Congress Shouldn't Fund Implementation of APHIS Fee Increases, Say Lawmakers
A proposed increase in the Agricultural Quarantine inspection fees would burden importers and transportation service providers and more analysis is needed, said Reps. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., and Mario Díaz-Balart, R-Fla. in a letter (here). The letter, dated March 23, calls on the House Appropriations Agriculture Subcommittee to withhold funding toward putting the fees in place.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
If your job depends on informed compliance, you need International Trade Today. Delivered every business day and available any time online, only International Trade Today helps you stay current on the increasingly complex international trade regulatory environment.
The Agriculture Department’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service failed to sufficiently engage stakeholders in the development of the rule, they said in the letter. “We ask that the committee prohibit the use of FY ‘16 appropriations or any APHIS generated fees for implementing the proposed rule until such time as APHIS negotiates a more workable proposal with all impacted stakeholders pursuant to negotiated rulemaking procedures,” said the letter. Industry cried foul after the APHIS proposed the hikes in mid-2014 (see 14072317).