CBP said the following customs broker licenses have been reinstated and are currently active:
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CBP has hopes for modernization on several fronts, including for automation of import and export processing and revenue collection, for this year and the coming years, said agency officials during a panel at the East Coast Trade Symposium March 7. The Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) and related International Trade Data System continue to be a linchpin in CBP's modernization efforts, they said. The role of the CBP import specialist will be changing in coming years as work toward modernization moves forward, said Acting CBP Commissioner Thomas Winkowski.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requested about $13.1 billion for CBP in the fiscal year (FY) 2015 budget, slightly up from $12.9 billion requested last year. The budget request includes a cut of $6 million in recurring funding related to the 2010 Import Safety Initiative, it said. "The reduction of this recurring funding would not allow CBP to hire an additional 52 personnel to support the 2010 Import Safety Mandate," said DHS. "The re-scoping of CBP’s Import Safety funding will reduce the support to the Commercial Targeting and Analysis Center (CTAC). An offset to the Import Safety Initiative will prevent the hiring of the six primary series that support the CTAC: International Trade Specialists (analysts), CBPOs (perform exams at port level), Import Specialists (merchandise classification), Paralegals (process enforcement cases), and Fines, Penalties, and Forfeitures Officers (process enforcement actions). CBP will absorb these cuts as part of ongoing Trade Transformation initiatives.
Three Centers of Excellence and Expertise (CEEs) will soon begin to handle processing all entries for their respective industries, said Acting CBP Commissioner Thomas Winkowski March 6 while speaking at the CBP Trade Symposium. The coming shift -- currently only certain companies are allowed to make use of the CEEs -- marks a major step in CBP's plans to open use of the CEEs to all filers. The CEEs are among CBP's major efforts in moving to a more virtual trade processing environment.
CBP posted a March 4 version of its CF 1400 (Record of Vessel in Foreign Trade Entrances) electronic query report of the Vessel Management System (VMS), in accordance with 19 CFR 4.95, organized by entrances. CBP also posted a version of its CF 1401 (Record of Vessel in Foreign Trade Clearances) electronic query report of the VMS, in accordance with 19 CFR 4.95, organized by clearances.
CBP Boston will hold a "Trade Day" event on May 7 from 9 a.m. to noon, said CBP in a CSMS message. There will be breakout sessions featuring Food and Drug Administration and Fish and Wildlife Services officials, said CBP. Another session will include information from CBP Import Specialists on antidumping and countervailing duties and electronic invoicing and marking, said CBP. The event will be held in the Thomas P. O’Neill Federal Building located at 10 Causeway Street in Boston. Registration is (here).
CBP released its March 5 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 48, No. 9). While the Bulletin does not contain any ruling articles, it does include recent Court of International Trade decisions and general notices.
Importers and customs brokers should be aware of intrusive software increasingly used to attack and disrupt computer systems, CBP warned in a Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) alert. Those "responsible for the clearance of goods through CBP using importers’ information in the entry process, should also be aware of corporate information theft," the alert said. "Unsuspecting U.S. Customs Brokers may have their computer systems compromised with the introduction of malware."
The Federal Maritime Commission released a notice of the filing of the following agreements under the Shipping Act of 1984. Interested parties may submit comments on the agreement to the Secretary, Federal Maritime Commission, Washington, DC 20573, within 10 days. FMC also posted a list of recent OTI license applicants.