CBP announced the location and agenda for next meeting of the Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations (COAC), Aug. 15 at 1 p.m. (PDT) in Seattle. Online registration for webcast and in-person participation is available through Aug.12, said a notice in the Federal Register July 30.
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.
House Ways and Means Chairman Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.) was diagnosed with a "highly treatable and curable type of non-Hodgkins lymphoma," he said July 28 in a press release. "My treatment will take place every three weeks over the next few months," he said. "It will consist of a series of chemotherapy sessions. In between treatments I will continue my work as a United States Representative for Michigan’s Fourth District and as Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. Thankfully my health is otherwise excellent and my doctors and I expect a full recovery and cure."
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is in the process of "implementing common practices and streamlined procedures for customs processing and regulatory compliance, and expanding, harmonizing, and automating trusted traveler and trader programs," said Deborah Meyers, director of Canadian affairs at DHS, in written testimony July 30. Meyers testified at a House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence field hearing titled “Beyond Borders: Are the Department of Homeland Security’s International Agreements Ensuring Actionable Intelligence to Combat Threats to the U.S. Homeland?”
CBP scheduled the 2012 East Coast Trade Symposium for September 27-28 in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, it said July 26. Further information on symposium details and online registration will be available soon. A Webcast of the event will also be offered, said CBP. There will be a limit of three representatives per company to enable a wide variety of companies to participate, said CBP.
CBP should revise the definition of "corporate compliance activity" in its rewrite of 19 CFR Parts 111, said a representative for the Business Alliance for Customs Modernization (BACM) during a July 27 CBP Webinar on "Understanding impacts to business processes." Current requirements that prevent in-house customs experts from replying to certain forms "doesn't make any sense," Richard Belanger, a lawyer with Sidley Austin who represents BACM, a trade association made up of large companies that are generally large consumers and employers of customs brokers' services.
Recent allegations of customs evasion by San Diego customs brokers don't represent the integrity of the profession overall, said the National Customs Brokers and Forwarder Association of America (NCBFAA) in response to federal charges filed against a group of customs brokers. A group of eight individuals, including Gerardo Chavez, president of the San Diego Customs Association (SDCA), and three companies worked to bring in shipments worth at least $100 million, while avoiding more than $10 million in customs duties and taxes, the charges say.
CBP posted an updated version of its Trade Transformation document, which outlines some general benefits to the industry and CBP in the transformation of cargo release. It said the benefits are:
Recent delays at the Port of New York/Newark during the delivery of refrigerated container boxes moving from marine terminals to Centralized Examination Stations (CES) were due to a lack of available generator sets and chassis at marine terminal locations, CBP New York said in an informational pipeline message. The generator sets are used to allow refrigerated cargo to maintain a consistent temperature when moving between terminals and CES locations. CBP "has been working diligently with the trade community to reduce these short term delays in the examination process and improve overall service and efficiency," it said. Email documents@brokerpower.com for a copy of the message.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection released spreadsheets showing active AD/CVD cases and the associated case numbers, ISO country codes, tariff numbers, and short descriptions of each case as of July 12 . This information alone should not be relied upon in determining whether an AD/CVD case is currently active, or whether merchandise falls under the scope of AD/CVD order, said CBP. For current AD/CVD information, consult ACE, Department of Commerce Federal Register Notices, and ADDCVD Search on CBP.gov, said CBP. Active anti-dumping cases are (here). Active countervailing cases are (here).
Gerardo Chavez, president of the San Diego Customs Association (SDCA), was among a group charged with conspiracy and fraud for a scheme to avoid customs duties on imported products. A total of eight individuals and three companies worked to bring in shipments worth at least $100 million, while avoiding more than $10 million in customs duties and taxes, according to the filing. Among other things, the group forged Transportation and Entry manifests, dodged Food and Drug Administration inspections, and tried to disguise shipments known to be infected with Salmonella, the federal charges say.