International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from May 3-7 in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
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.
Nike shoes that include Bluetooth connectivity, data processing, flash memory and auto-fit technology are classifiable as shoes, CBP said in an April 30 ruling. The company had argued the shoes should be classified based upon the Bluetooth transceiver, similar to smartwatches that rely on Bluetooth to transmit data, under subheading 8517.62. "Wearable 'smart' technology is a growing segment of the marketplace," CBP said. "Without a doubt, these types of goods will require individual, or case-by-case, analyses in order to determine their essential character." Jeffrey Whalen, a lawyer for Nike, requested the tariff classification ruling from CBP.
International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from April 26-30 in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
CBP will be moving drawback operations from within dedicated drawback centers and into the Centers of Excellence and Expertise, said Sharolyn McCann, director, Commercial Operations, Revenue and Entry, Office of Trade. McCann, who recently replaced Randy Mitchell in that role, spoke May 4 during the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America conference. "We are hoping to have this transition completed by the end of the fiscal year, the end of September," she said.
The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs began a review of a proposed rule prohibiting goods made using forced labor. OIRA received the proposal from the Treasury Department's customs operations May 4. CBP has been working on regulatory changes for forced labor (see 1703130011) since the law was changed as part of the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act (see 1603010043).
CBP has set a "very aggressive schedule" for moving ahead with a proposal to require 36 hours of continuing education for customs brokers every three-year period, said John Leonard, acting executive assistant commissioner for trade, while speaking remotely to the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America conference May 3. Some factors involved in the timing are out of CBP's control, but "we've got some very highly placed advocates within the Department of Homeland Security that are hopefully going to work their magic with the Office of Management and Budget," he said.
CBP's Automotive and Aerospace Center of Excellence and Expertise “continues to issue an inordinate number of informed compliance letters compared to the other Centers and in a manner inconsistent with CBP laws, regulations and policy,” the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America said in an April 27 letter to the agency. The NCBFAA previously mentioned the issue to the director of the Center, “but feel[s] it is necessary to seek additional improvement at the Headquarters level,” it said.
CBP will take a look at how it can bring foreign-trade zones into the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, Thomas Overacker, CBP executive director-cargo and conveyance security, said April 28 during the virtual National Association of Foreign-Trade Zones spring seminar. “We've committed to explore how we can incorporate FTZs into the CTPAT program,” he said. “We've long considered the documentation and internal controls of your industry as best practices for security and supply chain integrity. It only makes sense that you receive the recognition that you deserve.”
New authorized economic operator or trusted trader programs aimed at increasing data sharing within e-commerce are among the options suggested for reducing the information gaps at CBP, in a new report led by the University of Houston. “The team found that providing AEO certification to compliant stakeholders and developing a new federated data platform and information and communications technology infrastructure can both increase the probability of CBP gaining accurate data as well as increase economic efficiency for customers, importers and other relevant stakeholders,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a news release. The report was prepared by the Borders, Trade, and Immigration Institute at the University of Houston, which is sponsored by the DHS Science & Technology Directorate.
International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from April 19-23 in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.