Monday Morning eBriefing

FMC Commissioner Rebecca Dye launched the second phase of the agency's Supply Chain Innovation Teams initiative. Phase two will focus on identifying the "actionable" information needed by supply chain actors for improved supply chain system visibility, reliability and resilience.

Scheduled for shutdown in the wake of the July 8 primary deployment of core trade processing capabilities in ACE, CBP's ABI Query for Foreign Currency Rates service got a reprieve when CBP postponed the ACE deployment last week. This is welcome news to the trade as numerous industry voices had sought continuation of the service, which provides daily foreign currency exchange rate information in easily downloadable EXCEL and PDF formats. However, it is unclear how long the service will remain available.

NCBFAA responded to a request for comments from the US Trade Representative on the upcoming NAFTA renegotiation, focusing on such association priorities as duty drawback. NAFTA Article 303 places restrictions on the use of drawback. "Duty drawback is a valuable export promotion program," wrote NCBFAA President Geoff Powell. "Goods exported to Mexico and Canada from other countries with which Mexico and Canada have FTAs receive better treatment...than do U.S. U.S. exporters, creating an unfair playing field for U.S. manufacturers, exporters and workers."

During a recent discussion of broker audits with the New York brokerage community, CBP's Regulatory Audit advised that, going forward, their office would conduct more "survey," rather than "full," broker audits. In the past, the Regulatory Audit Office would conduct months-long, in-depth audits of selected brokers, examining all aspects of the brokerage's business. Relatively few brokers were chosen each year for full audits.

It is with great sadness that the NCBFAA announces the passing of Suzanne (Powell) Pickard, sister of NCBFAA President Geoff Powell and daughter of former President and Senior Counselor Peter Powell, both of C.H. Powell Co. Her full obituary can be read here.

An article in the May 15 edition of the Monday Morning eBriefing described CBP CEE's interim plan for distributing courtesy copies of Forms 28 and 29 to customs brokers until an automated channel becomes available. However, the description noted that the documents would be attached to emails sent to the broker contact listed in importer's ACE portal account.

In a letter to NCBFAA President Geoffrey Powell, Census Bureau Chief, International Trade Management Division, Dale Kelly itemized the agency's response to the NCBFAA's comments on proposed amendments to reflect new export reporting requirements related to the implementation of the ITDS. Ms. Kelley noted that a number of the Association's concerns had been addressed in the final rule, which takes effect July 18. During its meeting on June 24 in St. Louis, MO, the NCBFAA Transportation Committee will address the final rule and its implications for the trade.

The Senate voted 82-14 to confirm Robert Lighthizer as U.S. Trade Representative on Thursday. Mr. Lighthizer won the support of most Republicans and Democrats. Republican lawmakers pointed to his extensive knowledge and experience on trade, knowing he will bring a needed seriousness to trade matters in an Administration that is still trying to find its footing. Many Democrats cheer his tough stance on trade.

Members have reported receiving emails containing this language from NCBFAA staff: Your report is attached in DOC format. Attachment: [An active url will be displayed here] This e-mail was sent by [name of NCBFAA staffer displayed here]

NCBFAA members have been hearing a lot about the new Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP). This complex new regulation will take effect soon. To help you understand a customs broker's role, NCBFAA provides the following answers to frequently asked questions.

NCBFAA RAC Co-Chair Mike Lahar participated in a panel at the Grocery Manufacturers (GMA) annual Science Forum, giving food importers the perspective of customs brokers on the upcoming FSVP requirements, which go into effect on May 30, 2017. During the panel presentation, Lahar called FSVP "a game changer." Lahar told the attendees:

To all of our members, partners and friends who joined us in New Orleans recently for 2017 NCBFAA Annual Conference, we thank you and hope you enjoyed a productive Conference experience. Be sure to mark your calendars for next year's Conference in Rancho Mirage, CA at the Westin Mission Hills from April 29 to May 3, 2018. For those unable to join us this year, we hope that you will consider joining us next year. The NCBFAA's next Conference event will be the Annual Government Affairs Conference, September 10-12, 2017, at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. We hope very much to see all of our members and partners there.

FMC Acting Chairman Michael Khouri and three of his fellow Commissioners recently discussed a broad array of shipping policy issues with a delegation of Washington-based foreign diplomats who specialize in maritime matters.

Reminder - Adding Contact Information to your ACE Portal Account - All ACE Secure Data Portal Account Owners are reminded to add contact information to all the sub-accounts in your ACE portal account. Failure to add contact information to your account may prevent additional sub-tabs and portlets from being displayed within the different levels of your ACE Portal account view. It is also important to keep contact information up-to-date to avoid delays in communication between CBP and users from your account. For assistance adding or updating contact information in your ACE Portal account, please contact the ACE Accounts Service Desk at 1-866-530-4172 or you may send an email to: ACE.Support@cbp.dhs.gov.

In last week's article entitled, "NCBFAA ALERT: Critical Information for Your Food Importing Clients!" we overstated what FSVP Importer information you have to submit to ACE at the time of entry. You DO NOT have to provide the FDA food facility registration number for the FSVP Importer - just the name, contact info, and DUNS number.

Starting May 27, 2017, the FDA will begin implementing the FDA's Food Supplier Verification Program (FSVP).

On Friday, March 3, NCBFAA leaders spent two hours discussing areas for improving regulations with Acting FMC Chairman Michael Khouri. Meeting with the Acting Chairman were NCBFAA President Geoffrey Powell, NCBFAA Transportation Counsel Edward Greenberg, NCBFAA Legislative Representative Jon Kent, and NCBFAA Transportation Committee Chair Jan Fields.

ACE Portal Reminder: Data Available in ACE Reports - The ACE Secure Data Portal provides users the ability to run reports to capture import and export transaction data. ACE Portal users have the option to run standard canned reports, modify existing predefined reports, or create customized reports using ad-hoc capabilities available in the ACE reporting tool. Users can also select reports that capture data originating from ACE or the legacy ACS. ACE Report data is refreshed nightly, and hourly for a select group of reports.