DHS Lists CBP-IPR Partnership Program & CEEs as FY 2013 Budget Priorities
In February 15, 2012 testimony before Congress on the Administration's proposed fiscal year (FY) 2013 budget for the Department of Homeland Security, Secretary Janet Napolitano stated that DHS' trade-related budget priorities include expanding CSI, funding a CBP-private sector IPR partnership program, adding Industry Integration Centers (CEEs), and updating certain facilities on the southern border.
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In the Secretary's written testimony1, she stated the department's trade priorities relative to national and economic security and the southern border include (partial list):
- Global Supply Chain - strengthening Global Supply Chain Security across all modes of transportation (including the Container Security Initiative (CSI), targeting capabilities, and aviation security operations overseas);
- IPR Partnership - providing $10 million for a U.S. Customs and Border Protection--private-sector partnership program that aims to improve intellectual property rights (IPR) targeting by enabling CBP to identify and release shipments of authentic goods without inspection;
- CEEs - providing additional funds to expand CBP’s Industry Integration Centers (also known as CEEs, Centers of Excellence and Expertise) to address issues within critical trade sectors by increasing uniformity of practices across ports of entry, facilitating the timely resolution of trade compliance issues nationwide, improving enforcement efforts, and further strengthening critical agency knowledge on key industry practices;
- Ports on Southern Border - updating CBP's facility infrastructure at the southern border with Mexico. For the FY 2013 budget, CBP proposes to update and maintain its facilities infrastructure to support its dual mission of securing the border and facilitating trade and travel. Currently, CBP’s plan calls for the following land border ports of entry (LPOEs) to be completed in FY 2013: Nogales West/Mariposa, Arizona; Guadalupe, Texas; Van Buren, Maine; and Phase I of San Ysidro, California. Additionally, design and construction is planned to commence on Phase II of San Ysidro, California, and CBP will begin implementing the Tier III Outbound Infrastructure program across 10 Southwest Border LPOEs in order to implement a range of outbound infrastructure improvements; and
- Radiation Detectors - providing an additional $20 million to procure mobile radiation devices for frontline operators.
For FY 2013, the Secretary noted that DHS looked at all aspects of its budget to find savings and to better align resources with operational needs. Included in these are proposals to transfer US-VISIT functions to CBP, as it already operates numerous screening and targeting systems and implement a "cloud first" policy to reduce the number of Federal data centers and consolidate IT infrastructure.
1Before the Subcommittee on Homeland Security of the House Committee on Appropriations
(See ITT's Online Archives 12021417 for summary stating that the President's FY 2013 budget also proposes to cut funding from CBP field operations (overtime), automation, IT infrastructure and upgrades, C-TPAT validations (by extending the cycle to four years), etc.
See ITT's Online Archives 11122805 for summary of COAC's interest in a C-TPAT like program for IPR. See ITT's Online Archives 12011314 for summary of CBP overview of IPR enforcement as a priority trade issue.
See ITT's Online Archives 12020903 for summary of CBP's February 2012 list of the locations of the nine current and pending CEEs. See ITT's Online Archives 12020917 for summary stating that Acting Commissioner Aguilar wanted to continue to push the CEE initiative and would put together a trade group to conduct a major evaluation of the CEE.)