The Agricultural Marketing Service is amending its regulations to reflect electronic filing procedures currently in use for certifications that fruits, vegetables and specialty crops are exempt from marketing order grade, size, quality and maturity requirements, in an interim final rule that takes effect March 30 (here). The agency is also removing outdated language on grade exemption certifications for dates and raisins. AMS says the regulatory changes will support implementation of the International Trade Data System by allowing for filing of exemption certificates through the Automated Commercial Environment. Comments on the interim final rule are due May 26.

Steve Hilsen was named CBP's lead executive for the Single Window initiative, said CBP Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske, who spoke at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce March 24. Hilsen is in CBP's Automated Commercial Environment business office.

International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for March 16-20 in case they were missed.

CBP posted some statistics on Automated Commercial Environment use during February (here). There's 23,821 ACE trade accounts and 61,815 approved ACE portal users, said CBP. While the statistics do show an uptick in ACE use compared to January, CBP notes "only seven ACE cargo entry filers submitted over 10% of their total cargo entries in ACE."

The Senate Finance Committee is working to improve upon Customs Reauthorization legislation from previous years for a new bill that could be taken up this Congress, said Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, to the American Apparel and Footwear Association on March 19. Congress has failed to “modernize our customs system” in a timely fashion, but the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Reauthorization Act provides the framework to do just that, said Hatch. He and then-Finance Chairman Max Baucus floated that legislation in 2013 and tried unsuccessfully to move it forward.

CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues:

CBP should move to update the Business Rules document on Automated Commercial Environment Summary soon, National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America leaders recently told Brenda Smith, CBP assistant commissioner. "Although there is a Business Rules Document on ACE Summary, there is still some effort needed to update this publication," said the trade group's president, Geoffrey Powell, on the NCBFAA site (here). "There is an urgent need for the Business Rules document for Cargo Release as soon as possible, as opposed to April/May timeframe," he said. The document is important for training the industry and CBP, said Powell. "Many of our members rely heavily on the ACE Summary Business Rules Document daily when communicating with CBP, so there is mutual understanding of the issue at hand and how it needs to be addressed."

Some government agencies may require document image system (DIS) form submissions as of Nov. 1 in place of Partner Government Agency message set filings during an interim stage, said Elizabeth McQueen of CBP's Automated Commercial Environment business office during a webinar. "For a given form, that's currently in paper that's going to be moved into electronic processing, it actually could be that we go PGA Message Set or it could be DIS, depending on the form and depending on the circumstance," she said. There are a number of reasons CBP would initially require DIS submissions, including "the readiness of the PGA to take in the individual data elements or it could be a rulemaking," she said. As of Nov. 1, CBP will require that all electronic cargo release filings be in ACE.

International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for March 9-13 in case they were missed.

CBP posted a number of documents ahead of the second part of its Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) software developer session (here). The second part of sessions was rescheduled for March 27 at the U.S Department of Agriculture (here). The posted documents include the slides from several other agencies that were originally scheduled to present on March 4. The other agency presentations include: