LAS VEGAS -- The place for Remote Location Filing within the virtual Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) is yet to be decided at this point, said Brenda Brockman Smith, executive director of the ACE business office at CBP. Smith, who spoke at the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America conference on April 9, also said she expects the agency to add some Food and Drug Administration (FDA) elements to the system before CBP begins to require all trade filing in ACE.
LAS VEGAS -- As part of its effort to reduce air transit times, the International Air Transport Association will be developing new cargo standards for ground handlers, said Warren Jones, president-Cargo Network Services (CNS) at the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America annual conference on April 8. Jones said the effort to have cargo spend less time waiting on the ground, as well as the ongoing e-Air Waybill program, will help the air cargo group meet its goal of cutting the current six-and-a-half day average timeframe for air shipments by 48 hours before 2020. On the domestic side, the development of Air Cargo Advance Screening (ACAS) is progressing and will prove to be a boon to the forwarding industry, said industry officials.
Mexico's Diario Oficial of April 11 lists notices from the Secretary of the Economy as follows:
LAS VEGAS -- CBP Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske's past roles as police chief and the head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) provide him some important skills that will help in his role in overseeing international trade, he said while speaking at the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America conference April 9. Kerlikowske looked to relieve concerns that his focus at CBP would be driven by his enforcement experience with less of an emphasis on facilitation. Kerlikowske, who admitted he's still working to become more familiar with trade issues, said he hopes to strengthen the agency's relationship with customs brokers and sees the industry as key partner to the government's mission on the border.
LAS VEGAS -- A widescale CBP enforcement effort meant to crackdown on noncompliant imports of Chinese wooden bedroom furniture was the source of a number of complaints directed to Rich DiNucci, acting head of the CBP Office of International Trade, on April 9. While the issue is "sensitive," CBP's increased scrutiny of such shipments is necessary, said DiNucci, who spoke on a National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America conference panel discussion on trade enforcement. DiNucci said the agency will also be looking to improve its responsiveness on rulings.
A group of related apparel importers will pay $10 million to settle charges that they falsified entry documentation to avoid paying import duties, said the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District New York on April 9. Siouni and Zar Corp. and Dana Kay admitted to underreporting the dutiable value on invoices provided to CBP for imports of women’s apparel by using a second, unreported invoice for part of the purchase price. The complaint said the false invoices resulted in $3 million per year in unpaid duties.
CBP should revise its regulations for customs brokers to expand the definition of "corporate compliance activity," the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) said in comments recently filed with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). RILA's comments, filed in response to a DHS request for public input on regulatory changes it should consider (see 14022621), focused on a wide range of CBP regulations that the association said deserve review. The retailers were one of only a few commenters that raised customs issues with DHS.
LAS VEGAS -- The question of how to accredit continuing education classes for customs brokers continues to bedevil CBP, but the agency is starting to make some progress toward a proposed rule, said Heather Sykes, CBP branch chief-Broker Management, at the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America annual conference April 9. CBP has started work on its economic impact analysis on continuing education requirements, a necessary step before drafting a proposed rule. Rather than issue all of its "role of the broker" changes at once, CBP is now considering breaking the changes out into several "packages" of proposed regulations. One package would be the continuing education proposed rule, which Sykes very tentatively said could come in 2015. Others will address importer bona fides and broker employee reporting requirements.
LAS VEGAS -- A formal explanation as to how the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) understands the customs broker exemptions within the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) is in the works, though there has not been indication when exactly it will come, said Ed Greenberg, a lawyer for the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America (NCBFAA). Greenberg and others discussed the law on a panel during the NCBFAA conference April 8. The issue has been the source of significant discussion among brokers and it was clear at the NCBFAA conference that the question continues to be a major concern within the industry.
LAS VEGAS -- The Federal Maritime Commission is looking at softening changes to its regulations on Ocean Transport Intermediaries (OTIs), said FMC Chairman Mario Cordero in remarks at the National Customs Broker & Freight Forwarder Association annual conference. A May 2013 request for comments had prompted industry to decry the FMC's regulatory changes as too burdensome. Cordero said FMC staff is currently considering ways to make any new regulations more “business-friendly,” although he wouldn't say what specific changes were in the pipeline.