Forthcoming customs reauthorization legislation will force Congress to confront tensions between trade security and trade facilitation, costs and benefits -- including how to implement the International Trade Data System and monitor Automated Commercial Enforcement -- according to a March 22 report on CBP from the Congressional Research Service. Most of the issues for Congress relating to CBP reauthorization stem from the “inherent tension between the commercial interest in trade facilitation and the often competing goals of enforcing trade laws and import security measures,” said the report, which also details the agency’s history and programs.
Automated Commercial Environment (ACE)
The Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) is the CBP's electronic system through which the international trade community reports imports and exports to and from the U.S. and the government determines admissibility.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service said it will begin its pilot May 28 on submission of electronic import inspection applications for meat, poultry, and egg products (FSIS Form 9540-1) through the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE), and is accepting requests to participate from importers and customs brokers by that date. The pilot will be used to test the transfer of data from the Participating Government Agency (PGA) Message Set in ACE to FSIS’ Public Health Information System (PHIS), the agency said. FSIS also posted a draft compliance guide for importers and customs brokers on electronic filing of the form in ACE.
Customs reauthorization legislation, introduced March 22 in the Senate, aims to streamline CBP’s drawback process through electronic claim filing and the establishment of objective eligibility requirements. The Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Reauthorization Act of 2013, sponsored by Senate Finance Committee leaders Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, is very similar to CBP reauthorization legislation previously introduced in both the House and Senate (see 13032610).
Senate Finance Committee leaders introduced legislation to reauthorize CBP and Immigration and Customs Enforcement March 22. The Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Reauthorization Act of 2013 establishes and fully authorizes CBP and ICE, and makes “trade facilitation and trade enforcement a top priority for each agency,” according to a summary of the bill from the Committee.
CBP said it fixed problems with Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) Entry Summary filings. Some ACE filers stopped receiving response messages March 20, but that issue has been resolved, the agency said in a CSMS message. Filers that didn't get a response on March 20 should retransmit the ACE Entry Summary, it said.
There have been fewer outages in the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) in January and February this year compared to the same months in 2012, said CBP in a notice on its Website. There were also fewer hours of unscheduled outages in 2012 compared to 2011, the agency said. CBP issued the notice in response to comments from the trade community "pointing to a perceived increase" in ACE outages, it said.
CBP will host a Webinar to discuss its pilot program using the Participating Government Agency (PGA) Message Set within the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE), said CBP in a CSMS message. The Webinar is scheduled for March 20 from 2-4 p.m. ET, said CBP. "While this webinar is not intended to cover how the pilots will be deployed, the webinar will cover available information on how the pilots will operate," it said. The Environmental Protection Agency "will discuss the specifics of their pilot using the PGA Message Set data elements for ozone-depleting substances, and vehicles and engines," and the Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) " will discuss the specifics of their pilot using the PGA Message Set for products covered by the Import Inspection Application, the FSIS Form 9540-1."
CBP and the Trade Support Network (TSN) discussed plans for developing new capabilities to the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) during a recent Webinar, according to a document posted by CBP. Much of CBP's focus was on the use of "agile" development, meant to allow CBP to implement small pieces of ACE rather than in larger chunks. The approach is said to allow more flexibility as needs change.
CBP posted three Great Idea Forms (GIF) on a request from the Trade Support Network meant to allow for interaction with the Participating Government Agency (PGA) Message Set through the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE).
CBP released several documents outlining the agency's plans and expectations for operations following the budget cuts that took effect March 1. The agency will allow for operations as usual for Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) and the Air Cargo Advance Screening (ACAS), the agency said. CBP has said it will continue to keep security, including radiation portal monitors, as a top priority during the cuts, but that trade processing could see major delays as a result of CBP furlough and cuts to overtime expenses. A list of CBP's trade priorities following sequestration is (here).