U.S. Customs and Border Protection must be aware of the limits of what customs brokers can provide to CBP, though there are several ways brokers can work with CBP to further the importing process, according to written testimony from Darrell Sekin, president of the National Customs Brokers and Forwards Association of America. Sekin is scheduled to testify May 17 before the Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee during a hearing on Supporting Economic Growth and Job Creation through Customs Trade Modernization, Facilitation, and Enforcement.
The National Custom Brokers and Forwarders Association of America plans to reconstitute its NCBFAA Educational Institute (NEI), said NEI Chairman Ken Bargteil. Those interested in boosting the continuing education and the enhancement of professionalism and expertise of brokers and forwarders should provide their name, NCBFAA area, company name, job title, email and postal address, office and cell phone numbers. NCBFAA also said they should indicate their areas of interests: CCS and/or CES; and Subcommittee preference: Content, Administration, Policy. Responses should be sent to memb@ncbfaa.org. The NCBFAA board also added 22 members; the list is here. It also announced its 2012 committee roster (here).
U.S. Customs and Border Protection posted an updated version of its spreadsheet of ACE ESAR A2.2 (Initial Entry Types) programming issues.
May 13-16 Congress and Expo of the Federation of Freight Forwarders, Logistics Operators and Cargo Agents of Latin America and the Caribbean (ALACAT), Marriott Rivercenter, San Antonio -- http://www.alacat2012.org/
The Air Forwarders Association (AfA) is working on Capitol Hill with members of the House transportation Highway bill conference committee to voice concern over whether forwarders should be subject to new bonding requirements during the truck shipment of goods with a prior or subsequent air movement or domestic/trans-border all truck shipments, said AfA. Airforwarders are exempt from bonding requirements in this respect, but language in the Senate transportation bill would force a $100,000 surety bond on airforwarders and customs brokers when moving these shipments, said the association.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection plans to establish two more Centers for Excellence and Expertise (CEEs) by the end of FY 2012, and five more after that by the end of FY 2013, CBP said in an updated "Trade Transformation" document. CBP said it is planning to establish a center for Automotive and Aerospace in Detroit and a Petroleum, Natural Gas and Minerals center in Houston.
Broker Power is providing readers with some of the top stories for April 30-May 4, 2012 in case they were missed last week.
Registration for the July-December Certified Customs Specialist (CCS) course is now available, the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America said. Students with at least one year of experience in the U.S. import industry, or current Canadian CCS holders who want to expand their base knowledge, can apply through May 31. Details are (here). Registration is (here). Additional broker or forwarder training information is (here). Additional information: Cecilia Ferrara at nei@ncbfaa.org or 202-466-0222.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the European Union (EU) reached a Mutual Recognition (MR) Decision between CBP’s Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program and the EU’s Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) program May 4, 2012. An EU press release said the mutual recognition would begin July 1, 2012.
The Census Bureau issued AES Broadcast #2012033 as a reminder that the Association of Small Business Development Centers (ASBDC) will host an Automated Export System (AES) Compliance Seminar and AESPcLink Workshops in East Lansing, Mich., May 9-10. Also, Census said, The Los Angeles Customs Brokers & Freight Forwarders Association will host an AES Compliance Seminar and AESPcLink Workshops in Newport Beach, California May 15-16.