CBP is seeking public comment on whether to impose continuing education requirements on licensed customs brokers, it said in a notice released Oct. 27. The notice, an advance notice of proposed rulemaking, is the latest development in the long-discussed idea of adding such requirements (see 2002130025). CBP's notice goes over a number of possible scenarios for how continuing education could be administered and asks for input on a wide range of operational questions.
CBP will be holding a “retest” for people who experienced technical difficulties during the Oct. 8 customs broker license exam, said Melba Hubbard, CBP branch chief, Broker Management, Commercial Operations Revenue & Entry Division. Hubbard spoke during the virtual Western Cargo Conference Oct. 23. CBP previously mentioned some issues reported by test takers (see 2010200041), but said those issues didn't affect most of the people taking the test. The problems involved the “electronic references,” and CBP “will be providing a retest for those individuals, coming in 2021,” she said. Hubbard also said that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, CBP is planning to send broker licenses directly to brokers rather than requiring them to pick them up from a CBP office.
CBP and industry had very little time to react to an executive order earlier this year that authorized export restrictions on certain medical equipment (see 2004080018) and had to scramble to adjust to new protocols, said Paulette Kolba, an export compliance consultant. Kolba, speaking during an Oct. 23 session of the Western Cargo Conference, said the abrupt restrictions were representative of a challenging year for export compliance professionals, who have had to deal with a range of regulatory changes and new compliance requirements.
FBB Federal Relations partner Ray Bucheger told members of the Pacific Coast Council of Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Associations that while the message on the Hill is discouraging on extending current Section 301 exclusions, his firm is working on legislation for the companies that received exclusions too late to get refunds for the tariffs paid.
An advance notice of proposed rulemaking on customs broker continuing education requirements (see 2009140033) is scheduled for publication in the Federal Register on Oct. 28, said John Leonard, CBP executive director-trade policy and programs, during the virtual Western Cargo Conference on Oct. 23. The advance notice will be available for preview on the public inspection site on Oct. 27, he said. “It's a great ANPRM, if I do say so myself.”
Ed Greenberg, a partner with GKG Law who also serves as general and transportation counsel to the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America, is retiring after more than 30 years, the NCBFAA said in an email to members. Greenberg “will finish 2020 with the Association, and transition into retirement at the start of 2021,” the trade group said. “NCBFAA will be continuing on with GKG for the immediate future and doing” a request for proposals “for both positions” in 2021.
The National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America issued a survey Oct. 19 seeking industry feedback on the potential impact of eliminating filing requirements for shipments between the U.S., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Census Bureau issued a pre-rule for the change in September and said it is seeking other ways to collect data normally obtained through the Electronic Export Information filings (see 2009160033). NCBFAA said the impact of removing the requirements “may be negligible for some companies but may have a significant effect on others that handle traffic to these points.” It is asking for help to determine whether “it will be appropriate for NCBFAA to take a position on this matter.”
A CBP review of system issues for customs broker exam takers found few cases of reduced time, the agency said in a CSMS message. CBP recently said there were reports of problems with the electronic test on Oct. 8 (see 2010150034). “A thorough investigation was conducted and it was determined that there was no time lost for the majority of [Customs Broker License Examination] testers,” it said. “This means the majority of testers, regardless of delays[,] had access to the exam for the timeframe allotted.”
Ed Greenberg, a partner with GKG Law who also serves as general and transportation counsel to the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America, is retiring after more than 30 years, the NCBFAA said in an email to members. Greenberg “will finish 2020 with the Association, and transition into retirement at the start of 2021,” the trade group said. “NCBFAA will be continuing on with GKG for the immediate future and doing” a request for proposals “for both positions” in 2021.
An importer’s handwritten corrections on a 1520(d) post-importation claim for U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA) treatments were sufficient, and the Apparel, Footwear & Textiles Center of Excellence and Expertise should not have denied the claim and required submission of a new certificate of origin, CBP headquarters said in a ruling released in early October.