House Trade Subcommittee Hearing on FY 2007-2008 CBP Budget Authorizations, DHS Reorganization, Trade Security, ACE, Etc.
The House Ways and Means Committee's Trade Subcommittee has issued an advisory announcing that it will be holding a hearing on July 25, 2006 on budget authorizations for fiscal year (FY) 2007 and 2008 for the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS') U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and on other Customs issues.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
If your job depends on informed compliance, you need International Trade Today. Delivered every business day and available any time online, only International Trade Today helps you stay current on the increasingly complex international trade regulatory environment.
Subcommittee Hearing on FY 2007-2008 CBP Budget Authorizations, Etc.
In addition to issues related to CBP and ICE budget authorizations for FYs 2007 and 2008, the Subcommittee will be addressing various Customs issues, including:
Reorganization of DHS - whether CBP and ICE are operating effectively, whether trade functions are being given sufficient priority now that the agencies are integrated into a department focused on security, whether trade concerns are adequately vetted before new DHS policies and programs are implemented, and whether adequate resources are devoted to customs functions.
Trade and security - the effectiveness of various DHS programs in enhancing security and facilitating trade, whether performance measures exist to determine the effectiveness of these programs, whether companies are receiving the anticipated trade benefits from programs such as Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT), how confidential business information will be protected under these programs, and how the programs are being applied to and impact both large and small businesses.
Customs modernization - whether the Automated Commercial Environment's (ACE's) design and architecture will meet future requirements, including the requirements of other agencies participating in the International Trade Data System (ITDS) program; whether the current participation by Federal agencies in the ITDS program is adequate and whether additional resources are required to facilitate participation; the timing of the expansion of ACE; and the role of the business community in building ACE.
(Authorization legislation can establish, continue, or modify an agency or program for a fixed or indefinite period of time. It may also set forth the duties and functions of an agency or program, its organizational structure, and the responsibilities of agency or program officials. Authorizing legislation can also authorize the enactment of appropriations for an agency or program. However, separate appropriations legislation is needed to actually fund an agency and provide it with budget authority.)
- hearing on 07/25/06 in Washington, DC
- requests to appear at hearing are due by 07/20/06
- written statements in lieu of personal appearance due by 08/08/06
Trade Subcommittee advisory TR-4, dated 07/18/06, available at http://waysandmeans.house.gov/hearings.asp?formmode=view&id=5154.