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CBP Seattle Advises Trade of Fee Increase for Agriculture Reimbursable Overtime
November 6, 2015 |Customs

The costs for agriculture reimbursable overtime services by CBP Agriculture Specialists will go up at the Port of Seattle, said CBP in a Nov. 5 trade information notice. The increase is the result of an Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service increase to its hourly rates for overtime services performed by APHIS, and in some cases CBP as of Nov. 2 (see 1510010017). The costs for reimbursable overtime "will be calculated by the Office of Administration, Financial Operations, Debt Management Branch based on the amount paid to the CBP Agriculture Specialist for performing the service(s), and not at the previous proscribed rates," said CBP. The Government Accountability Office recommended the fee increase in a 2013 report that found current fees are not covering all costs associated with the program, forcing CBP to dip into its own budget to make up for the shortfall (see 13030601). Industry groups have called the APHIS fee hikes “exorbitant” and “unfair” (see 14072920).

Topics:Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
CBP Pushing for Streamlined Import Requirements as Administration Efforts Continue to Combat Illegal Fishing
November 6, 2015 by Brian Feito|Customs

BALTIMORE -- CBP is working to ensure that efforts to stem illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and seafood fraud comport with mandates to streamline border processes and don’t impose unreasonable burdens on the trade community, said Jeffrey Nii, director of the agency’s Interagency Collaboration Division, at the East Coast Trade Symposium on Nov. 5.

Topics:Lacey Act
ACE Cargo Release Filings Still at Only 10 Percent, Says CBP Official
November 6, 2015 by Brian Feito|Customs

BALTIMORE -- Despite rapidly approaching deadlines for implementation of the Automated Commercial Environment by the trade community, the latest data from CBP still shows only about 10 percent of cargo release submissions are being done in ACE, said Steve Hilsen, CBP’s lead executive for the single window, at the East Coast Trade Symposium on Nov. 5. Though part of the reason for the low adoption rate is the incomplete implementation of partner government agency (PGA) requirements, there’s “a lot of cargo releases out there” that aren’t subject to PGAs, he said.

Topics:Automated Commercial Environment (ACE)
CBP Releases Statistics on Customs Rulings
November 5, 2015 |Customs

CBP headquarters processed customs ruling requests related to tariff classification and marking issues within about 265 days, the lengthiest average processing time among ruling categories, according to CBP ruling statistics for fiscal year 2015. Headquarters processing times vary "based on a number of factors including the nature of the ruling or decision, when complete information is presented, whether other rulings have to be modified or revoked, and the presence of any pending court cases," said a CBP spokeswoman who provided the statistics.

Topics:Drawback
Part 111 Rewrite Takes Backseat to ACE Rules, But Discussions on Broker Permitting Ongoing, Says Smith
November 5, 2015 by Brian Feito|Customs

BALTIMORE -- CBP’s rewrite of its Part 111 customs broker regulations is again on hold until the agency completes regulatory changes required for implementation of the Automated Commercial Environment, said CBP Assistant Commissioner Brenda Smith at the CBP East Coast Trade Symposium on Nov. 4. The effort on broker regulations involves many of the same resources as the ACE regulatory changes, currently CBP’s top priority, meaning a proposed rule on Part 111 is at least six months away, she said.

Topics:Automated Commercial Environment (ACE), CBP CROSS Rulings
Apparel, Footwear and Textiles CEE 'Fully Operational' in December, Says Kerlikowske
November 4, 2015 |Customs

BALTIMORE -- CBP’s Apparel, Footwear and Textiles Center of Excellence and Expertise in San Francisco will become “fully operational” in December, said CBP Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske in opening remarks at the agency’s East Coast Trade Symposium on Nov. 4. The apparel CEE will join three others already expanded to industry-wide processing, with CEEs for petroleum, natural gas and minerals in Houston, pharmaceuticals and chemicals in New York, and electronics in Los Angeles having come fully online in June (see 1506240016). CBP has said it plans to fully deploy the remaining six CEEs by the end of fiscal year 2016 (see 1506080012). Kerlikowske said he was initially “a little concerned” about the ambitious timeline, but thanks to the work of CBP leadership “that timeline is speeded up and things are moving more quickly.”