Congestion Excess Dwell Fee assessments at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, which were scheduled to begin Nov. 15 for all containers that have been on dock at least nine days, will now take effect Nov. 22.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has released an updated Draft Cargo Release CATAIR chapter for future capabilities. The update includes updated SE30, SE31, SE50 and SE51 records along with updated output and input record usage maps. View the document here.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began a series of webinars for stakeholders to explain the requirements under the new Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) rule, which takes effect on Jan. 1 with new requirements for the production and import of bulk HFCs. At this time, imports of products containing HFCs (aerosols, air conditioners, refrigeration equipment) are not covered by the rule.

NCBFAA submitted a comprehensive response on Nov. 19 to Sen. Bill Cassidy’s request for feedback regarding the recently released Discussion Draft of the proposed Customs Modernization Act 2021 (ModAct-21).

Here is a summary of the latest legislative and regulatory transport, logistics and trade sector updates brought to you by our NCBFAA Transportation Counsel firm Venable:

The NCBFAA Regulatory Agencies Committee (RAC) reached out to the administrators of the UNSPSC (United Nations Standard Products and Services Code) to express its support for the USDA Agriculture Marketing Service’s request for a new code for sliced/diced tomatoes.

The USDA’s Agriculture Marketing Service (AMS) has noticed an increase in misclassification of Christmas trees. To clear up any misunderstanding on the HTS codes for Christmas trees, the Christmas Tree Promotion Board provides the following information to improve accuracy and knowledge of the importation of Christmas trees:

Prospects for the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB) duty suspensions and Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) renewal improved last week when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer agreed to go to conference on the larger U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA) — a bipartisan Senate-passed bill that aims to boost U.S. competition with China. The USICA package includes both GSP renewal and MTB duty suspensions.

The recent sentencing of a CEO of children's apparel company by a New York district court for engaging in a years-long scheme to defraud Customs and Border Protection (CBP) of import duties should also serve as reminder to the nation's customs brokers that it is important to know your customers and their business patterns.

Starting Jan. 25, all Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)-flagged products must have a Message Set or a valid disclaimer filed in ACE.

The NCBFAA Customs Committee and Counsel of Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A. is tracking the outcome of U.S.-Vietnam trade deal, ongoing U.S.-Canadian trade discussions, and CBP tariff guidance updates for the association's customs broker members and their importer clients.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), effective July 1, revoked the Syria Sanctions as authorized in Executive Order (EO) 14312.

On July 16 at 2 p.m. ET, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) will hold a special “virtual office hours” session to discuss challenges and experiences of customs brokers and industry members who have participated in the CPSC e-Filing pilot.

With so much focus on trade in Washington, D.C., these days, NCBFAA anticipates that the 2025 Government Affairs Conference (GAC) in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 7-9, will sell out of our room block at the Grand Hyatt Washington well before the room rate cut-off date of Aug. 7.

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

The NCBFAA Customs Committee and Counsel of Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A. is tracking the outcome of U.S.-Vietnam trade deal, ongoing U.S.-Canadian trade discussions, and CBP tariff guidance updates for the association's customs broker members and their importer clients.

On July 16 at 2 p.m. ET, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) will hold a special “virtual office hours” session to discuss challenges and experiences of customs brokers and industry members who have participated in the CPSC e-Filing pilot.

With so much focus on trade in Washington, D.C., these days, NCBFAA anticipates that the 2025 Government Affairs Conference (GAC) in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 7-9, will sell out of our room block at the Grand Hyatt Washington well before the room rate cut-off date of Aug. 7.

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

On behalf of NCBFAA's Board of Directors, Leadership and Staff, we want to take a moment to acknowledge and welcome 7 Star Logistics Solutions, Farris Customs Brokers, Infinito Global Trade Network, and Karl Gross Logistics (USA), 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!

The NCBFAA Customs Committee and Counsel of Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A. is tracking the outcome of U.S.-Vietnam trade deal, ongoing U.S.-Canadian trade discussions, and CBP tariff guidance updates for the association's customs broker members and their importer clients.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), effective July 1, revoked the Syria Sanctions as authorized in Executive Order (EO) 14312.

FIATA’s new Best Practice Guide on Maritime Contracting helps freight forwarders navigate this landscape by clarifying the implications of acting under different capacities when engaging with ocean carriers.

On July 16 at 2 p.m. ET, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) will hold a special “virtual office hours” session to discuss challenges and experiences of customs brokers and industry members who have participated in the CPSC e-Filing pilot.

With so much focus on trade in Washington, D.C., these days, NCBFAA anticipates that the 2025 Government Affairs Conference (GAC) in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 7-9, will sell out of our room block at the Grand Hyatt Washington well before the room rate cut-off date of Aug. 7.