Tim Warren

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee scheduled a Sept. 19 mark-up of the Increasing American Jobs Through Greater Exports to Africa Act (S-2215).

New lobbyist registrations on trade issues include:

Customs Rulings Online Search System (CROSS) was updated Sept. 5 with 138 rulings, bringing the total number of searchable rulings to 173,879. The most recent ruling is dated 9/1/2012.

CBP said its East Coast Trade Symposium scheduled for Oct. 29-30 is sold out for onsite participation. Webcast registration is still available (here) . (See ITT's Online Archives 12083114 for summary of the agenda.)

CBP issued its weekly tariff rate quota and tariff preference level commodity report as of Sept. 10. 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.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) introduced a Continuing Resolution, a temporary funding measure, to prevent a government shutdown and fund federal programs until March 27, 2013 (H.J.Res 117). Among other things, the bill would pay for "operations necessary to maintain the staffing levels (including by backfilling vacant positions) of Border Patrol agents, Customs and Border Protection officers, and Air and Marine interdiction agents in effect at the end of the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2012."

CBP Los Angeles scheduled a trade forum on the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE), it said in a public bulletin. The trade forum is to provide up to date information on a number of topics on ACE. Email documents@brokerpower.com for a copy of the bulletin.

Correction: CBP Los Angeles will hold a trade forum on Sept. 25 to discuss planned updates to CBP's and the Food and Drug Administration's refusal/redelivery process, it said in a public notice. ITT mistakenly said in the Sept. 10 issue the forum would take place Sept. 24. Topics will include FDA exams and entry review, exports and destructions, the new CBP/FDA joint redelivery process, and CBP's refund and cancellation policy, said the notice. Email documents@brokerpower.com for a copy of the public notice.

CBP Seattle will host an informed compliance seminar on establishing a customs bonded warehouse, said CBP in a trade information notice (TIN)). The session will be from 10 a.m. to noon Sept. 20 at the Jackson Federal Building, 915 Second Ave., Seattle. Only 35 seats are available for the seminar, so reservations are recommended. Contact: Jenny Pelagio at Jeny.G.Pelagio@dhs.gov or (206) 553-0605. Email documents@brokerpower.com for a copy of the TIN.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) should move to establish a certification program allowing for private sector canine explosive detection teams to help in air cargo screening, said a report from House Transportation Security Subcommittee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Ala.). "Substantial delays are leading to a missed opportunity to expand canine resources, create private sector jobs and leverage the private sector toward better air cargo security," the report said. "TSA needs to finalize its efforts to develop a certification program for private companies to enable them to use their own canines, certified to TSA standards, to meet federal air cargo screening mandates. Leveraging private sector resources will introduce much-needed additional canines into the cargo screening system."