Trade associations spent relatively little on lobbying in the first quarter of 2013, according to public records. Groups like the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association, the American Association of Exporters and Importers and the U.S. Association of Textiles and Apparels Importers spent less than $5,000 each. Customs reauthorization, the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill and potential trade agreements were some of the biggest issues trade groups lobbied on in Q1, the records show.
April 22 ICC World Trade Agenda Summit, Doha, Qatar (here)
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues:
April 15 Mexican Ambassador Eduardo Medina-Mora Icaza speaks at 21st Century Border Initiative event, 12:30 p.m., 729 15th St. NW, Washington (here)
The American Association of Exporters and Importers (AAEI) joined the chorus of customs groups asking for removal of AD/CVD section from the still-under-discussion House customs reauthorization bill, saying the section should be removed “so it does not slow down passage of this important legislation.”
CBP hopes to begin its pilot program for entry of residues in instruments of international traffic (IIT) by the end of the fiscal year, said officials at an April 9 webinar hosted by Integration Point. Through the test, CBP will roll out its new “residue entry” type, and allow carriers and importers an alternative to filing consumption entries for residue in containers, they said. Given the fees and brokerage costs associated with consumption entries, CBP expects high levels of participation, the officials said. The agency will not restrict participation in the pilot, nor even require formal registration, they said.
CBP plans an April 16 webinar on "Manifesting and Entry of Residue Found in Instruments of International Traffic (IITs)." The one-hour webinar primarily targets companies that may be eligible to participate on the test. Speakers are to include Amy Hatfield, Branch Chief, Cargo Conveyance & Security, Office of Field Operations, Jeremy Baskin, Assistant to the Executive Director of Regulations and Rulings, Office of International Trade, and James Swanson, Office of Field Operations ACE Liaison. The panelists will discuss the CBP National Customs Automation Program Test Concerning Manifesting and Entry of Residue Found in IITs. The webinar will conclude with a question and answer session. The webinar will be at 1 p.m., and repeated at 2:30 p.m. To join the meeting: (here).
CBP’s increased budget under the Fiscal Year 2013 appropriations bill will ease the sting of sequestration and grant the agency some leeway in how it administers cuts, industry experts said. The increased funding, combined with discretion in implementing the cuts, may even allow the agency to entirely avoid furloughs, they said. But even if furloughs are avoided, cuts to overtime for CBP staff could still result in port delays, particularly at peak processing times.
April 7-10 NCBFAA Annual Conference, Westin Mission Hills, Rancho Mirage, CA (here)
Given delays caused by sequestration funding cuts, CBP will reiterate to the ports its commitment to giving priority to C-TPAT shipments designated for examination, it said in an update to its FAQ on sequestration. The agency is currently working with its NAFTA partners to manage the flow of traffic at land border crossings, with the aim of continuing to offer front-of-the-line priority for its trusted partners in the face of the backlog created by reduced staffing, it said. But despite sequestration, CBP said implementation of the CEEs is currently on schedule. The agency also still hopes to complete ACE within its originally scheduled timeframe.