In his weekly address, President Barack Obama announced the appointment of Dr. Margaret Hamburg as Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, as well as the creation of a new Food Safety Working Group to coordinate with agencies and senior officials to advise the President on improving coordination throughout the government, examining and upgrading food safety laws, and enforcing laws that will keep the American people safe. In addition, the President also announced that the Department of Agriculture will close a loophole to prevent diseased cows from entering the food supply and the government will invest in the FDA to substantially increase the number of food inspectors and modernize food safety labs. (White House statement, dated 03/14/09, available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Weekly-Address-President-Barack-Obama-Announces-Key-FDA-Appointments-and-Tougher-Food-Safety-Measures/.)
The International Trade Commission has instituted a section 337 patent-based investigation of certain adjustable keyboard support systems and components thereof, pursuant to a complaint.
CBP has posted the testimony of Acting Commission Ahern on the Secure Border Initiative before the House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Homeland Security. (Testimony, given 03/10/09, available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/congressional_test/ahern_sbi.xml)
The International Trade Commission has instituted a section 337 patent-based investigation of certain optoelectronic devices, components thereof, and products containing the same, pursuant to a complaint.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection recently posted to its Web site a frequently asked question (FAQ) document regarding its interim final rule that amended 19 CFR effective January 26, 2009, to require Security Filing (SF) information from importers and additional information from carriers (10+2) for vessel (maritime) cargo before it is brought into the U.S.
CBP has posted its report to Congress on ACE for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2008 (July 1, 2008 to September 30, 2008). The report provides an update on ACE accomplishments, challenges, fiscal status, and upcoming program milestones. (See future issue of ITT for details on the report) (Report, dated 02/27/09, available at http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/trade/automated/modernization/ace/quarterly_reports/ace_4thqtr_08.ctt/ace_4thqtr_08.pdf)
A reintroduced bill to require user protections in P2P software would require a revision of the Distributed Computing Industry Association’s inadvertent-sharing protection principles, the group’s leader said Thursday. The Informed P2P User Act (HR-1319) by Rep. Mary Mack, R-Calif., which has support from Commerce Committee Ranking Member Joe Barton, R-Texas, was also offered late last year. It would require finer-grained user controls over P2P software than companies have been willing to offer.
The International Trade Commission has instituted a section 337 patent-based investigation of certain non-shellfish derived glucosamine and products containing same, pursuant to a complaint.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has posted its response to a request for an exclusion from the children's product lead content limits of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA) for crystal and glass beads. Like other CPSC responses to such requests, CPSC states it lacks the authority to issue temporary or "emergency" final rules granting exemptions that do not comply with the procedures proscribed by the CPSIA. (See ITT's Online Archives or 02/17/09 news, 09021715, for BP summary of this and other exemption requests and similar CPSC responses.) (CPSC general counsel's response, dated 02/24/09, available at http://www.cpsc.gov/library/foia/foia09/petition/pp41_resp.pdf)
On February 25, 2009, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1105, the fiscal year 20091 omnibus appropriations bill, which is intended to "wrap up work" on the remaining FY 2009 appropriations bills2.