Those involved in international trade were reporting relatively few impacts of the government shutdown, in its second day, but expressing concerns about the longer term. Most industry officials told us traffic continues moving through ports and airports.
CBP made available a full report on the Aug. 7 meeting of the CBP Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations (COAC). Among the subcommittee recommendations at the meeting were:
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for Sept. 23-27 in case they were missed.
The trade industry was still assessing the short- and long-term effects of the government shutdown Oct. 1. CBP had already said its core functions would not be immediately affected (see 13093028). And the U.S. National Airspace System was operating normally Oct. 1, with no reports of any impact to operations due to the government shutdown, said The International Air Cargo Association.
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Customs brokers and international trade lawyers expect increased activity in export controls and sanctions compliance in coming years due to administrative enforcement and a more globalized economy, an International Trade Today survey of eight trade law practices found. Most firms surveyed said customs litigation and regulatory work, as well as revenue, remained steady over the past year, even though many did add clients in the areas of export controls and sanctions compliance programs. Participants said the additions are attributed to the Administration’s recent emphasis on U.S. export controls and changes in the global economy.
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., is expanding his investigation into the ways data brokers collect and pass on personal information they gather from surveys, sweepstakes and questionnaires, he said in a Wednesday news release. He said he sent letters this week to 12 popular personal finance, health and family focused websites that “may collect detailed or sensitive information about a consumer’s health or financial status.” Privacy advocates said the letters should spur more regulatory action from Congress, the FTC and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Representatives of those agencies had no comment on the timeline for further regulatory action.
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., is expanding his investigation into the ways data brokers collect and pass on personal information they gather from surveys, sweepstakes and questionnaires, he said in a Wednesday news release. He said he sent letters this week to 12 popular personal finance, health and family focused websites that “may collect detailed or sensitive information about a consumer’s health or financial status.” Privacy advocates said the letters should spur more regulatory action from Congress, the FTC and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Representatives of those agencies had no comment on the timeline for further regulatory action.
Despite what seemed to be a statutory exemption in Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) for those involved in "customs business," there remains some uncertainty on how the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will look at customs brokers as the agency implements the law, said John Drake, FMCSA director of Government Affairs. "I think it's not entirely clear to us what the appropriate reading of this statute is," he said at the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America (NCBFAA) government affairs conference Sept. 23. The NCBFAA has interpreted the bill's language to mean most work done by customs brokers is exempt from the new bonding requirements of MAP-21 (see 12070325).
CBP provided a broad update on its ongoing work toward revising CBP regulations in 19 CFR Part 111 that govern licensed customs broker during the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America's Government Affairs Conference Sept. 22. Heather Sykes, the new chief of CBP's Broker Management Branch, outlined areas the agency is considering making updates to.