CBP plans to publish an official notice in coming weeks that will begin a pilot program that combines the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) and the Importer Self Assessment (ISA) programs, said Acting Commissioner Tom Winkowski during the CBP Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations (COAC) meeting on Nov. 15. The COAC Trusted Trader subcommittee is reviewing and will provide feedback on a "high level overview" of the coming Federal Register notice, said a report on the program's process from Valerie Neuhart, director of Industry and Account Management at CBP (here).
Federal Maritime Commission Chairman Mario Cordero announced new positions for three FMC employees. Florence Carr was named Director, Bureau of Trade Analysis, Rebecca Fenneman was named Director, Consumer Affairs and Dispute Resolution Services and Sandra Kusumoto was made Director, Bureau of Certification and Licensing, said the FMC.
A Texas man was sentenced to three years in prison following a guilty plea for "facilitating illegal honey imports by falsely declaring that the honey originated in countries other than China to avoid $37.9 million in anti-dumping duties," said ICE in a Nov. 14 press release. Jun Yang, who brokered the sale of "hundreds of container loads of Chinese-origin honey" he said originated from India or Malaysia, will begin his sentence in federal prison in January. Yang facilitated the scheme through his companies, National Honey and National Commodities Company, said ICE. The sentencing stems from the prosecution of two major honey suppliers announced in February (see 13022131). An AD duty order issued in 2001 assessed duties as high as 221 percent on Chinese honey. Current duties are assessed based on weight, and are set at $2.63 per kilogram for the China-wide entity. All honey is also charged an assessment fee of one cent per pound.
CBP will not start the pilot program for formal manifesting and entry of residue contained in instruments of international traffic (IIT) that was slated to begin Nov. 25, said CBP in a CSMS message. CBP made the decision "after further consultation with the international trade community," it said. CBP said it "will work to address remaining trade concerns related to this matter and announce a future test date after further consultation with the trade community."
CBP modified the National Customs Automation Program test that allows importers to use the Automated Broker Interface to file post-summary corrections (PSCs) of certain pre-liquidation ACE entry summaries (ESAR IV). The modifications to the ESAR IV test program "will allow filers greater access to data filed in ACE as it relates to the original entry and any subsequent PSC, limit certain additional data elements from being changed via PSC, and preclude a PSC on any entry that has been protested or where merchandise covered by the original entry has been conditionally released and its right to admission has not been determined," said CBP. CBP has been considering how to handle the question of greater data access since soon after the test was announced in 2011 (see 11081219).
The Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations (COAC) Role of the Broker working group recommended that it suspend efforts to draft requirements for certain information collection on importers by customs brokers until the agency finishes a proposal on updates to the Importer ID Input Record (CBP Form 5106). The recommendation, voiced during the Nov. 15 COAC meeting, would allow the COAC to see which proposed Form 5106 changes overlap with the bona fides efforts. A CBP report recently released on the issue pointed outlined some of the difficulties the working group faced in developing a standard of bona fides requirements (see 13111225).
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CBP is requesting comments by Jan. 17 for an existing information collection on forms for ultimate consignee declaration for items temporarily exported for scientific or educational purposes. CBP proposes to extend the expiration date of this information collection with no change to the burden hours.
CBP is extending the comment period to Dec. 18 for an existing information collection on prior disclosures. CBP proposes to extend the expiration date of this information collection with no change to the burden hours.
The National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America (NCBFAA) asked the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to provide clarity on how the agency is interpreting the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) and how it effects those involved in international trade. NCBFAA General Counsel Ed Greenberg of GKG Law submitted the Nov. 14 filing with FMCSA. The filing specifically requests information from FMCSA on how the agency is interpreting the MAP-21 statutory exemptions from bonding and registration requirements for customs brokers, non-vessel operating common carriers (NVOCCs), and indirect air carriers.