CBP updated its instructions for importers that recieved notification that a CBP issued refund was returned to the U.S. Treasury as undeliverable and was canceled.
In the Aug. 22 issue of the CBP Bulletin (Vol. 46, No. 35), CBP published a notice that proposes to revoke and modify rulings and similar treatment regarding the tariff classification of work footwear.
CBP will begin expanding the pilot project to have export ocean manifests filed via e-mail into the Document Imaging System (DIS) in place of the physical paper document being presented at the port, Customs said in a Aug. 21 CSMS message. The paper manifest for those pilot participants will be submitted via a readable PDF attachment to an e-mail. The initial phase of the pilot began in the Atlanta field office and includes the ports of Norfolk, Newport News, Wilmington, Beaufort, Morehead City, Georgetown, Charleston, Savannah and Brunswick. The full CBP notice is (here).
CBP will be making a concerted effort to recruit freight forwarders to improve understanding of Air Cargo Advance Screening (ACAS), currently in the pilot stage, said Daniel Baldwin, executive director of cargo and conveyance security at CBP. Baldwin spoke as part of an Aug. 22 Webinar on customs regulation hosted by American Shipper. CBP and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) have said they plan to issue a regulation to require advance data submission to ACAS for all international shipments either destined for or transiting through the U.S.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) met with New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key to pursue export opportunities for American businesses and discuss negotiations of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Free Trade Agreement, said Baucus' office in a press release. “Our economy will grow, and American businesses will create jobs as we strengthen our trade ties with countries like New Zealand," he said. "The Asia Pacific region is a hotbed of economic growth, and we need to ensure the United States benefits from that growth and remains a key player in the arena. New Zealand is a key partner in the Trans-Pacific Partnership -- one we need to help break down barriers to trade and support a strong agreement.”
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues:
CBP posted an Aug. 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.
A federal jury found Manuel Eduardo Pena, a CBP officer, guilty of two counts of making a false statement in a firearms record and one count of making a false statement to a federal agency, said the Justice Department in a press release. Pena has been a CBP officer for 12 years and the charges are unrelated to his official duties. U.S. District Court Judge Hilda Tagle, who presided over the trial, has set sentencing for Nov. 19, at which time Pena faces up to five years in prison and a maximum $250,000 fine on each count of conviction. Previously released on bond, Pena was allowed to remain on bond pending sentencing.
CBP issued its weekly tariff rate quota and tariff preference level commodity report as of Aug. 20. This report includes TRQs on various products such as beef, sugar, dairy products, peanuts, cotton, cocoa products, and tobacco; and certain BFTA, DR-CAFTA, Israel FTA, JFTA, MFTA, OFTA, SFTA, UAFTA (AFTA) and UCFTA (Chile FTA) non-textile TRQs; etc. Each report also includes the AGOA, ATPDEA, BFTA, DR-CAFTA, CBTPA, Haitian HOPE, MFTA, NAFTA, OFTA, SFTA, and UCFTA TPLs and TRQs for qualifying textile articles and/or other articles; the TRQs on worsted wool fabrics; etc.
In the Aug. 22 issue of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Bulletin (Vol. 46, No. 34), CBP published two notices that propose to revoke two rulings and similar treatment regarding the tariff classification of hole saw kits and automobile heater assemblies.