Monday Morning eBriefing

The U.S. and Canadian governments on July 7 concluded a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to settle a dispute on trade in solar products under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

The PGA Import Reference Tool provides a top-level overview of all PGAs that are involved in the import process, showing the commodities they regulate and their mission, when paper documents or licenses are required, their policy on de minimis shipments, and which agencies have direct hold authority. Most importantly, the PGA Import Reference Tool provides emails and links to the most useful resources you need to understand the filing requirements for each PGA.

Employee expense reimbursement is an area that's sometimes overlooked by business owners. Employees who spend their own money on job-related items often request to be reimbursed for these expenses. In such cases, what should a business cover, and how should reimbursement be handled

President Biden on June 27 signed into effect Presidential Proclamation 10420 which increases the column two rates of duty on certain articles originating from Russia. Effective 30 days from the date of this June 27 proclamation, all products listed in Appendix A to the proclamation will be subject to a duty rate of 35%.

On behalf of NCBFAA's Board of Directors, Leadership and Staff, we want to take a moment to acknowledge and welcome the following members who have recently joined our association:

NCBFAA knows that you as our members are doing their best to keep up with their day-to-day businesses under dire supply chain circumstances, and now add on top of all that the recent flurry of U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. What do these sanctions mean to your business (our industry)? Well, it can be an awful lot, depending on whether you work with customers that had export or import business with Russia prior to invasion.

The “Write My Representative” page, located in the “I Want To” section of the hamburger menu/main navigation of the new NCBFAA website, is now available for members to browse and take action on behalf of the customs broker and forwarder industries.

Every customs broker knows that interacting with Partner Government Agencies (PGAs) can be the most challenging part of their job. The PGA data requirements are often demanding. And, on top of that, there are just so many agencies!

NCBFAA Transportation Counsel Ashley Craig, along with Transportation Committee members Melzie Wilson and Rich Roche, held a webinar, “OSRA 22 – What You Need to Know,” on June 28 which was attended by hundreds of Regular Members.

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have continued to postpone their “Container Dwell Fee,” and said they will reconsider its possible imposition on July 8.

Here is a summary of the latest customs and cross-border trade regulatory updates brought to you by our NCBFAA Customs Counsel firm Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg:

The NCBFAA Educational Institute (NEI) invites all global logistics professionals to its 8th Annual Global Trade Educational Conference (G·TEC). This two-day event at the InterContinental Magnificent Mile Hotel in Chicago on Aug. 1-2 will give customs brokers, freight forwarders, NVOCCs, OTI, service providers, importers, exporters, and all global logistics professionals an opportunity to update themselves on industry developments and connect with colleagues new and old.

NCBFAA will soon open registration for the 2022 Government Affairs Conference (GAC) to be held at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill on Sept. 18-20. Mark your calendar!

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) launched the “Green Trade Strategy,” a framework to incentivize green trade, strengthen the agency’s environmental enforcement posture, accelerate green innovation, and improve climate resilience and resource efficiency.

Mullins International Academy: The ABCs of Customs Brokerage Online 2022, Cohort 19, July 11. Register here.

The signing of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act impacts the Employee Retention Tax Credit, retroactively ending the program for most businesses on Sept. 30, 2021. The IRS also released guidance on the program's retroactive termination.

President Biden signed a National Security Memorandum to address illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and related harmful fishing practices. The memorandum outlines actions the Administration will take to combat IUU fishing. This includes an upcoming proposed rule from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to enhance and strengthen the agency’s ability to address IUU fishing activities and combat forced labor in the supply chain.

The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) issued orders June 24 to deny U.S. export privileges of three more Russian airlines due to ongoing apparent violations of export controls imposed on Russia by the Commerce Department.

Matthew Axelrod, the Commerce Department’s Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement, isn’t sugar-coating the Administration’s goal to turn up the heat against those individuals and companies that are found to be in violation of the nation’s export control regulations by using stiffer penalties and other administrative actions.

Some of you may occasionally receive questionable electronic communications which are believed to be part of phishing schemes. Always ignore and delete these communications!