U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued an administrative message stating that ABI software vendors and self-programmers will be able to learn about the proposed CATAIR changes planned under ACE at the ACE Exchange II Conference to be held in Tucson, Arizona on October 30, 2006 - November 2, 2006. The breakout session on the CATAIR will be held on November 1, 2006 as part of the general sessions for importers and brokers. During the breakout session, ABI software vendors and self-programmers will be able to provide input on the proposed technical changes to the CATAIR. Information on attending this free conference is available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/toolbox/about/modernization/ace_ex_conf/(CBP Adm: 06-1123, dated 09/29/06, available at http://www.brokerpower.com/cgi-bin/adminsearch/admmsg.view.pl?article=2006/2006-1123.ADM )
On September 30, 2006, the House and Senate passed (agreed to) the conference version of H.R. 4954, entitled the "Security and Accountability for Every Port Act of 2006" (SAFE Port Act), which is a measure intended to improve maritime and cargo security through enhanced layered defenses, and for other purposes.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued an ABI administrative message that provides additional details on Amendment 11 (August 31, 2006) to the Customs and Trade Automated Interface Requirements (CATAIR).
House leaders decided not to take up a pretexting bill (HR-4943) Fri., despite calls by House Commerce Committee Chmn. Barton (R-Tex.) and other members in a high-profile, 2- day hearing into the Hewlett-Packard corporate spy scandal. “The bill won’t be on the floor,” a spokesman for House Majority Leader Boehner (R-O.) said Fri. Barton, pointing to a poster showing a picture from Gone with the Wind, told a House panel the bill wasn’t “gone.”
The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) issued a letter to the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America (NCBFAA) covering, among other things, the export compliance responsibilities of the forwarding community.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a general notice announcing the two-year extension of the quota preprocessing program (QPP) test, in order to provide for the electronic processing of certain quota-class apparel merchandise prior to the arrival of the importing carrier, through December 31, 2008.
The National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America (NCBFAA) held its annual Government Affairs Conference on September 18-19, 2006 in Washington, D.C., during which officials from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), as well as staff members from Congress, spoke. Highlights of their remarks include the following:
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued an administrative message on the automation of the Bahrain Free Trade Agreement (BFTA) in the Automated Commercial System (ACS).
Shippers' NewsWire reports that U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Ralph Basham spoke at the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America's (NCBFAA) Government Affairs Conference and emphasized that he understands the importance of international trade to the economic security of the country and pledged to get the manpower to improve the speed of shipments across the border. Basham also acknowledged that developing the multibillion-dollar Secure Border Initiative (SBI) on the Southwest border has been at the expense of import/export facilitation, cargo security, and other traditional activities. (American Shipper, dated 09/19/06, www.americanshipper.com)
(BP is reissuing its summary of this CBP guide, which appeared in the September 18, 2006 ITT, 06091805, in order to delete all of CBP's references to Truck AMS (Automated Manifest System), as AMS is under ACS, and CBP's E-Manifest: Truck, though also an automated system, is under ACE (the Automated Commercial Environment). Other conforming changes are also made to BP's summary.)