U.S. Customs and Border Protection has previously announced that the next customs broker license examination will be held on Monday, October 5, 2009.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection recently began posting Trade Support Network monthly activity reports summarizing the activity of all of the TSN Committees and Subcommittees.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted its report to Congress on the Automated Commercial Environment for the second quarter of fiscal year 2009 (January 1 through March 31, 2009).
During the August 5, 2009 Departmental Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Related Homeland Security Functions (COAC) meeting, CBP, other government officials, and COAC members provided an update on the Automated Commercial Environment.
California's Energy Commission has proposed amendments to its Appliance Efficiency Regulations. Among other things, the amendments concern the efficiency of general service fluorescent lamps and general service incandescent lamps. (Amendments, dated November 2008, available at http://www.energy.ca.gov/2008publications/CEC-400-2008-020/CEC-400-2008-020-15DAY.PDF)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a new informed compliance publication entitled What Every Member of the Trade Community Should Know About: Cutlery of Headings 8211 through 8215 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States.
The Commissioners of the Consumer Product Safety Commission have approved an interim final rule containing the CPSC's interpretation of the statutory and other civil penalty and mitigation factors that may be considered for "knowing" violations of the prohibited acts listed in the Consumer Product Safety Act, the Flammable Fabrics Act, and the Federal Hazardous Substances Act, as amended by the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008. Commissioner statements are availablehere. In addition, CPSC has approved a notice withdrawing its related July 2006 proposed rule on civil penalty factors. (Interim Final Rule, dated 08/19/09, available at http://www.cpsc.gov/businfo/frnotices/fr09/civilpenaltyfactors-draft.pdf)
During the August 5, 2009 Departmental Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Related Homeland Security Functions (COAC) meeting, CBP officials provided an update on 10+2.
On August 6, 2009, Senate Finance Committee leaders Baucus (D) and Grassley (R) introduced the "Customs Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Reauthorization Act of 2009" (S.1631).
During the August 5, 2009 Departmental Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Related Homeland Security Functions (COAC) meeting, COAC's Air Cargo Security Subcommittee provided an update on its efforts to identify areas of possible redundancy and/or areas that could be leveraged to improve and streamline domestic and international air cargo security.