CBP will not consider the edges of fabric, known as selvage, when it reviews the classification of banners imported by FNS Customs Brokers for its client, Moojin Chem, the agency said in response to an internal advice request. The company requested that CBP weigh in on the classification of imports of two sizes of mesh banners, both of which have frayed edges that "are not embedded, coated or covered with plastic." The ruling, HQ H242096, is dated May 7 and was sent to the New Orleans Port Director.
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The National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America warned of possible efforts to steal members' login credentials in a July 10 email. "Recently, an individual registered a site that 'spoofed' the NCBFAA site," said NCBFAA. As a result, using a search engine to find NCBFAA's site would turn up the fake address, ncbfab.com, it said. Because of the similarity to "the actual NCBFAA URL, ncbfaa.org, users may have been fooled into opening it and attempting to log onto the imitation site. The offending website has been suspended and clicking on the phony URL now returns the message 'Network Access Message: The website cannot be found.'" NCBFAA suggested that members change their passwords for the site.
CBP said the following individual customs broker licenses and any and all associated permits have been canceled due to the death of the broker:
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CBP provided additional guidance for industry in the event of possible port disruptions related to labor contract disputes on the west coast, in a CSMS message sent July 3 (here). The update to a guidance issued on June 24 (see 14062423) includes more details on how to handle shipments of FDA-regulated products. It also includes new information for customs brokers whose shipments have been diverted to another district where the broker is unpermitted, updates procedures for cargo diverted to another west coast port, and says part of CBP’s plan is to “provide front-of-the-line benefits and priority processing to partners in the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program.”
Legislation designed to create a national hiring standard for motor carriers would give increased safeguards to brokers and forwarders that coordinate the hiring of motor vehicles for the movement of cargo, said the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America (NCBFAA) in a July 1 letter to Rep. John Duncan, R-Tenn., the sponsor of the legislation. The bill, H.R. 4727, was introduced in May, and has three additional cosponsors. The measure would create a safe harbor from liability for shippers, brokers, forwarders and receivers as long as they verify each motor carrier they hire is registered with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, has obtained the minimum insurance, and has not been given an "unsatisfactory" rating.
The U.S. principal party in interest (USPPI) may be criminally culpable for export control violations associated with “routed export transactions,” such as improper licenses or classifications, said Obama administration officials with the Departments of Homeland Security and State at a June 27 panel hosted by the Washington Foreign Law Society. “Routed export transactions” involve the foreign principal party in interest (FPPI) as the party responsible for the export. The Export Administration Regulations and the Foreign Trade Regulations have slightly different definitions for “routed export transactions,” which has caused confusion among exporters (see 14020524).
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The U.S. must fundamentally revamp its customs enforcement regime in order to suppress growing duty evasion and counterfeit networks globally, said lawmakers and witnesses at the June 25 Senate Finance Committee hearing on trade enforcement. The Obama administration continues to eye successful conclusion to Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations, but more effort needs to be directed towards effective enforcement of active trade agreements, said Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., during the hearing.