The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has published its semi-annual regulatory agenda, which contains certain U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) regulatory rulemakings (rulemakings).
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a general notice announcing that, effective June 28, 2004, it is concluding its Paperless Drawback Prototype (prototype).
The Departmental Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (COAC) held a quarterly meeting on June 18, 2004 in Washington, DC to discuss and receive updates from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials on various trade and customs issues.
On June 17, 2004, the House Ways and Means Committee's Trade Subcommittee held a hearing on the budget authorization for fiscal year (FY) 2005 and FY 2006 for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as well as on other Customs issues. At this hearing, the subcommittee was addressed by two witnesses and six panelists.
On June 17, 2004, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 4520, the American Jobs Creation Act, by a vote of 251 to 178. H.R. 4520 would, among other things, repeal the Foreign Sales Corporation/Extraterritorial Income Act (FSC/ETI) tax regime (which has been found by the World Trade Organization to be illegal), reduce the top corporate tax rate for domestic manufacturers and small corporations, make certain Customs-related changes, etc. (The Senate passed its own version of this legislation, the Jumpstart Our Business Strength (JOBS) Act (S. 1637), on May 11, 2004. See ITT's Online Archives or 05/13/04 news, 04051399 1, for previous BP summary.)(House Ways and Means Committee press release, dated 06/17/04) available at http://waysandmeans.house.gov/news.asp?formmode=release&id=228.)
On June 17, 2004, the House Ways and Means Committee's Trade Subcommittee held a hearing on the budget authorizations for fiscal year (FY) 2005 and FY2006 for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as well as on other Customs issues. At this hearing, the subcommittee was addressed by two witnesses and six panelists.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a memorandum describing procedures for the implementation of enforced compliance and penalties for the prior notice of imported food (PN) requirements contained in the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 (Bioterrorism Act).
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a notice which clarifies the new reporting requirements associated with imported sugar classified under HTS 1701.11.2000.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have each posted a similar reminder to their Web sites stating that if the Automated Commercial System/Automated Broker Interface (ACS/ABI) is not working or if a custom broker's or self-filer's system is not working, prior notice (PN) of imported food must be submitted through the FDA PN System Interface (PNSI), pursuant to 21 CFR 1.280(b).
On June 9, 2004, the Secretary of Homeland Security testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on progress at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Among other things, the Secretary testified that DHS has created several new two-way channels of communication, including the National Infrastructure Coordination Center (NICC). According to the Secretary, NICC provides a centralized mechanism for the private sector, industry representatives, individual companies, and the Information Sharing and Analysis Centers to share and receive situational information about a threat, event, or crisis. (DHS Secretary testimony, dated 06/09/04, http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/display?content=3708.)