Monday Morning eBriefing

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

The Customs and Border Protection (CBP) CTPAT Program is excited to announce that the University of Houston Study has concluded, and the report is now available for viewing. This report, titled "Assessment of Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) Program," is available for download here.

NCBFAA has recognized Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) Commissioner Michael Khouri for his recent tenure as the commission chairman and continued willingness to engage the association on important matters to ocean freight forwarders and NVOCCs.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released updated and expanded guidelines for filing EPA-regulated pesticide and device entries.

NCBFAA members should be aware of and expect additional Congressional and Executive action related to forced labor. The data shows an increase in withhold release orders, and a push for greater interagency coordination, NCBFAA Legislative Counsel Whitmer & Worrall said.

NCBFAA would like to thank everyone who attended our highly successful 48th Annual Conference-whether in-person or virtually.

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:

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has the authority to detain, seize, forfeit, and ultimately destroy merchandise seeking entry into the United States if it bears an infringing trademark or copyright that has been registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) or the U.S. Copyright Office (USCOP), and has subsequently been recorded with CBP. As an Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) owner, you can partner with CBP to receive border enforcement of your registered trademarks and copyrights through CBP's e-Recordation Program.

The Lacey Act declaration will soon be required for a new list of tariffs, including new unloaded pallets or containers, certain musical instruments, essential oils and trunks/suitcases. This Phase VI of the Lacey Act declaration enforcement was originally slated to begin last October but was delayed due to concerns raised by NCBFAA and others in the trade about pallets/containers. Phase VI is now set to begin July 1, 2020 and will apply to the products shown below.

When Customs and Border Protection (CBP), or any other federal agency for that matter, suspends or "debars" a person, it excludes that person from participating in certain federal transactions, such as government contracts, subcontracts, grants, cooperative agreements, scholarships, fellowships, contracts of assistance, loans, loan guarantees, and subsidies.

The U.S. Senate is preparing to pass a major bill in support of science and technology, which also has key trade components of interest to NCBFAA members. The House is working on a comparable bill.

At the request of NCBFAA's Customs Committee and Customs Counsel, CBP now has posted contact information for its Broker Management Officers (BMOs) across the country. The list can be found here.

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on May 26 passed the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act of 2021 by a vote of 20-0. The bi-partisan bill will now head to the full Senate for consideration. NCBFAA's Legislative Counsel Whitmer & Worrall highlighted the following provisions that are important to the association's membership:

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on May 19 updated its list of restricted medical supplies and equipment for export in the ongoing battle against the coronavirus pandemic.

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 recently surveyed importers and exporters about their thoughts on our industry, the anticipated future of our relationships, where customs brokers add value, and how our members can keep providing invaluable service to their clients now and in the future.

The NCBFAA Regulatory Agencies Committee (RAC) is closely watching legislation that proposes a sweeping expansion of the SIMP (Seafood Import Monitoring Program). Introduced on May 11 by Reps. Jared Huffman (D-CA) and Garrett Graves (R-LA), the Illegal Fishing and Forced Labor Prevention Act (H.R. 3075) seeks to add even more supply chain data to be transmitted at the time of entry. Provisions of the legislation include:

The demand for pets soared during the pandemic, triggering increased imports of dogs into the U.S. As a result, customs brokers have found themselves frequently processing imports of dogs. For many, the requirements are unfamiliar and often confusing.

A controversial California law, known as AB-5, would make it illegal for most industries, such as trucking, to hire independent contractors of those contractors perform tasks that the company does in the normal course of business.

Shippers, including freight forwarders and NVOCCs, interested in providing their expertise to the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) will soon be able to apply to serve on the agency's new National Shipper Advisory Committee.