CBP is currently in the midst of drafting regulatory requirements for broker validation of importer powers of attorney, said Julia Peterson, chief of CBP’s broker management branch, during a June 26 webinar. Required by the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015, the new regulations will have to pass muster with the Trump administration executive order requiring the repeal of two regulations for every one issued, but “I think we have a path,” Peterson said. Though she couldn’t give a date, there’s a “good shot” the proposed regulations could be available in the next six to nine months, Peterson said.
AUSTIN, Texas -- CBP will soon deploy several improvements to its Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program, including clearer questions on C-TPAT questionnaires and a return to a relationship-based approach between C-TPAT specialists and the companies they validate, said Liz Schmelzinger, director of C-TPAT at CBP, at the American Association of Exporters and Importers annual conference on June 22. The agency is also working to fix problems with its cost-benefit data on C-TPAT membership detailed in a recent Government Accountability Office report, she said.
AUSTIN, Texas -- CBP remains committed to implementing drawback changes in ACE by the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act’s February 2018 deadline, but contentious issues remain as the agency considers concurrent regulatory changes to its drawback program that are required by the same date, government officials and industry representatives said at the American Association of Exporters and Importers (AAEI) annual conference on June 21.
AUSTIN, Texas -- CBP Acting Commissioner Kevin McAleenan will raise the need for a worldwide unique facility identifier when he travels to Brussels in early July for a meeting of the World Customs Organization policy council, Valerie Neuhart, acting director of CBP’s Office of Trade Relations, said on June 21. McAleenan will be joined in the effort by representatives from Canada and Mexico, who have also been in discussions with CBP about harmonizing unique facility identifiers, she said, speaking during a panel discussion of upcoming ACE priorities at the American Association of Exporters and Importers annual conference.
AUSTIN, Texas -- CBP will announce in the “coming weeks” a new strategy to address the recent explosion of e-commerce imports, said Acting CBP Commissioner Kevin McAleenan at the American Association of Exporters and Importers annual conference on June 21. The new approach will combine engagement and education of the trade community, and in particular small importers, with internal changes that will help ports deal with surging volumes of shipments, he said.
The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of June 12-18:
The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of June 5-11:
NAFTA negotiators should embrace trade facilitation and “do no harm” to existing cross-border relationships as they rework the agreement, trade associations said in comments to the U.S. Trade Representative (here). USTR on June 13 extended the deadline for comment submission on the expected NAFTA renegotiation from June 12 until 11:59 p.m. on June 14, citing "high interest" and a need to ensure all interested participants have an opportunity to comment. USTR requested input on potential modifications to the agreement following the administration’s formal notification to Congress that it intends to start renegotiating the agreement as early as mid-August (see 1705220007 and 1705180043).
The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of May 29 - June 1:
CBP is seeking applicants for the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC), the agency said in a notice (here). Applications should be submitted to CBP by July 24. The COAC meets quarterly each year, though additional meetings may be scheduled, CBP said. The COAC provides advice on commercial operations of CBP "with respect to significant changes that are proposed with respect to regulations, policies, or practices of CBP," it said.