The World Customs Organization has posted a press release announcing that on October 22, 2008, Ecuador deposited with the WCO Secretary General its instrument of accession to the International Convention on the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (Harmonized System). This makes Ecuador the 135th Contracting Party to the Harmonized System Convention. (WCO, dated 11/07/08, available at http://www.wcoomd.org/press/default.aspx?lid=1&id=168)
Latest Harmonized System updates
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. has issued a release regarding its hosting of more than 1,000 leading suppliers, Chinese officials, and NGOs in Beijing, China. The company outlined a series of aggressive goals and expectations to build a more environmentally and socially responsible global supply chain. (Wal-Mart press release, dated 10/22/08, available at http://walmartstores.com/FactsNews/NewsRoom/8696.aspx.)
The Census Bureau has issued an Automated Export System broadcast announcing that, effective immediately, the Harmonized Tariff Schedule numbers have been updated in the AES Import Concordance.
The Census Bureau has issued an Automated Export System broadcast announcing that, effective immediately, the Harmonized Tariff Schedule numbers in the AES Import Concordance have been updated. (The AES Import Concordance is a list of all of the HTS numbers that may be used in AES.)
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has issued a notice to inform the public of the new Lacey Act provisions enacted by the 2008 Farm Bill, including the declaration required to be submitted at time of importation for certain plants and plant products that takes effect on December 15, 2008, and APHIS' plan for phasing-in and enforcing this requirement.
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Dingell (D-MI) and the Chairman of its Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, Stupak, announced that the Committee is expanding its food safety investigation following the recent outbreak in China involving contaminated milk products. (Press release, dated 10/02/08, available at http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_110/110nr361.shtml)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a CSMS message announcing recent changes to the 2008 Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HS Update No. 0805), which include the following:
On Monday, September 15, 2008, the President signed into law H.R. 6532, which transfers $8.017 billion to the Highway Trust Fund from the Treasury General Fund. (White House statement, dated 09/15/08, available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/09/20080915-11.html.)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted the agenda, presentations, and materials used during the September 8 - 11, 2008 meeting of the Trade Support Network (TSN) held in Tyson's Corner, VA.
The Port of Long Beach reports that a U.S. District Court judge refused Monday, September 8, 2008, to stop the Port of Long Beach's Clean Trucks Program, which begins October 1st. The American Trucking Association had sought a preliminary injunction to block the Port from using a concession system to require trucking firms to dispatch only clean trucks to the Port and dispatch only drivers who have undergone a security background check and obtained a federal Transportation Worker Identification Credential. (LB port press release available at http://www.polb.com/news/displaynews.asp?NewsID=445&targetid=1 )