CBP "is continuing to work towards" Mutual Recognition Arrangements (MRAs) or "similar recognition" with several countries, including China and India, CBP Office of Field Operations Executive Assistant Commissioner Todd Owen said in written testimony for the House Homeland Security Transportation and Protective Security Subcommittee. The subcommittee held a Sept. 26 hearing on aviation security. Other countries mentioned were Brazil, Peru, Uruguay. MRAs allow for consideration of the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism and Authorized Economic Partnership programs at the borders.
Cybersecurity and in-transit cargo are among the expected areas of focus for new minimum security requirements (MSRs) under the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, CBP officials said during the recent C-TPAT conference in Detroit. According to an update from Livingston's Strategic Analysis Director Philip Sutter, CBP mentioned those as focal points without getting into specifics other than timing. "During FY 2018, CBP will be quantifying the cost and benefits of the amended MSRs," Sutter said. "They will prepare for implementation and launch a multi-year phased implementation of the MSRs in FY 2019." The C-TPAT director gave an outline of various C-TPAT initiatives during a recent interview (see 1709070010).
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for Sept. 5-8 in case they were missed.
CBP’s Office of Field Operations has tentatively come up with some “parameters” for how it will handle Section 321 clearances going forward, said Jim Swanson, CBP director-cargo conveyance security and controls, at a National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America conference on Sept. 11. The agency has agreed on a two-track solution, allowing continued clearance in the Automated Manifest System while providing new capabilities for Section 321 in the Automated Broker Interface, he said. ABI filing will include a 10-digit Harmonized Tariff Schedule number as a data element, with the importer of record potentially optional, he said.
The work is ongoing toward making some significant updates to the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism program, but there's been serious progress in recent months, said Elizabeth Schmelzinger, C-TPAT director at CBP, during a Sept. 6 interview. Between an update to Minimum Security Criteria and a new best practice framework, the program is undergoing a combination of fine-tuning and major updates that are meant to show measurable security improvements while keeping it attractive to the trade for cargo processing benefits, she said. Schmelzinger said implementation of a small number of new criteria requirements could come at some point during fiscal year 2018, which ends Sept. 30, 2018.
The House Homeland Security on Sept. 7 advanced legislation that would reauthorize the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism. The full committee adopted an amendment introduced by Rep. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., which fully replaces the text of H.R. 3551, introduced on July 28, but only makes minor changes. As amended, H.R. 3551 would add exporters as eligible participants for C-TPAT, as well as new requirements for CBP to consult with the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) in certain decisions regarding the C-TPAT program. The bill also would formally direct CBP to consider extending C-TPAT benefits to importers of noncontainerized cargo and “non-asset-based” third-party logistics providers.
The World Customs Organization issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
The House Homeland Security Committee on Sept. 7 will mark up H.R. 3551, a bill to reauthorize the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, the committee announced. Rep. Martha McSally, R-Ariz, introduced the bill in July (see 1707310051). The committee will also mark up H.R. 2142, the International Narcotics Trafficking Emergency Response by Detecting Incoming Contraband with Technology (INTERDICT) Act, a bill to expand the use of chemical screening devices to detect narcotics arriving at U.S. ports shipped through international mail and express carriers.
The Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) for CBP will next meet Aug. 23 in San Diego, CBP said in a notice.
Lawmakers recently introduced the following trade-related bills: