Deanna Tanner Okun, former chair of the International Trade Commission, was hired by Adduci, Mastriani & Schaumberg as a partner.
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 issued its weekly tariff rate quota and tariff preference level commodity report as of Oct. 9. This report includes TRQs on various products such as beef, sugar, dairy products, peanuts, cotton, cocoa products, and tobacco; and certain BFTA, DR-CAFTA, Israel FTA, JFTA, MFTA, OFTA, SFTA, UAFTA (AFTA) and UCFTA (Chile FTA) non-textile TRQs etc. Each report also includes the AGOA, ATPDEA, BFTA, DR-CAFTA, CBTPA, Haitian HOPE, MFTA, NAFTA, OFTA, SFTA, and UCFTA TPLs and TRQs for qualifying textile articles and/or other articles; the TRQs on worsted wool fabrics, etc.
New lobbyist registrations on trade issues include:
The Centers for Excellence and Expertise (CEEs) offer a significant amount of hope and concern among the trade industry, said individuals involved in several different facets during interviews. The CEEs, which offer industry-dedicated, virtual locations for entry summary review, are currently in a pilot phase but are widely expected to see an increased role, potentially meaning a major shift in the customs world. Several concerns remain, said industry and CBP officials, but there's also hope that they will provide for simpler and more uniform customs processes.
CBP posted an Oct. 9 version of its CF 1400 (Record of Vessel in Foreign Trade Entrances) electronic query report of the Vessel Management System (VMS), in accordance with 19 CFR 4.95, organized by entrances. CBP also posted a version of its CF 1401 (Record of Vessel in Foreign Trade Clearances) electronic query report of the VMS, in accordance with 19 CFR 4.95, organized by clearances.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) will push for new export opportunities for U.S. businesses and discuss a potential U.S.-EU free trade agreement (FTA), his office said in a press release. Baucus is in Europe for a series of high-level meetings with leaders regarding the eurozone’s ongoing fiscal crisis and its potential impact on the United States and the entire global economy, it said.
CBP issued a memorandum saying the fiscal year 2013 refined sugar tariff rate quota that opened on October 1 oversubscribed at opening moment. The pro rata percentage is 28.62180% or 0.2862180.
The National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) and USA*Engage gave Congress overall positive scores in a new interim report card on trade issues. Some 64 percent of Senators and 43 percent of Representatives received an A or B for "enacting trade legislation critical to U.S. economic growth and job creation," they said. Most legislative movement had to do with pending free trade agreements or reauthorization of existing programs, rather than new major trade initiatives, according to their report. A final report will be released at the end this Congress.
CBP still has not seen any major or minor issues with the move from the rail and sea legacy manifest filing systems to Automated Commercial Environment (ACE): e-Manifest (M1), said Brenda Smith, head of the ACE business office in an interview. Since the transition on Sept. 28, a day earlier than the official cutoff date, all automated manifest system (AMS) filers are using the M1 system for automated filing. The move to M1 marks a significant milestone for ACE, which has proven to be a difficult and expensive process for CBP.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues: