Los Angeles International Airport customs filers should communicate with the Trade Interface Unit (TIU) via email, said CBP's Los Angeles field office in a public bulletin. The volume of faxes to the TIU has increased heavily over the recent months and filers should communicate to the TIU through email at LAXTIU@CBP.DHS.GOV. Filers should wait up to 24 hours for a reply before following up, it said. Email to the TIU should include the name of the person requesting assistance, phone number, and a subject line that contains the reason for the request and the entry number, the notice said.
CBP is requesting comments by July 22 for an existing information collection for the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program. CBP proposes to extend the expiration date of this information collection with a change to the burden hours.
Customs Rulings Online Search System (CROSS) was updated May 17. The corresponding downloadable rulings are now available.
CBP released its May 8 (Vol. 47, No. 20) and May 15 (Vol. 47 No. 21) Customs Bulletins. While the bulletins do not contain any ruling articles, they do include recent general notices and Court of International Trade decisions. The May 8 bulletin is (here). The May 15 bulletin is (here).
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.
CBP posted a May 20 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.
Customs Rulings Online Search System (CROSS) was updated May 17 with 161 rulings, bringing the total number of searchable rulings to 177,477. The most recent ruling is dated 05/17/2013.
CBP clarified recent policy changes for amending waiver for prior notice (see 13040819) in a CSMS message. Approved waivers covering a specific type of 1313(j) drawback may be amended to include goods covered by another 1313(j) drawback type, as long as the exports are still within the allowable statutory timeframe, the agency said. The existing approval will be "updated to include the additional 1313(j) type and will apply to drawback claims that meet the statutory timeframes.," it said.
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for May 13-17 in case they were missed.
CBP may be able to completely avoid furloughing its employees as part of major budgetary cutbacks around the government, the agency said. CBP "submitted a plan to Congress that, if approved, should eliminate the need to furlough CBP personnel this fiscal year," said a CBP spokeswoman. CBP originally said some furloughs may be necessary as part of the budget cuts, but additional funding from the FY 2013 allowed the agency to postpone furlough plans (see 13040213).