A recent survey of seafood importers found 58% have experienced processing delays since FDA launched its Artificial Intelligence Imported Seafood Pilot. Conducted by the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America, the survey found that 54% of responding seafood importers -- all NCBFAA members -- have not noticed increased inspections of their imported seafood because of the pilot. But 46% say they have. FDA began the second phase of its pilot in February, testing machine learning technologies as part of its screening processes for importing seafood (see 2102080051). The second phase will be running until July 31.
CBP is looking into making admissibility decisions earlier on for importers that give the agency more information about their supply chains, Garrett Wright, director of trade modernization at CBP, told an April 22 meeting of the Commerce Department's Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness. The agency is looking at some broad changes to its processes as part of the CBP work on the 21st Century Customs Framework (see 2011120010). The effort's five main “bucket areas” include "updates that improve the timeliness and the quality of data that we receive or is made available to us so we can reengineer our entry processes so we are able to clear lawful trade more quickly,” he said.
Disagreement on enforcement through private lawsuits threatens to derail two state privacy bills. The Washington state legislature ends regular session Sunday, and the Florida legislature closes April 30. Each state’s House supported including a private right of action, while their Senates seek only attorney general enforcement. Either state could become the third to pass a comprehensive law, after California and Virginia.
Disagreement on enforcement through private lawsuits threatens to derail two state privacy bills. The Washington state legislature ends regular session Sunday, and the Florida legislature closes April 30. Each state’s House supported including a private right of action, while their Senates seek only attorney general enforcement. Either state could become the third to pass a comprehensive law, after California and Virginia.
Disagreement on enforcement through private lawsuits threatens to derail two state privacy bills. The Washington state legislature ends regular session Sunday, and the Florida legislature closes April 30. Each state’s House supported including a private right of action, while their Senates seek only attorney general enforcement. Either state could become the third to pass a comprehensive law, after California and Virginia.
The Court of International Trade found that New York-based importer NYWL Enterprises is on the hook for over $4 million in unpaid duties and civil penalties after the court found the importer knowingly misclassified its entries of Siamese coaxial cable from China. In an April 16 decision, Chief Judge Mark Barnett ordered NYWL to pay the U.S. $379,665.83 in unpaid duties and a civil penalty of $3.76 million plus post-judgment interest, and costs.” The U.S. had alleged fraudulent violations of 19 USC 1592, which Barnett accepted as true after NYWL failed to defend itself.
U.S.-China Business Council President Craig Allen, former deputy assistant secretary for China in the State Department, said that the Chinese were taken by surprise by how little has changed in the new administration. “There was an expectation between [Donald] Trump and [Joe] Biden, there would be a loosening of technology regulations,” he said, but Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo has taken steps to tighten export restrictions that affect Huawei, and there have been actions under the new Information, Communications and Telecommunications Services (ICTS) regulations.
The president of the U.S.-China Business Council told an online audience of customs brokers that he sees them as the problem solvers in trade, and that they're going to continue to have plenty of problems to tackle over the next few years. Craig Allen, who spoke to the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America April 14, said that the U.S.-China relationship, while intensely interdependent economically, is marked by mistrust and antagonism, and “the trend lines are not good.”
Customs modernization legislation should include a requirement for customs brokers, freight forwarders and other filers to “attain and deploy requisite and continuing education providing the capacity to operate in the modern trade environment,” a National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America subcommittee said in a draft report released April 12. The draft white paper comes from the NCBFAA subcommittee working to develop suggestions as CBP comes up with a legislative proposal for customs modernization (see 2011120010). CBP is still in the process of reviewing responses to a proposal for continuing education requirements, though an official said it isn't totally clear that the benefits would outweigh the costs (see 2103250030).
Export Compliance Costs, Awareness Likely to Increase for Aircraft Transactions Following Indictment
Export compliance costs and awareness will likely rise for aircraft transactions due to increased compliance by aircraft sellers following the seizure of 12 aircraft on export violation charges, Vedder Price's David Hernandez said. In an April 5 report, Hernandez looked at the impacts of the indictments of eight individuals charged with drug trafficking and export violation conspiracies, including the owner of Aircraft Guaranty Corporation (see 2103010028). The indictments arose from a series of investigations into the customs export practices of U.S.-based trust companies serving as trustees in aircraft ownership trusts with non-U.S. citizens, called Non-Citizen Trusts.