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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.
The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) should take a closer look into the "congestion surcharges" planned by ocean carriers if there's a labor contract disruption at the West Coast ports, said a number of industry groups in a letter to the FMC. While the letter voiced appreciation for the agency's recent advisory on the issue (see 14060214), they said the FMC should be able to provide more information to those affected by the surcharges. The groups also voiced their support for a recent National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America letter to the agency that also asked the FMC to step in on port disruption issues (see 14060613).
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Agathon Associates is adding customs brokerage to the services it offers its clients, after principal David Trumbull got his customs broker license, it said in a blog post on June 18. The Boston-based company consults on international trade with a focus on textiles.
Send event information for inclusion in the International Trade Today Calendar toITTNews@warren-news.com.
Send event information for inclusion in the International Trade Today Calendar toITTNews@warren-news.com.
The Federal Maritime Commission should take a number of steps to help alleviate port congestion issues related to "unusual occurrences such as major force majeure events or labor-related difficulties," said the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America in a letter to agency Chairman Mario Cordero. As the possibility of strikes at the west coast ports increases, the FMC should consider putting in place procedures to help during port disruptions, said the NCBFAA. The group previously suggested the FMC take action on this but "we have not heard anything further concerning this and accordingly do not know whether the Commission has taken any steps to address this issue," the letter said.
CBP and the Transportation Security Administration should further consult with small and medium-sized forwarders before moving ahead with proposed rules for the Air Cargo Advanced Screening (ACAS) program, said four trade groups in letters to the two agencies. ACAS, now in a pilot phase, has not included in the pilot smaller forwarders "that rely on an extensive network of independent agents at overseas airports" and for whom "the size and scope of their technology infrastructure" is widely varied, the letter said. The groups, which represent "companies that do not own planes but instead arrange for the shipment of goods by air," asked that more work be done to determine how the ACAS program will affect small and medium-sized forwarders before they are brought under its requirements.
Dozens of industry organizations called on Congress to repeal a law that requires 100 percent scanning on U.S. bound maritime cargo containers in a June 2 letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Jeh Johnson. While DHS aims to comply with the law, another two-year extension is necessary due to financial and practical constraints, Johnson told the House Judiciary Committee on May 29 (here). The industry signatories, made up of the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America, the National Retail Federation, the American Apparel and Footwear Association and 67 other organizations, also expressed support for the two-year extension to the implementation deadline.