The National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America (NCBFAA) has sent a letter to the Secretary of Commerce encouraging him to continue the Commerce Department's long-standing policy of safeguarding competition-sensitive export information as it establishes mandatory filing of data through the Automated Export System (AES). According to an NCBFAA press release, concern arose when U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) refused to approve regulations clarifying filers' responsibilities under the law and implementing the statutory requirement for mandatory filing through AES. Central to the controversy is a CBP demand for concessions on AES "Option 4" and on the availability of Census data to foreign governments. (NCBFAA press release, dated March 2006) available via email by emailing documents@brokerpower.com.)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted to its Web site various materials related to presentations made at the February 26 - March 1, 2006 meeting of the Trade Support Network (TSN).
Delays on a Senate cellphone privacy bill (S-2389) could make it hard to complete a package on cellphone privacy, Hill and lobbyist sources said. For a bundle to move, chairmen must agree to merge the House and Senate Commerce Committee bills (HR-4943, S-2389), plus companion House and Senate Judiciary committee bills (HR-4709, S-2178). But the Senate Commerce bill differs markedly from the House bill, and faces a host of amendments -- some said by consumer and privacy groups to threaten already scant consumer protections.
In U.S. v. Golden Gate Petroleum Co., the Court of International Trade (CIT) ruled that Golden Gate Petroleum, Co. (Golden Gate) was liable for over $1 million in unpaid duties, even though the purchaser of the goods was its (now out-of-business) subsidiary, Golden Gate Petroleum International, Ltd. (Golden Gate Int'l), as Golden Gate was listed on the entry documents as the "importer of record."
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued an administrative message to advise the trade of the Automated Broker Interface (ABI) system requirements needed to file a U.S. - Central America - Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) claim.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted its new Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) minimum-security criteria for highway carriers, which are effective as of March 13, 2006.
CBP Issues Instructions on Filing & Acceptance
The House Commerce Committee Wed. unanimously passed a cellphone privacy bill that would make it illegal for online companies to sell phone records without consumers’ permission. The bill would expressly outlaw “pretexting,” the practice of impersonating another’s identity to obtain someone’s records over the phone. The measure also includes a narrow law enforcement exemption so police can obtain data for investigations. “I look forward to quickly moving this bill to the floor,” said Chmn. Barton (R-Tex.).
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a memorandum providing instructions for the filing and acceptance of claims for preferential tariff treatment of goods made under the U.S.-Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA).
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued an administrative message that reminds Customs brokers that correspondence relating to certain matters must be directed to the appropriate CBP port director(s), and not to CBP headquarters.