO) has issued a press release announcing that the "Message of Amman," a declaration committing support to Customs capacity building in the North of Africa and the Near and Middle East, was adopted at the WCO's regional conference held in Amman, Jordan on September 8-10, 2004. (WCO press release, dated 09/20/04, available at http://www.wcoomd.org/ie/En/Press/press.html)
3. Biometric ID System is Operational at All 148 CBP Border Patrol Stations
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in joint effort with the Justice Department, has announced that integrated ten-print biometric identification technology is operating in all 148 U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Border Patrol stations throughout the country. According to DHS, the advanced capability allows CBP Border Patrol agents to simultaneously search the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI's) fingerprint database (the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS)) and DHS' Automated Biometric Identification System (IDENT). (DHS press release, dated 09/21/04, available at http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/display?content=4030)
4. Foreign-Trade Zones Board Actions
The Foreign-Trade Zones Board (FTZB) has issued the following notices of recent FTZB actions:
| FTZ Applicant | Company or action |
|---|---|
| Greater Rockford Airport Authority (FTZ 176) | Application for expansion/reorganization |
| Indiana Port Commission (FTZ 170) | Approval of expansion |
| Gregg County, TX (FTZ 234) | Eubank Manufacturing Enterprises, Inc. |
FTZ notices (FR Pub 10/01/04) available at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/06jun20041800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2004/pdf/04-22134.pdf
5. Various Agencies Seek Comments on Information Collections
The following agencies are seeking comments on the following information collections for which they have requested or intend to request Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval (see notices for specific details):
| Agency | Information Collection | Comments Due |
|---|---|---|
| ITC | Purchaser Questionnaire, Foundry Products | Comments may be submitted1 |
| CBP | Report of Loss, Detention, or Accident by Bonded Carrier, Cartman, Lighterman, Foreign Trade Zone Operator, or Centralized Examination Station Operator | 11/22/042 |
| CBP | Commercial Invoice | 11/22/042 |
| CBP | User Fees (Form CBP-339) | 11/22/042 |
| CBP | Declaration of Ultimate Consignee That Articles Were Exported for Temporary Scientific or Educational Purposes | 11/22/042 |
| CBP | CBP Regulations for Customhouse Brokers | 11/22/042 |
| CBP | Cost Submission (Form CBP-247) | 11/22/042 |
| APHIS | Importation of Restricted and Controlled Animal and Poultry Products and Byproducts, Organisms, and Vectors into the United States | 11/29/043 |
| CBP | Canadian Border Boat Landing Permit (Form I-68) | 12/06/044 |
1FR Pub 09/20/04, available at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/06jun20041800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2004/pdf/04-21142.pdf
2FR Pub 09/21/04, available at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/06jun20041800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2004/pdf/04-21157.pdf, http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/06jun20041800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2004/pdf/04-21159.pdf, and http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/06jun20041800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2004/pdf/04-21164.pdf
3FR Pub 09/29/04, available at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/06jun20041800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2004/pdf/E4-2409.pdf
4FR Pub 10/05/04, available at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/06jun20041800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2004/pdf/04-22335.pdf