Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg Trade Report

Text has been proposed in the vast majority of the negotiating areas and in many cases negotiators are already removing brackets and agreeing on wording. Both sides said they are working to conclude negotiations by the end of the year.

The MPF is currently assessed at 0.3464 percent of merchandise value for entries above $2,500 (capped at $485 per entry), but the recently signed Trans-Pacific Partnership prohibits the MPF from being levied on an ad valorem basis.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has made available full calendar year 2015 import statistics showing products that could be excluded from or reinstated to the duty-free treatment available under the Generalized System of Preferences based on competitive need limitations.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission adopted unanimously Feb. 24 a proposal that Commissioner Joe Mohorovic said will free businesses from having to create compliance certificates for adult clothing made from fabrics that the CPSC says are inherently safe and compliant.

Under the rule adopted by the International Maritime Organization, shippers of packed cargo containers will have to certify and submit the verified gross mass (the combined weight of the cargo and container) to the carrier and port terminal operator sufficiently in advance of vessel loading to be used in the preparation of the ship stowage plan. Business groups are concerned that this requirement could lead to higher costs, further port congestion and slower delivery times.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued the following guidance on recordkeeping for entries/entry summaries and foreign-trade zone admissions filed in the Automated Commercial Environment.

This amount includes a $14.5 million criminal penalty as part of a non-prosecution agreement with the Department of Justice as well as $11.9 million in disgorgement and $1.8 million in prejudgment interest to be paid to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Under this arrangement U.S. carriers may operate up to 110 daily roundtrip flights between the U.S. and Cuba: 20 to Havana, and ten each to Cuba’s nine other international airports. U.S. carriers may apply for an allocation of the new opportunities by March 2.

The Coast Guard, which is coming under increasing pressure to postpone the new requirement, will attend this session to hear concerns and feedback from industry and stakeholders.