CBP Seattle scheduled an informed compliance seminar on establishing customs bonded warehouses, it said in a trade information notice (TIN). The session will go from 10:30 a.m. to noon Jan. 23 at Federal Center South, 4735 East Marginal Way South, Seattle, WA. The event will address:
The customs broker’s license examination scheduled for April 2013 will be on Monday, April 1, said CBP in a notice. The exam typically consists of 80 multiple-choice questions, with a score of 75 percent required to pass. Exam topics usually include: Entry, Classification, Country of Origin, Trade Agreements, Antidumping/Countervailing Duty, Value, Broker Responsibilities, FP&F, Protests, Marking, Prohibited and Restricted Merchandise, Drawback, Intellectual Property Rights, and other subjects pertinent to a broker's duties.
CBP issued its Jan. 9 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 47, No. 3), which contains two notices of the following ruling actions:
LAS VEGAS -- CBP is moving toward testing the preinspection of cargo that would eliminate the need for going through a port of entry, said CBP Chief Operating Officer Tom Winkowski. That testing, which will go on in New Mexico, is one part of working toward a major reduction in transaction costs at the U.S. border that will be an important step in keeping the country competitive with other rapidly growing nations, Winkowski said Jan. 8 at the CES Government conference. Winkowski didn’t say when the testing might begin.
New lobbyist registrations on trade issues include:
CBP posted its fiscal year 2012 textile and apparel enforcement statistics showing that textiles and apparel seized for intellectual property rights (IPR) violations fell slightly from a year earlier. The number of non-IPR smuggling seizures nearly doubled while the domestic value of the seizures grew more than seven-fold, to $7.48 million, compared to the previous year, said CBP.
The Treasury Department published its fall 2012 regulatory agenda for CBP, which lists five new items in the works, including regulatory progress on rules regarding the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement and disclosures of intellectual property rights, among other things.
Clark Hill acquired four lawyers and staff of Chicago international trade and customs law firm Rodriguez O'Donnell Gonzalez & Williams, said Clark Hill in a press release. The lawyers joining Clark Hill are Thomas O’Donnell, Kevin Williams, Lara Austrins and Jessica Rifkin.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) chose Bruce Hirsh as the new Chief International Trade Counsel, said Baucus a press release. Hirsh's "extensive knowledge of all aspects of the trade negotiation process will help me tackle several upcoming trade initiatives, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a possible U.S.-EU FTA and trade promotion authority to boost our exports and create jobs in Montana and across America,” said Baucus. Hirsh previously worked as an international trade lawyer within the committee, and replaces Amber Cottle, who was recently promoted to Finance Committee Staff Director.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues: