In an article about the recent shutdown of the ACE Release 4 Truck Manifest pilot in Blaine, WA, The Journal of Commerce reports that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is optimistic that the shutdown is "temporary" (i.e., weeks, not months) and that programmers are already at work fixing the problems. (See ITT's Online Archives or 01/05/05 news, 05010505, for BP summary on the shutdown.)
Licensed Customs Broker
Customs brokers are entities who assist importers in meeting federal requirements governing imports into the United States. Brokers can be private individuals, partnerships, associations or corporations licensed, regulated and empowered by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Customs brokers oversee transactions related to customs entry and admissibility of merchandise, product classification, customs valuation, payment of duties, taxes, or other charges such as refunds, rebates, and duty drawbacks. To obtain a customs broker license, an individual must pass the U.S. Customs Broker License Exam. Customs brokers are not government employees and should not be confused with CBP officials. There are approximately 11,000 active licensed customs brokers in the United States.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted a notice on its Web site announcing that the next Customs Broker License Examination will be held on Monday, April 4, 2005.
The Journal of Commerce Online reports that Representative Millender-McDonald has introduced legislation that would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to develop a shipment profiling plan for imported loaded and empty containers, inspection of merchandise at foreign ports and issue final rules for biometric identification cards for seaport employees. The article notes that Representative Millender-McDonald introduced a virtually identical bill in October 2003 that died in committee at the end of the 108th Congress. (JoC Online dated 01/10/05, www.joc.com.)
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a 2004 year end review fact sheet which highlights accomplishments and statistics for various DHS agencies including U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Transportation and Security Administration (TSA), etc. (DHS fact sheet, available at )
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued an ABI administrative message informing all filers that any data input into the Importer of Record database (SRE file), on or after December 20, 2004, that is identified as being input as a knowingly invalid record will result in a broker penalty under 19 USC 1641(d) for egregious violation. CBP states that additionally, upon discovery of such false records, CBP personnel will immediately void the identified records to impede any future transactions.
The State Department has issued a public notice announcing various upcoming meetings of the International Telecommunication Advisory Committee (ITAC) to prepare for the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group (TSAG) Meeting and ITU-T Study Groups 3, 4, and 17 meetings. According to the notice, ITAC will meet with an agenda for preparations for an upcoming ITU-T TSAG meeting on: January 19, February 2, February 16 (teleconference) and March 2, 2005.
The Journal of Commerce Online reports that on November 30, 2004, Secretary of Homeland Security, Tom Ridge, sent his letter of resignation to President Bush. The article states that Ridge expressed his desire to continue to serve as Secretary of Homeland Security until February 1, 2005 or until the Senate confirms his successor. (JoC Online dated 11/30/04, www.joc.com.)
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued a news release announcing that Taiwan has agreed in principle to resume imports of U.S. beef and beef products. The news release states that Taiwan officials indicated that the required assessments and evaluations for trade to resume were nearing completion. (USDA news release no. 0468.04, dated 10/26/04, available at http://www.usda.gov/documents/NewsReleases/2004/10/0468.doc.)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted to its Web site a notice regarding the misuse of licenses and filer codes that was previously issued on October 6, 2004 as an ABI administrative message. (See ITT's Online Archives or 10/08/04 news, 04100805, for BP summary of CBP's ABI administrative message on this issue.)(CBP notice available at http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/import/broker_management/misuse_licences.ctt/misuse_licences.doc.)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a revised version of its frequently asked questions (FAQ) and responses (dated October 5, 2004) on the "Rail" portion of its final rule on the advance electronic presentation of information pertaining to cargo (ocean, air, rail, and truck) prior to it being brought into, or sent from, the U.S.