U.S. Customs and Border Protection has announced that Japan and the U.S. signed a mutual recognition arrangement that recognizes compatibility between the U.S.' Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism and Japan's Partners Authorized Economic Operators cargo security programs.
The Port of New York/Newark has issued an Informational Pipeline stating that containers consigned to a C-TPAT importer that are designated for drayage to a Centralized Examination Station (CES) for a CBP Enforcement, Trade, or Agriculture examination, will clearly be designated as "C-TPAT Priority," on the Permit to Transfer or CF3461 document faxed to the CES facility. The CES facility will in turn, dray to their facility, and present for examination, the C-TPAT Priority cargo before non-C-TPAT designated containerized cargo. (See future issue of ITT for details.) (Pipeline 09-016-NWK is available via email by sending a request to documents@brokerpower.com)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a notice announcing that the next customs broker license exam will be held on Monday, October 5, 2009.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted videos from its 2009 Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism supply chain security seminar for C-TPAT certified partners that was held on April 1-3, 2009 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection will hold the first annual Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism Northern Border Highway Carrier Conference on August 19, 2009 in Buffalo, NY.
CBP has issued a news release announcing that it is committed to the flexible and practical implementation of the June 1, 2009 document requirements for U.S. and Canadian citizens at land and sea ports of entry as part of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. CBP has also posted a WHTI land/sea factsheet. (News release, dated 05/27/09, available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/05272009_7.xml)
During the May 6, 2009 Departmental Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Related Homeland Security Functions (COAC) meeting, COAC adopted a white paper on Account Based Processing (which would include what is currently known as Account Management).
The Department of Homeland Security has recently released its fiscal year 2010 budget request for salaries and expenses, which contains specific requests for U.S. Customs and Border Protection initiatives such as international cargo screening, Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, and other international programs.
During the May 6, 2009 Departmental Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Related Homeland Security Functions (COAC) meeting, CBP officials stated that they are not likely to adjust the continuous bond formula based on participation in a CBP partnership program, such as the Importer Self Assessment (ISA) program.
CBP has posted the April 2009 customs broker exam and answer key to its Web site. According to CBP sources, the pass rate is not yet available. (See future issue of ITT for details when the pass rate becomes available.)(Exam and Key, posted 05/06/09, available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/trade/trade_programs/broker/broker_exam/exam_and_key_downloads/)