On February 3, the U.S. and the 11 other parties signed the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Free Trade Agreement at a ceremony in Auckland, New Zealand. According to the requirements under Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), the signing sets deadlines for…
FASA/Gemini Testifies in Support of Adding Fashion Accessories to GSP
On February 24, FASA/Gemini testified before the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) urging the U.S. government to accept all petitions to add fashion accessories to the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program. Shortly after the testimony…
More California Prop 65 Notices
Professional California Proposition 65 litigant Anthony E. Held issued new “60-day” notices in the past few weeks alleging that brands and retailers sold Vinyl/PVC Toiletry Cases, Vinyl/PVC Wallets/Pouches, and Tote Bags with Vinyl/PVC Handles (Notice 1) in California that contained Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) in violation of a California law known as…
Senate Approves Customs Bill
On February 11, the U.S. Senate approved H.R. 644, the conference report for the long-stalled customs reauthorization legislation. President Barack Obama is expected to sign the bill shortly. The legislation contains key provisions important to the industry, including important customs trade facilitation measures such as raising the de minimis threshold and addressing duty drawback, new…
FASA/Gemini Calls on Congress to Approve Customs Bill
On January 15, FASA/Gemini joined more than a dozen organizations in calling on the Senate to immediately approve long-pending Customs legislation. The call came days after President Barack Obama made a similar call in his final State of the Union Addr…
FASA/Gemini Urges U.S. Government to Adopt Port Metrics that Provide Timely/Actionable Information
FASA/Gemini joined more than 100 organizations in urging the U.S. Department of Transportation to adopt specific port metrics that would provide timely, useful, accurate, and comparative data on the day-to-day operations of America’s ports. The U.S. Department of Transportation is tasked with developing key metrics as part of the FASA/Gemini-supported…
FASA/Gemini Opposes Proposed Changes to California Prop 65 Warning Labels
On January 25, FASA/Gemini joined over two hundred organizations in opposing the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment’s (OEHHA) latest proposal to significantly alter warning labels under California Proposition 65 (Prop 65). The comments cite concerns that certain aspects of the proposal — such as requiring the listing of…
Product Safety – More California Proposition 65 Notices Issued
New “60-day” notices have been issued alleging that brands and retailers sold wallets, handbags and clutches (Notice 1, Notice 2), clothing (Notice 1), and other items in California that contained lead in violation of a California law known as Proposition 65 (Prop 65). The notices serve as intent to bring lawsuits…
Trade – U.S. Government Hearings on GSP & Fashion Accessories
The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) scheduled hearings for February 24 to study the economic impact of adding fashion accessories (HTS Heading 4202) to the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program. The USITC hearings follow last week’s announcement that the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has also scheduled hearings for March 3-4 to review the…
Gemini Shippers Group Supports the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement
January 7, 2016 – Gemini Shippers Group today announced its support for the ratification for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Free Trade Agreement. The TPP agreement, if ratified, represents the most significant trade agreement proposed since NAFTA came into effect in 1994. The agreement brings together 12 countries with strong trading…