Lawmakers Visit Port of Baltimore
Some twenty staff members from the U.S. House of Representatives, including staff from the Committee on Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee, visited the Port of Baltimore April 11, said a U.S. Customs and Border Protection press release. The group, which included Trade Counsel, International Trade Policy Fellows, Senior Policy and Legislative Advisors, Professional Staff, and Legislative Assistants, arrived at the Customs House in Baltimore and were given an overview of Port operations by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Director of Field Operations for the Baltimore Field Office Michael Lovejoy and Acting Port Director for Baltimore Frances Garcia.
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Also in attendance were Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Group Supervisor Jeff Ryan and Scot Ballman of the Intellectual Property Rights Center in Arlington, Va. They provided an overview of CBP and HSI’s working relationship and the work that is being done to stem commercial fraud and intellectual property rights violations.
The visit also included a comprehensive overview of the trade operations process from CBP entry specialists, import specialists, and agriculture specialists as well as a trip to the Baltimore seaport to see CBP officers in action. The House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade includes budget authorizations for the customs revenue functions of the Department of Homeland Security and all matters related to import and export trade policy.