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.
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) at JFK Airport in New York has issued an informational pipeline announcing new phone numbers, effective September 13, 2004, for the Entry Branch at JFK Airport/Building 77.
The Journal of Commerce reports that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has asked for permission to keep the hours-of-service (HOS) final rule for truck drivers in effect for at least six more months while it tries to revise it after it was vacated by a court decision in July. (See ITT's Online Archives or 09/08/04 news, 04090810, for the FMCSA's filing to stay the court decision.) (JoC, dated 09/06/04, www.joc.com)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a final rule, effective August 30, 2004, which adopts without change an interim rule (T.D. 03-23) that amended 19 CFR 111.13(b) to allow CBP to publish a notice changing the date on which the semi-annual Customs broker license examination is held when the normal date conflicts with a holiday, religious observance, or other scheduled event.
According to The Journal of Commerce, the Director for the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) states that the biggest problem with prior notice of imported food is importers' accurate reporting of the manufacturers' registration, adding that importers are doing it correctly only 16% of the time. The article states this is why the FDA is giving an additional 10 weeks of grace. (JOC, August 23, 2004)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has scheduled the next Customs Broker License Examination for Monday, October 4, 2004.
Shippers' NewsWire reports that in his speech accepting the Democratic Party's nomination for president, John Kerry opined that the U.S. should not be letting 95% of container ships come into U.S. ports without being physically inspected, and stated that if in office, he would strengthen homeland security by possibly requiring closer scrutiny for more imports of ocean containers. (American Shipper, dated 07/30/04, ShippersNewsWire@americanshipper.com)
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, October 4, 2004.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has published its semi-annual regulatory agenda, which contains certain U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) regulatory rulemakings (rulemakings).
On June 17, 2004, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 4520, the American Jobs Creation Act, by a vote of 251 to 178. H.R. 4520 would, among other things, repeal the Foreign Sales Corporation/Extraterritorial Income Act (FSC/ETI) tax regime (which has been found by the World Trade Organization to be illegal), reduce the top corporate tax rate for domestic manufacturers and small corporations, make certain Customs-related changes, etc. (The Senate passed its own version of this legislation, the Jumpstart Our Business Strength (JOBS) Act (S. 1637), on May 11, 2004. See ITT's Online Archives or 05/13/04 news, 04051399 1, for previous BP summary.)(House Ways and Means Committee press release, dated 06/17/04) available at http://waysandmeans.house.gov/news.asp?formmode=release&id=228.)