Monday Morning eBriefing

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai on Dec. 23 announced the initiation of an investigation regarding China’s acts, policies, and practices related to targeting of the semiconductor industry for dominance. The investigation will be conducted under Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act, as amended.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on Dec. 26 posted an updated Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) Development and Deployment Schedule.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on Dec. 21 deployed a change to the ACE Production (PROD) environment to expand the Air CAMIR FSN/FSI CSN Remarks Field from 20 to 60 characters.

Canadian National (CN) and labor union Unifor said four-year tentative collective agreements were formally ratified by the employees on Dec. 22. The union represents approximately 3,300 employees at CN in Canada, working in different mechanical, clerical, and intermodal functions, all covered by multiple collective agreements.

NCBFAA submitted comments to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in response to the agency's Oct. 22 Federal Register notice identifying data elements to enforce the Russia seafood ban.

The compliance analysts at Paychex compiled a list of regulatory issues in this article that could impact businesses most in 2025 to help better prepare employers and HR professionals for what might be coming down the road.

A potential federal government shutdown, starting at 12 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 21, was averted Friday evening when the House voted 366 to 34 to keep the federal government operating through March 14, 2025.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on Dec. 18 provided the trade updated draft Cargo Release CATAIR, draft GBI (Global Business Identifier) Enrollment Create-Update, GBI Enrollment GO Status Notification, and GBI Condition Codes documents to its website.

In response to NCBFAA’s Request for Legal Opinion dated Nov. 8, the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) Office of General Counsel (OGC) provided non-binding guidance on detention and demurrage billing practices.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has posted an updated Supplemental Trade Guide. Important for importers and customs brokers, the agency is making Intended Use Codes mandatory for cosmetics, ceramicware, pharmaceutical necessities, and veterinary medical devices.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) unanimously approved a Final Rule to implement electronic filing of Certificate information for regulated, imported consumer products.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in coordination with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), have prepared a Wood Packaging Material (WPM) checklist for stakeholders and their supply chain.

A summary of the latest legislative and regulatory transport, logistics and trade sector updates brought to you by our NCBFAA Transportation Counsel firm Venable.

NCBFAA wishes you and your family Happy Holidays! And what better way to treat yourself than to register to attend the 52nd NCBFAA Annual Conference at the Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass on April 6-9, 2025.

On behalf of NCBFAA's Board of Directors, Leadership and Staff, we want to take a moment to acknowledge and welcome Andrew Alexander Licensed US Customs Broker, KBL Container Line, LMD Trade Law, and Passport Global, which have recently joined our association. We're so excited to have these firms join our organization and we are happy to assist in any way we can!

NCBFAA President Jose D. (JD) Gonzalez and Executive Vice President Megan Montgomery, as well as a number of members, participated in a De Minimis workshop on Dec. 18-19, alongside several industry leaders, to address the implications of the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) De Minimis Enforcement efforts.

Customs brokers recently encountered reporting requests from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Ag inspectors relating to mixed frozen fruit or vegetables. Brokers were asked to provide the specific weight of each type of fruit or vegetable in the blend.

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

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on Dec. 16 issued an authorization for Immediate Delivery (ID) procedures for merchandise to be released from Dec. 17 to Dec. 31 in accordance with 19 CFR § 142.21(i). This authorization is offered to filers who may elect to take advantage of the interim Harmonized Tariff Schedule changes, which take effect on or after Jan. 1, 2025.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has updated the ACE CATAIR Entry Summary Create/Update V98. This update will be deployed to the Certification environment in January and Production environment in June.