The Agriculture Transportation Coalition applauded a California judge’s decision to temporarily block a law the group said would hurt exports through higher trucking costs, according to an emailed press release. The judge granted a temporary restraining order that blocks the legislation, AB 5, which would make it harder for gig economy companies to qualify workers as independent contractors as opposed to employees, according to a Jan. 1 Reuters report. The AgTC said the law, if enacted, would “wreak havoc on trucking in California and on the hundreds of thousands employed in U.S. agriculture/forest products exports.”

The Commerce Department is adjusting its civil monetary penalties for inflation, the agency said in a notice published in the Federal Register. The 2020 adjustments for inflation will apply only to penalties “with a dollar amount, and will not apply to [penalties] written as functions of violations,” the notice said. The changes will take effect Jan. 15.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is seeking exporters to participate in its first trade mission of 2020 in Casablanca, Morocco, March 16-19, USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service said in a Jan. 2 press release. The mission will focus on increasing exports to “all of North Africa” and will include buyers from Algeria, Libya and Tunisia. USDA said Morocco is a “promising market” due to the U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement and the country’s “high-quality infrastructure and stable economy.” U.S. exporters will have the opportunity to meet with potential customers and participate in “in-depth briefings and site visits to provide insights into exporting to the region,” USDA said. The mission is one of seven planned for 2020 (see 1912060027). The deadline to apply is Jan. 16.

The Commerce Department is seeking new members for its seven technical advisory committees to advise the agency on export controls and exporting issues within U.S. industries, Commerce said in a Dec. 31 notice. This includes Commerce’s upcoming Emerging Technology TAC, which is expected to hold its first meeting in early 2020 (see 1911200045). For each of its TACs, Commerce is looking for industry representatives from firms producing items that are currently controlled or proposed for control for national security, non-proliferation, foreign policy or short supply reasons. The agency said it is looking for members from both small and large companies, but no member may represent a company that is majority owned by a “foreign government entity.” Members must also obtain “secret-level clearances” before being appointed and serve terms “of not more than four consecutive years.” Applicants should send a resume to Yvette Springer at Yvette.Springer@bis.doc.gov. The notice of recruitment will be open until Dec. 31, 2020.

The Commerce Department renewed the charter for the Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness, it said in a notice. The advisory committee provides advice “on the necessary elements of a comprehensive policy approach to supply chain competitiveness designed to support U.S. export growth and national economic competitiveness, encourage innovation, facilitate the movement of goods, and improve the competitiveness of U.S. supply chains for goods and services in the domestic and global economy; and to provide advice to the Secretary on regulatory policies and programs and investment priorities that affect the competitiveness of U.S. supply chains.”

A “new collection format” for the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls’ Commodity Jurisdiction form DS-4076 is now available on the Defense Export Control and Compliance System portal, DDTC said in a Dec. 23 notice. The changes “address additional sources of jurisdiction considerations and refinements to the supporting information,” the notice said. Previous submissions are available through the DECCS CJ Launching Pad, the agency said. DDTC is urging users with existing forms in “Draft” status to review the form before submitting to “verify accuracy of the entire form.” For completed forms, the agency said, the original submission’s documentation is available as a PDF, which “ensures the historical accuracy of the submissions, while keeping the system in line with the current version of the form.”

The State Department approved a potential military sale worth about $78 million to Argentina, according to a Dec. 19 press release from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency. The sale involves four P-3C aircraft and equipment, including engines, radars and infrared equipment. The prime contractors are Logistic Services International, Lockheed Martin Aircraft Center, Eagle Systems and Rockwell Collins.

The Directorate of Defense Trade Controls is canceling its 3 p.m. courier drop-off/pick-up this week due to “minimal staffing” during the holidays, the DDTC said Dec. 20. The DDTC Response Team and Help Desk will be open Monday, Thursday and Friday this week, but responses may be delayed until next week, “depending on volume.”

Brazil recently introduced a duty-free tariff rate quota that presents “new opportunities” for U.S. wheat exporters, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service report released Dec. 18. The quota for 750,000 metric tons of wheat imports will apply to non-Mercosur countries, USDA said, and will represent 10 percent of the country’s wheat imports during the last fiscal year. Brazil’s wheat millers association, Abitrigo, expects the TRQ to increase imports from the U.S., Canada and Russia, the USDA said, including an increase of $70 million in annual wheat exports from the U.S.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are seeking new members to serve on seven agricultural trade advisory committees, the agencies said Dec. 18. Members will advise both agencies on trade agreements and trade policy, and will provide technical advice on international trade issues that impact both foreign and domestic production in “specific commodity sectors,” the USTR said. The committees will focus on trade in animals and animal products, fruits and vegetables, grains, feed, seeds, processed foods, sweeteners, tobacco, cotton and peanuts. Applicants must have “significant expertise” in agriculture and international trade and will serve four-year terms. Members must also be willing to serve “without compensation for time, travel or expenses,” the USTR said. The committee holds “frequent” conference calls and generally meets in Washington, D.C., twice a year. Applications are due by 5 p.m. on Jan. 31, 2020, and can be found on the USDA website.