The CBP transition from the Automated Commercial System to the Automated Commercial Environment has resulted in the accidental release of confidential manifest information, according to international trade law firm Grunfeld, Desiderio, Lebowitz, Silverman & Klestadt (GDLSK). The firm said on its Website that CBP is aware of the problem and is working to fix it. CBP didn't return a request for comment.
House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas) introduced Dec. 7 long-awaited legislation meant to modernize CBP and other customs-related agencies.
CBP's requirement for the arrival of the full in-bond shipment before a subsequent in-bond movement in ACE may require some revision and the agency is working on an update, said a CBP spokeswoman. The agency recently said it needed to put the new policy in place to better track in-bond movements and adjust to programming edits related to the transition to ACE M1: Rail and Sea.
CBP hopes to deploy its Partner Government Agency (PGA) message set in the "spring-summer timeframe," said Brenda Smith, acting director of the ACE business office while speaking at the CBP Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations (COAC) meeting on Dec. 4. "We see that very close on the horizon, she said.
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for Nov. 19-23 in case they were missed.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues:
CBP is moving toward testing Simplified Entry for Lacey Act filings, said Vincent Annunziato, director of cargo control and release at CBP, speaking at the CBP East Coast Trade Symposium Nov. 28. CBP recently wrapped up its Phase 1 of Simplified Entry testing when it expanded the pilot to numerous ports, said Annunziato. (See ITT's Online Archives 12081319 for summary of CBP's plans to expand the simplified entry pilot. Simplified Entry allows for filing of shipment information earlier in the import process and is now being tested within air cargo.)
CBP's New York Field Operations office released the agenda for its meeting for 10 a.m. Dec. 5 in Rm. 401, 1100 Raymond Blvd., Newark. Agenda items include an ACE update on holding code clarification, CES update, resumption of business plan, damaged merchandise procedures and post-storm procedures, it said in an Information Pipeline notice. Details: Linda Birck, 973-368-6107 or linda.birck@dhs.gov.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service’s Nov. 27 proposed rule to amend import inspection regulations for meat, poultry, and egg products would allow for electronic submission of import inspection applications, foreign inspection certificates, and foreign establishment certificates through the Public Health Information System (PHIS) Import Component. But FSIS is proposing other changes that will affect importers. The agency is more strictly defining the time frame for prior notification of imported products, ceasing to accept foreign inspection certificate replacement guarantees for entry into the U.S. when the certificate has been lost or contains errors, and said it will work with CBP to monitor “failures to present” for import reinspection. Comments on the proposed rule are due Jan. 28.
In order to facilitate the roll out of the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE), CBP needs to complete the edits to ACE, said the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America in a White Paper it submitted to Commissioner Alan Bersin and then again to Deputy Commissioner David Aguilar outlining the position of the NCBFAA and the 900 companies it represents. It said the top priorities must be implemented before CBP even thinks about putting an end to ACS. NCBFAA said the top priorities include: