Due to the Labor Day Holiday and Fall Leadership Days, the next issue of the Capital Report will be published on Sept. 15.
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This Week in Congress
Congress is still on their summer recess. They plan to return the week of Sept. 8. Read more... |
Hazardous Materials Shipping Regulation May Save Millions for Vendors and Distributors
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has proposed a definition for ‘‘reverse logistics’’ for hazardous materials in the Federal Register on Aug. 11. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) revises the definition of hazardous materials such as lead acid batteries that are intended to be returned to or between a vendor, distributor and manufacturer for the purpose of returning for credit, recalling product, replacement or similar reason. Read more... |
Retailing Group asks Supreme Court to hear Appeal on Debit Fee Rules
NACS (formerly known as National Association of Convenience Stores) filed a petition for certiorari on Aug. 18, asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review a federal appeals court ruling on debit card regulations under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. The law attempted to reign in interchange fees charged by major credit card companies. NACS was the lead on a large, broad-based coalition of retailers in the original lawsuit against the Federal Reserve Board (the Fed [see Capital Report on 3/31/14]). Read more... |
National Association of Manufacturers Seek Business Input on Cost of Federal Regulations
The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) is looking for real stories from businesses about the true cost of federal regulations on manufacturing companies. The outreach is part of a broad survey of manufacturers that will facilitate the push to ease the burdens placed on companies through growing regulations. Read more... |
DOT Releases Advance Notice on Proposed Rulemaking for Vehicle to Vehicle Communications
On Aug. 18, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) safety arm, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), released the final report on the Safety Pilot Model Deployment that studied Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) technologies in Ann Arbor, Mich. Along with that report, NHTSA also released an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) that will serve as the initial blueprint for the development of a national regulation on V2V and V2I technologies. Read more... |
Polling Shows Public Agrees on Money for Roads, but Disagrees on How to Pay for It
The Reason Foundation released the results of an August poll that asked respondents about whether there should be more money spent on transportation and infrastructure, and how Congress should pay for those programs. .Specifically, the poll asked 1,000 adults whether the government spends transportation money efficiently; whether more money should be devoted to transportation construction projects; whether the federal gas tax should be raised in order to generate more money for transportation; and other topics. Read more... |
USTR Seeks Comments on Annual Inventory of Key Foreign Trade Barriers
The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is requesting comments to assist in identifying significant barriers to U.S. exports of goods, services and U.S. foreign direct investment for inclusion in the National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers (NTE). Read more... |
U.S.-Japan Negotiators Fail to Reach Deal on Lowering Auto Market Barriers
Two-day bilateral talks in Tokyo earlier this month between U.S. and Japanese officials yielded little progress toward an agreement to open Japan's auto market to U.S. autos. The working-level meeting, held at the Japanese foreign ministry, was the latest in an effort to reach an accord between the countries and help seal the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations with 10 other countries. Read more... |
WTO Panel Faults Argentine Import Measures
On Aug. 22, a World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement panel faulted import requirements imposed by Argentina as violating the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), handing a clear victory to the United States, the European Union and Japan, which launched the case in 2012. In its report, the panel faulted two import measures imposed by Argentina that had been identified by the complainants. Read more... |
NHTSA Activates Free Online Search Tool for Recalled Vehicles
On Aug. 20, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) unveiled a new vehicle identification number (VIN) search tool for recall information, which is now available for use on the agency’s www.safecar.org website. Also effective on Aug. 20, new car manufacturers are required by NHTSA to provide VIN search tools on their own websites. NHTSA simply pools the data from the manufacturers and provides a one-stop-shop for consumers curious about the safety of their specific vehicle. Read more... |
Bi-Partisan Senate Group Seeks Analysis of Federal Manufacturing Policy
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators sent a letter on Aug. 19 to the Comptroller General of the General Accounting Office (GAO), asking his office to provide a comprehensive analysis of federal manufacturing policies. The letter was spearheaded by Senators Chris Coons, D-Del., as part of his ongoing role heading up the Manufacturing Jobs for America campaign in the Senate. Read more... |
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