On July 13, 2006, the leadership of the Senate Finance Committee introduced the Customs and Trade Facilitation Reauthorization Act (S. 3658). According to a Senate Finance Committee press release and sources, S. 3658 would authorize, and provide instructions for, adding personnel to all U.S. ports; restoring resources for trade facilitation and enforcement at U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP); requiring CBP to plan for the swift resumption of trade in the event of a transportation disruption that could harm the U.S. economy; requiring, within one year, an assessment of nonintrusive container scanning in foreign ports; streamlining and automating claim and collection of customs duty drawback; etc. (Senate Finance Committee press release, dated 07/14/06, available at http://finance.senate.gov/press/Gpress/2005/prg071406a.pdf.)
In February 2006, two members of the trade community prepared a pamphlet entitled "Trade User's Guide for ACE-ESAR Release A2," in order to help current ABI/ACS customs brokers, self-filers, and their automation vendors focus on significant changes they might experience as ACE ESAR (Entry Summary, Accounts, Revenue, also referred to as ACE Release 5) is rolled out.
In February 2006, two members of the trade community prepared a pamphlet entitled "Trade User's Guide for ACE-ESAR Release A2," in order to help current ABI/ACS customs brokers, self-filers, and their automation vendors focus on significant changes they might experience as ACE ESAR (Entry Summary, Accounts, Revenue, also referred to as ACE Release 5) is rolled out.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has recently posted to its Web site its quarterly report on the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) entitled Report to Congress on the Automated Commercial Environment. This report covers the October 1, 2005 - December 31, 2005 period.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued notice of the availability of a guidance entitled "Q8 Pharmaceutical Development." The guidance describes the suggested contents for the pharmaceutical development section of a regulatory submission in the ICH M4 Common Technical Document (CTD) format and indicates areas where the provision of greater understanding of pharmaceutical and manufacturing sciences can create a basis for flexible regulatory approaches. Written or electronic comments on agency guidance may be submitted at any time. (D/N 2005D-0021, FR Pub 05/22/06 available at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2006/pdf/E6-7727.pdf)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted a notice on its web site, entitled Notice of Examination for October 2006, which announces that the next Customs Broker License Examination will be held on Tuesday, October 3, 2006.
In California Industrial Products, Inc. v. United States, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled that based upon Customs' prior favorable treatment of substantially identical transactions and its failure to conduct notice and comment proceedings before changing that prior treatment, CIP was entitled to substitution manufacturing drawback (19 USC 1313(b)) on its steel scrap exports.
On May 4, 2006, the House of Representatives amended and passed H.R. 4954, the Security and Accountability for Every (SAFE) Port Act.
The International Trade Administration (ITA) has issued a third notice on possible changes to its market economy inputs practice in antidumping (AD) proceedings involving non-market economy countries (NMEs). Written comments on its proposals are due by April 19, 2006.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has scheduled the next Customs Broker License Examination for Monday, April 3, 2006.