The review of financial details including CBP entry and entry summary forms in order to verify billing is considered to be "customs business" and therefore would require a licensed customs broker, said CBP in a June 28 ruling. CBP addressed the issue in HQ H167815 at the request of DHL Americas, which inquired in 2011 about billing verification activities used to resolve Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) billing disputes.
The Senate approved Fred Hochberg's nomination for president and chairman of the Export-Import Bank of the U.S. The Senate approval allows Hochberg to serve a second term as head of the Ex-Im bank.
House Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp, R-Mich, would like to see action on the customs reauthorization bill as long as it includes language addressing antidumping/countervailing duty enforcement proposed by Rep. Charles Boustany, R-La., Camp said in a speech at the Washington International Trade Association annual dinner on July 17. The AD/CV language has emerged as a sticking point between different versions of the customs reauthorization bills put forth (see 13040911) by Republicans and Democrats. "I would also like to move a bipartisan customs reauthorization bill focusing on three critical elements: modernization, facilitation and enforcement," said Camp. "The effective legislation that Congressman Charles Boustany of Louisiana has developed to address the pervasive problem of trade remedy duty evasion is essential."
Customs Rulings Online Search System (CROSS) was updated July 17 with 152 rulings, bringing the total number of searchable rulings to 178,192. The most recent ruling is dated 07/16/2013.
CBP released the agenda for the Aug. 7 meeting with the Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (COAC) in Washington, D.C. CBP also said the meeting will be available online and registration is available (here).
House Ways and Means Committee lawmakers reintroduced a miscellaneous tariff bill (MTB) July 17. The U.S. Job Creation and Manufacturing Competitiveness Act of 2013 (HR-2708) largely mirrors the MTB that was introduced late last Congress, said the Committee in a press release. Numerous duty suspensions expired Dec. 31 after Congress failed to pass an MTB last year, driving up costs for some imports.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues:
President Barack Obama should move soon to nominate a Commissioner of CBP, said the American Association of Exporters and Importers (AAEI) in a letter to Obama. The agency has been without a Senate-confirmed leader for five years and it will be important that the agency has a political appointee as it works within the Trans-Pacific Partnership, export control reform and the Transatlantic Trade Investment Partnership, the trade group said.
CBP released its July 17 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 47, No. 30). While the Bulletin does not contain any ruling articles, it does include recent general notices and Court of International Trade decisions.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues: