The Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations (COAC) for CBP will next meet on Feb. 11 in San Francisco, CBP said in a notice (here). Recommendations for CBP on regulating customs brokers' collection of importer bona fides information are among the agenda items planned for the meeting. A COAC group previously put off making recommendations on the subject while the agency developed a proposal on a new Form 5106 (see 13111801). CBP proposed revisions to the form in October (see 14100815).
Republican lawmakers are considering revisions to Trade Promotion Authority to broaden its appeal across the aisle in both chambers of Congress, and a TPA bill is likely to be introduced before the beginning of March, said the third-ranking Republican in the Senate, John Thune, R-S.D., on Jan. 7. A number of observers in recent days corroborated that prediction, saying TPA proponents on Capitol Hill want to get the legislative process moving for the bill before Congress takes up budget bills in March (see 1501040001).
The U.S. and Mexico will continue to work together to harmonize customs processing, and the two countries will also open three new border facilities in the near future, said a joint statement following a Jan. 6 meeting of the U.S.-Mexico High Level Economic Dialogue (here). The White House released another fact sheet earlier in the day on bilateral economic and trade relations (see 1501060011). Both sides will continue to work to build the new facilities at the West Rail Bypass between Matamoros, Mexico and Brownsville; the Guadalupe-Tornillo Port of Entry on the border between the Chihuahua state in Mexico and Texas; and the Tijuana Airport Pedestrian Facility, said the joint statement. The U.S. and Mexico are also aiming for progress on the proposed Otay II border crossing in the Tijuana-San Diego border region, it said. Further, both sides plan to implement an air services agreement, brokered in November 2014, after each approval process is completed, the statement added.
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for 2014 in case they were missed.
CBP's proposed changes to its Importer ID Input Record (Form 5106) threaten to slow the flow of goods when using a non-resident Importer of Record (NRIOR), said the Northern Border Customs Brokers Association (NBCBA) in comments to CBP on the proposal. The new requirements would especially cause problems for Canadian NRIORs by requiring address descriptions, and any such changes should follow consultation with Canada, the group said. The American Apparel and Footwear Association also said it is concerned with the changes and asked the agency to withdraw the proposal.
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for Dec. 15-19 in case they were missed.
The Food and Drug Administration’s revised Foreign Supplier Verification Program proposal is a step in the right direction, but there are still ambiguous and burdensome requirements that need to be ironed out, according to several trade associations in comments on FDA’s September supplemental proposed rule. Several sets of comments, including from the Association of American Exporters and Importers, the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America, and the Cheese Importers Association of America, continued to highlight identification of the “FSVP Importer” tasked with complying with FSVP as a main concern.
The April customs broker’s license examination is scheduled for Monday, April 13, as expected (1412080025), said CBP in an official notice (here). While usually scheduled for the first Monday in April, the first Monday coincides with the observance of the religious holiday of Passover, said CBP. The exam typically consists of 80 multiple-choice questions, with a score of 75 percent required to pass.
The 2015 annual user fee of $138 for each customs broker district permit and national permit held by an individual, partnership, association, or corporation is due by Feb. 27, said CBP in a notice (here). According to 19 CFR 111.96(c), this user fee is payable for each calendar year at the port through which the broker was issued a permit or at a port referred to in 19 CFR 111.19(c) in the case of a national permit. Note that 19 CFR 111.96(c) also states that if a broker fails to pay the annual user fee by the published due date, the appropriate port director will notify the broker in writing of the failure to pay and will revoke the permit to operate. That notice will constitute revocation of the permit. CBP anticipates "that for subsequent years, the annual user fee for customs brokers will be due on the last business day of February of each year," it said.
CBP Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske named Todd Owen, previously director of field operations in Los Angeles, to assistant commissioner in the Office of Field Operations, said the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America in an email. John Wagner, previously the acting assistant commissioner in the OFO, was named deputy assistant commissioner in the OFO, said the NCBFAA. CBP didn't return a request for comment. The "NCBFAA is very excited with these appointments as both individuals bring vast experience in their prior positions for both enforcement and trade facilitation," it said.