CBP hopes that the customs modernization law is passed in time to use its authorities in the reprogramming of ACE, with a goal of providing CBP and partner government agencies "with better quality data, much earlier in the supply chain, often in real time," John Leonard, deputy executive assistant commissioner in CBP's Office of Trade, said June 20.
International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from last week in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
Customs brokers need more training before they get put in the difficult situation of having to determine whether their client may have committed fraud for the purposes of broker separation provisions of CBP's recent Part 111 rewrite, trade consultant Cindy DeLeon said during a panel discussion June 20.
U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said advocates for free trade agreements who argue that 95% of customers are outside our borders are myopic.
"Activity" is "on the horizon" related to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List, Lesleyanne Kessler, CBP’s deputy associate chief counsel, said at an event on June 13. Following the recent addition of new companies to the list for the first time since the list was released in June 2022 (see 2306090011), Kessler said she expects the process for an interagency task force to add companies or remove them from the list "will be moving ahead in the coming year."
The top Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee has reintroduced a bill eliminating Chinese shippers' eligibility for de minimis, keeping the ban on China, and adding a requirement that remaining de minimis shipments include at a minimum: a description; an HTS code; a country of origin, shipper, importer; and a U.S. value. The new version also dropped language around sections 232 and 301 tariffs in the previous version.
The U.S. is trying to negotiate with Canada and Mexico on auto rules of origin details, rather than complying with a dispute settlement panel decision that originating supercore parts are considered 100% North American as you calculate the vehicle regional value content, according to the leader of the trade group that represents Detroit's Big Three automakers.
Four Senate Finance Committee members, two from each party, are asking the trade community to submit suggestions "in detail" on how they want the customs modernization trade facilitation planks improved.
CBP will reduce the number of continuing education credits required for the first triennial reporting period beginning in February 2024 under its upcoming final rule on continuing education requirements for customs brokers, CBP acting Commissioner Troy Miller said in opening remarks at the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee meeting on June 14.
Hemp wraps for use with non-tobacco legal herbal smoking mixtures are classifiable as "other" vegetable products, CBP said in a recently released ruling. The ruling came in response to an internal advice request, originally initiated over imports of wraps by Crown Distributing. The wraps were described by the requester as lacking tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and were intended for use only with non-tobacco legal herbal smoking mixtures.