On March 1, 2011, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative posted to its website the President’s 2011 Trade Policy Agenda and 2010 Annual Report, which contains information on his trade priorities, including exports, free trade agreements, trade preferences, intellectual property rights, and enforcement.
On January 23, 2011, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Administrator Ferro addressed the California Trucking Association’s Annual Management Conference and discussed an upcoming formal proposal for U.S.-Mexico cross-border trucking; the opportunity to comment on proposed rules on hours of service, electronic on-board recorders, etc.; the roll-out of the Comprehensive Safety Analysis (CSA); and the goal for surface transportation funding.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative states that during the fifth round of Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, which wrapped up on February 18, the negotiators agreed to intensify their work and outlined what USTR believes is an “ambitious” agenda for the next round in Singapore set to begin March 28, 2011.
On February 15, 2011, the House Energy and Commerce Committee adopted an oversight plan for the 112th Congress (2011-2012)1. According to the Committee, the plan sets forth some markers on what the Committee intends to do on oversight during the 112th Congress. According to Committee Chairman Upton (R), the plan does not limit in any way the matters that the Committee may decide to look into during the next two years.
In January 2011, the Food and Drug Administration announced the availability of a report, " FDA Transparency Initiative: Improving Transparency to Regulated Industry," in response to a request for input from regulated companies. Comments are due by March 8, 2011.
The Census Bureau has issued a proposed rule to amend the Foreign Trade Regulations (FTR, 15 CFR Part 30) to modify the post-departure filing program (also referred to as Option 4) by changing the filing time frame to five calendar days (from ten) and only allowing post-departure reporting for certain listed approved commodities.