As the holiday season approaches, the United States Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs released the current Administration’s Fall 2019 Unified Agenda.
The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs is responsible for overseeing the Federal Government’s regulatory, paperwork, and information resource management activities.
The Unified Agenda provides uniform reporting of data on regulatory and deregulatory activities under development throughout the Federal Government.
Release semi-annually, the Unified Agenda provides information about regulations that the U.S. Government is considering or reviewing. The Unified Agenda serves as a uniform platform for reporting of data on regulatory and deregulatory activities under development throughout Federal Institutions and has appeared in the Federal Register twice each year since 1983.
Approximately 60 departments, Partner Government Agencies (PGA), and commissions provided plans for new rules and regulations to be addressed over the course of the next 12-months.
fall 2019 unified agenda highlights
FOOD & DRUG ADMINISTRATION (FDA)
- To propose new record keeping requirements for the handling of “high-risk” foods.
- Proposed rule due by Sept. 8, 2020
- Final rule due by September 2022
- Final list of “high-risk” food also due
- To propose rule that revises written assurance requirements under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) regulations.
- Removes written assurance from downstream customers
- While the “manufacturer/processor would still be required to provide documentation that the food has not been processed to control the hazard, that manufacturer/processor would no longer be required to obtain written assurance from the commercial customer that the hazard will be controlled.”
- To propose allowing U.S. pharmacists and wholesalers to import prescription drugs from Canada.
- Currently under review, set to be issued by January 2020
FISH & WILDLIFE SERVICE (FWS)
- Proposed to expand the number of designated ports that are allowed to process the importation and exportation of wildlife, such as like venomous reptiles.
- Denver, Dulles, Erlanger, Fort Lauderdale, Norfolk, Philadelphia, Savannah and Tampa – plus, several non-designated offices along U.S.-Canada and U.S.-Mexico borders.
COMMERCE DEPARTMENT (DOC)
- Targeting transshipments evasion under Section 232 tariffs, a new proposal will require license import applicants to identify where the steel (that is used in the manufacturing of a product) was melted and poured via the Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (USDA)
- The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is finalizing a set a de minimis exception for Lacey Act declaration by January 2020.
TREASURY DEPARTMENT
- Proposal would require all bonds to be filed by sureties using electronic data interchange (EDI) or email – to be known as “eBonds.”
- Proposed new fee for Inbound Express Mail by the United States Postal Service (USPS)
- Based on the Synthetics Trafficking and Overdose Prevention Act (STOP)
- Proposed final rule that requires CBP to identify the completion of the transfer of funds when final statement processing via the Automated Clearinghouse (ACH) is used.
For more information regarding the Fall 2019 Unified Agenda, visit https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/eAgendaMain.
As Green continues to monitor the situation, stay up-to-date on freight and trade news by following us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. For continuous updates, make sure to check out our website at greenworldwide.com.
