CBP said the following individual customs broker licenses and any and all associated permits have been canceled due to the death of the broker:
Send event information for inclusion in the International Trade Today Calendar toITTNews@warren-news.com.
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).
Send event information for inclusion in the International Trade Today Calendar toITTNews@warren-news.com.
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).
Send event information for inclusion in the International Trade Today Calendar toITTNews@warren-news.com.
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.