U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted to its Web site a spreadsheet that compares the Broker Customs and Trade Automated Interface Requirements (CATAIR) and Carrier Customs Automated Manifest Interface Requirements (CAMIR) codes. The spreadsheet provides the following details for each CAMIR/ANSI X.12 Disposition Code: AMS Message Text; ABI Disposition Code; CATAIR Message Text; ABI Output Record; and ABI Disp. Code. (Spreadsheet, dated 05/25/06, available at http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/import/cargo_control/codes.ctt/codes.xls.)
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.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued what it terms "important" guidelines for carriers participating in the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) electronic truck manifest (e-manifest) program. Preceding the guidelines is information on CBP's timeline for e-Manifest as well as its explanation of the need for this guidance, which is highlighted below.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted a notice to its web site announcing that it collected $510.6 million in duties and fees through the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) monthly payment feature-which is an estimated 25% of the total duties and fees collected by CBP.
On April 26, 2006, the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on "Authorization of Customs and Trade Functions" in order to review the operation of customs and trade functions in the federal government. This review will assist the Finance Committee in preparing legislation to reauthorize those functions.
April 2006 ACE Modernization newsletter. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted the April 2006 issue of its Modernization Monthly newsletter. This issue contains articles on the upcoming expansion of the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) to California, the approval for operational use of the screening foundation for modernization of the Automated Targeting System (ATS), etc. (April 2006 Modernization newsletter available at http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/toolbox/about/modernization/news_0406.ctt/news_0406.pdf.)
On May 4, 2006, the Senate passed H.R. 4939, the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill by a vote of 77 to 21. (The House passed its own version of H.R. 4939 on March 16, 2006.) As the House and Senate have passed different versions of H.R. 4939, a House-Senate conference will be convened to resolve those differences. (BP will be checking for international trade provisions in both House and Senate versions.) (Congressional Record, dated 05/04/06, available at http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/B?r109:@FIELD(FLD003d)@FIELD(DDATE20060504).)
The following are documents which U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) updates frequently (weekly, monthly, etc.). Updates are listed under "What's New" on its Web site:
New modified ACE EDI messages for Release 4 Truck Manifest. CBP has posted the following new modified ACE EDI messages for Release 4 Truck Manifest:
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a general notice announcing the next two groups, or clusters, of ports to be deployed for the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE)/National Customs Automation Program (NCAP) test concerning the transmission of automated truck manifest data for truck carrier accounts will be the cluster encompassing Laredo, TX and its bridges and a cluster of certain ports in California.
The World Shipping Council (WSC) has sent a letter to the House Homeland Security Committee urging the Committee to defeat H.R. 4899, the "Sail Only if Scanned Act," if it is offered as an amendment when the Committee considers H.R. 4954, the SAFE Port Act. According to the WSC, H.R. 4899 would require every ocean shipping container to be "scanned" in a foreign port before the container is loaded on the vessel for shipment to the U.S. (WSC letter, dated 04/18/06, available at http://www.worldshipping.org/king_letter.pdf.)