The Journal of Commerce reports that registration will begin in May for shippers wishing to participate in a test of PierPass in the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, although full implementation of the program will be delayed until late June or early July (from a June 1 target date). PierPass, which will charge an extra $20 per TEU for cargo moving through terminal gates during weekday hours, is an effort to shift more cargo movements to nights and weekends to reduce peak-hour traffic. (JoC, dated 04/18/05, www.joc.com)

On May 17, 2005, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 2360, the fiscal year (FY) 2006 appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), etc.. (See ITT's Online Archives or 05/19/05, 05051905, for BP summary.)

CIT rules that market, not FDA or courts, recognizes a dietary supplement as therapeutic. In Inabata Specialty Chemicals v. U.S., the Court of International Trade (CIT) agreed with the importer and ruled that chondroitin sulfate (CS) entered in bulk powder form and packaged for retail sale as a dietary supplement according to FDA requirements, is classified under HTS 3001.90.0000 (duty-free) as other human or animal substances prepared for therapeutic or prophylactic uses, not elsewhere specified or included.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued an ABI administrative message reminding brokers that the Standard Carrier Alpha Code (SCAC) annual renewal period begins in June.

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the low-duty Tariff Preference Level (TPL) (1) for Mexico filled on May 9, 2005 at 1:40 p.m.

According to a columnist in the Washington Post's business section, the sugar lobby has come out against the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), in a bid to finally get sugar off the negotiating table once and for all, and preserve their tariffs and import quotas that cost Americans at least $1 billon a year in subsidies and artificially high sugar prices. (Washington Post, 05/11/05, www.washingtonpost.com )

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted to its Web site the April 2005 Customs broker exam and answer key.

The Departmental Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Related Functions (COAC) held its quarterly meeting on May 5, 2005 in Washington, DC during which U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials provided an update on the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT).

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted to its Web site a new "Trade Engagement Biweekly Report" which summarizes topics discussed during workshops held to develop the business requirements for Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) Release 5. (These workshops are attended by members of the Trade Support Network (TSN), called Trade Ambassadors, who are importers, brokers, carriers, and other members of the trade community.) The following are highlights of CBP's summary of four ACE Release 5 workshops held in early March 2005:

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an April 2005 version of a document entitled, "Prior Notice Summary Information" which had previously been titled "Compliance Summary Information: Prior Notice."