On October 18, 2005, President Bush signed into law the conference version of H.R. 2360, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Appropriations Act, 2006 (Public Law (P.L.) 109-90).
According to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) press release, the port of Colombo, Sri Lanka is the 40th operational Container Security Initiative (CSI) port.
The American Shipper reports that during a symposium on reducing supply chain vulnerabilities hosted by MIT's Center for Transportation and Logistics, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Bonner stated on September 29, 2005 that companies that participate in C-TPAT and aspire to the greatest level of expedited customs clearance must take a page from the Sarbanes-Oxley law that holds corporate leaders accountable for the accuracy of their financial statements, and similarly make supply chain security part of their corporate governance structure. According to Bonner, CBP will require that supply chain security practices are periodically reviewed for adequacy and for adequate investment by CEOs and corporate boards seeking eligibility for Tier Three C-TPAT benefits. (AS, dated 10/03/05, ShippersNewsWire@americanshipper.com)
CBP has recently posted a number of additional press releases regarding Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which have the following titles:
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the ports of Kaohsiung, Taiwan and Santos, Brazil are the 38th and 39th operational Container Security Initiative (CSI) ports.
The President's Homeland Security Council has issued a document entitled, The National Strategy for Maritime Security (NSMS) which is intended to align all Federal government maritime security programs and initiatives into a comprehensive and cohesive national effort involving appropriate Federal, State, local, and private sector entities.
In March 2005, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) implemented its new minimum-security criteria for importer participants in the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT).
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a notice announcing that the next meeting of the Departmental Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of Customs and Border Protection and Related Functions (COAC) will be held on October 6, 2005 in Redondo Beach, CA. (This committee was previously called the 'Treasury Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of the U.S. Customs Service.")
According to American Shipper, California State Senator Lowenthal on Tuesday pulled a bill he authored that would have assessed a $30-per-TEU fee on every container passing through the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles to pay for security, traffic and environmental projects associated with goods movement. The article states that this bill was opposed by business and goods movement leaders, and that Lowenthal would try to work out a more collaborative proposal. The article adds that a bill authored by Lowethal in 2004 ultimately lead to the formation of PierPass. (AS article dated 08/17/05, ShippersNewsWire@americanshipper.com )
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has recently posted to its Web site "U.S./Mexico Highway Carrier Penalty and Mitigation Guidelines" under the Free and Secure Trade (FAST) program.