U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a press release stating that on May 11, 2004, the first class of CBP agriculture specialists began formal training at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Professional Development Center. The CBP agriculture specialist is one of two new position classifications (the other being the CBP officer) that were created in order to balance CBP's primary anti-terrorism mission with its more traditional missions. (CBP Press Release, dated 05/11/04, available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/press_releases/05112004.xml)
According to U.S. government sources, on May 10, 2004, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) began documentation exams of certain entries of knit-to-shape garments in HTS 6110 which claim a country of origin other than China (i.e., that the garment's panels are knit-to-shape in a country other than China and then sent to China to be linked and looped).
In the May 12, 2004 issue of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Bulletin (CBPBulletin) (Vol. 38, No. 20), CBP issued notices: (a) proposing to revoke a classification ruling on a men's cotton denim woven shirt-jacket, and (b) proposing to revoke a classification ruling regarding certain chef's coats. CBP states that it is also proposing to revoke any treatment it has previously accorded to substantially identical transactions that are contrary to its position in these notices.
The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA) has issued a notice announcing that effective May 17, 2004, the quota, visa, and Electronic Visa Information System (ELVIS) requirements are being eliminated for HTS 6216.00.5820 (cat 631) for goods exported on or after May 17, 2004.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted to its Web site the April 2004 Customs broker exam and answer key.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued several notices requesting written comments from the public and other federal agencies by July 6, 2004 regarding the following unchanged information collections that it intends to submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval and extension of the expiration date:
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued an ABI administrative message stating that the Los Angeles/Long Beach seaport has experienced a significant number of entries with the following classification error: household metal furniture properly classified under HTS 9403.20.0015 is being entered under HTS 9403.20.0011.
According to sources at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Phase 3 of the FDA/U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) discretionary enforcement plan for the Prior Notice (PN) requirements of the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 (Bioterrorism Act) is to be implemented on May 19, 2004 (instead of May 13, 2004).
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a notice stating that, effective May 5, 2004, the trade may transmit U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (SFTA) Integrated Sourcing Initiative (ISI) claims under HTS 9999.00.84 through the Automated Broker Interface (ABI) system.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has created a new Web page regarding the January 1, 2005 integration (elimination of quotas) for textiles and apparel manufactured in countries that are members of the World Trade Organization (WTO). This is the fourth and final phase of quota elimination and on January 1, 2005, all textiles and textile apparel manufactured in a WTO country and exported on/after January 1, 2005 will no longer be subject to quota restrictions.