CBP Announces Remote COAC Meeting Date, Releases Agenda

The COAC will hear from the following subcommittees on the topics listed below and then will review, deliberate and formulate recommendations on how to proceed on those topics:

• The Rapid Response Subcommittee will provide updates and recommendations from the Broker Exam Modernization Working Group and the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) Working Group. The subcommittee will also discuss the COAC COVID-19 Recommendations and White Paper and the Executive Order on Regulatory Relief to Support Economic Recovery as well as announce the creation of a new Rapid Response Working Group that will focus on automotive certification requirements under USMCA.
• The Intelligent Enforcement Subcommittee will provide updates and recommendations from the working groups under its jurisdiction for COAC's consideration. The Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Working Group continues to work on a background paper on the issue of a Bad Actors list. The concept is related to information sharing -- using existing data more effectively to identify bad actors, such as counterfeiters, based on information from both the trade and the U.S. Government. Through the subcommittee, CBP is creating another IPR working group to address industry feedback regarding the Combating Counterfeit & Pirated Goods Presidential Memorandum with plans for recommendations on these issues. The AD/CVD Working Group continues to discuss complex issues with pipe spools and trade remedies and plans to present recommendations on these issues. The Bond Working Group has continued discussions with CBP on bond amounts and requirements for Foreign Trade Zones and Pipeline Operators and plans to present recommendations on these issues. The Forced Labor Working Group will report on progress of its assessment of the current e-Allegations submissions mechanism (portal) and process for reporting forced labor violations and deliver an industry collaboration white paper and related recommendations.
• The Secure Trade Lanes Subcommittee will provide updates on the four working groups currently operating under the subcommittee. The Trusted Trader Working Group will provide details on activities focusing on the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) trade compliance implementation, developing a methodology for managing program benefits, PGA (Partner Government Agency) engagement, and new forced labor requirements. The subcommittee will provide an update of the In-Bond Working Group’s analysis of trade-specific pain points within the current In-Bond processes by mode and will make recommendations to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the In-Bond regulations. The Export Modernization Working Group will provide updates on its progress in updating the export data elements and recommendations on changes to remove redundancy and promote efficiency of data submission in support of U.S. exports. The Remote and Autonomous Cargo Processing Working Group will provide updates on the use of image technology for trains crossing land borders and leveraging partnerships through the donations acceptance programs. Additionally, this working group will provide an update on the concept of a driver identification card for a more streamlined and efficient border crossing for non-Free and Secure Trade Lane (FAST) drivers.
• The Next Generation Facilitation Subcommittee will provide an update on the progress of the Unified Entry Working Group which is moving toward an operational framework by analyzing specific pain points within the entry process. The Emerging Technologies Working Group will cover its assessment of various technologies that could be adapted for CBP and trade issues.

(Federal Register 06/22/20)