CBP is seeing an uptick in companies pulling out of the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, Manuel Garza, CBP director of CTPAT in the Office of Field Operations, said. “Because of COVID, we have seen an increase in the number of companies that have withdrawn from the program,” he said. The program still has about 11,400 total members and 315 trade compliance members, he said while speaking at a CBP Virtual Trade Week session Sept. 9. Some 53.4% of U.S. imports by value are CTPAT-certified, according to a CBP presentation.
CT Strategies hired Shawn Beddows as vice president of global services, the consulting group said in a news release. Beddows previously worked at the International Air Transport Association on cargo security matters in the Cargo Border Management Office. He was also the acting director of the CBP Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism Program and is an “Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Technical and Operational Adviser recognized by the World Customs Organization,” CT Strategies said.
Full compliance with the CBP proposal to revamp multiple government standards customs brokers are required to meet (see 2006040037) would likely take at least a year to complete, and potentially more, the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America said in comments filed Aug. 4. The updates would require dramatic changes during an already especially complex time in the industry and the broader economy, it said. Comments in the docket are due Aug. 4.
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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published its spring 2020 regulatory agenda for CBP. Among the few trade-related changes to the agenda from the fall (see 1911220038) is the return of continuing education requirements for customs brokers. The possible regulatory action was previously listed on CBP's agenda but relegated in recent years to the agency's list of "Long-Term Actions."
CBP would like to add a forced labor component to the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) program's trade compliance requirements by the end of this fiscal year, CTPAT Director Manuel Garza said in a government issue paper released ahead of the July 15 Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee meeting. The fiscal year ends Sept. 30. There's been discussion about adding such a component for a long time (see 1907250029), but CBP hadn't previously provided firm timing plans.
The Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) for CBP will next meet July 15, remotely, beginning at 1 p.m., CBP said in a notice. Comments are due in writing by July 14.
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CBP has stopped its validations of the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism program due to the COVID-19 pandemic, CTPAT Director Manuel Garza said in a May 1 post on the CBP website. “While 2020 validations have currently ceased due to COVID-19, CTPAT is working diligently to explore alternative options that will ensure the continuity and security of the validation process,” Garza said. CBP recently said it wouldn't be delaying dates around implementation of the updated Minimum Security Criteria, but it will allow for more discretion in the validations (see 2004160022).
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