Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), Walter Jones (R-N.C.) and Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) pushed for strong public health protections as part of the ongoing negotiations for a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), in a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk. "As a result of expanded trade with two particular TPP countries, Vietnam and Malaysia, the United States markets could see an influx of imported contaminated seafood," said a press release. Those two countries have an especially poor track record for seafood imported into the U.S., the lawmakers said.
Tim Warren
Timothy Warren is Executive Managing Editor of Communications Daily. He previously led the International Trade Today editorial team from the time it was purchased by Warren Communications News in 2012 through the launch of Export Compliance Daily and Trade Law Daily. Tim is a 2005 graduate of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts and lives in Maryland with his wife and three kids.
CBP Miami moved the Agriculture Air Cargo Inspections office, it said in an information bulletin Nov. 29. The office moved from Cargo Building 708 to CBP Cargo Clearance Center room 272, it said. The new location will be effective Dec. 3.
Los Angeles Field Operations of CBP issued Public Bulletin No. LA13-016 to provide updated information on the commodities and personnel assigned to import specialist and entry teams at the Los Angeles/Long Beach Seaport. The guide lists the merchandise assignments, supervisor names and telephone numbers of the LA/LB import specialist and entry teams in effect as of November 28.
Putting in place a Senate-confirmed Commissioner of CBP is "critically important," to the agency, said Deputy Commissioner David Aguilar, speaking to reporters at the East Coast Trade Symposium Nov. 28. Aguilar was named acting commissioner last year after the term for Commissioner Alan Bersin's recess appointment expired. The agency hasn't had a politically appointed commissioner since 2009.
Statutory Changes for Part 111 Rewrite Hoped to be Avoided, but 'Yet to be Decided,' Says CBP's Gina
The need for Congressional action as part of CBP's rewrite of regulations for customs brokers hasn't been decided, said Al Gina, CBP Assistant Commissioner in the Office of International Trade. Gina discussed the CFR 19 Part 111 rewrite with reporters following the CBP East Coast Trade Symposium Nov. 28. The agency is in the early stages of revising its regulations to reflect changes to customs filing and business practices. Statutory changes through legislation would likely slow some of the changes to the regulations.
About 700 people registered to attend the CBP East Coast Trade Symposium Nov. 27 and 28, said a CBP spokesman. About 500 people registered for the Webcast, he said. The same event last year had about 750 onsite attendees and about 350 people registered for the Webcast, the spokesman said.
CBP’s Office of Congressional Affairs launched a new Congressional Resources section of the CBP website, it said in its Nov. 23 newsletter (here). The section is "dedicated to assisting congressional offices seeking information on CBP programs, policies, and operations," the agency said. The site includes "CBP news and events; answers to questions frequently asked by congressional staff; and valuable CBP references and resources." The new site is (here).
House Republican leadership chose Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.) to continue to chair the House Ways and Means Committee in the next Congress. "We will keep pursuing new opportunities in the global marketplace while enforcing our rights and holding our trading partners accountable," Camp said in a press release (here).
CBP and customs brokers are working together to review and modify the agency's previously released notice describing filing and other operations at the Centers for Excellence and Expertise (CEEs), said Valerie Neuhart, director of industry and account management at CBP. Neuhart spoke on a panel Nov. 27 on CEEs at the CBP East Coast Trade Symposium. There's also still some uncertainty on exactly how CEEs will handle importers that import goods across several industry areas, stakeholders sad.
House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas) hopes to see movement on two major pieces of customs-related legislation by the end of the year, he said at the CBP East Coast Trade Symposium Nov. 27. Brady hopes to introduce a customs reauthorization bill this year and expects a miscellaneous tariff bill (MTB) “shortly,” he said.