GSP will expire on December 31, 2017 and all goods previously eligible for duty free benefits under the program must be entered with the payment of duties and MPF. CBP has issued instructions (CSMS 17-00789) indicating that otherwise GSP-eligible importations should be flagged with the appropriate Special Programs Indicator ("A," "A*," or "A+"). CBP is developing programing to provide for the batch processing of refunds on all importations made with SPI "A" and duties paid in the event that GSP is renewed with retroactivity.

On December 14, Rep. Peter King (R-NY) and Rep. Greg Meeks (D-NY) introduced the Customs Business Fairness Act (HR 4657) to provide relief to customs brokers for duties paid on behalf of importers who declare bankruptcy. Congressman King described the bill as "an effort to eliminate an unfair financial burden borne by customs brokers."

With year-end fast approaching and the holidays here, what better gift to share with someone (or yourself) than registering for the 2018 NCBFAA Annual Conference in beautiful Rancho Mirage, CA!

With 2017 rapidly coming to a close, we are looking at supporting our members through the turn-over into the new year. At the writing of this article, it does not appear that GSP will be renewed. NCBFAA has previously published instructions on setting the GSP preferences to have the date of presentation be the date of entry. We encourage you to work with your clients to maximize the savings under this program by timing your entries appropriately.

As we have reported previously, the NCBFAA is a member of the Coalition for Fair Port Practices and submitted a petition with the FMC asking if the agency would issue an interpretive rule relating to the imposition of demurrage and detention practices. More specifically, the petition, which is docketed as petition number P4-16, asked the commission to require the carriers to extend free time in those situations when NVOCCs and VCOs are unable to pick up containers from the port due to unusual weather, port congestion, labor unrest or other issues beyond their control. That petition has of course been strenuously opposed by carrier and port interests

Harmonized System Update (HSU) 1708 was created on December 20, 2017 and contains 33,859 ABI records and 6,591 harmonized tariff records.

With 2017 rapidly coming to a close, we are looking at supporting our members through the turn-over into the new year. At the writing of this article, it does not appear that GSP will be renewed. NCBFAA has previously published instructions on setting the GSP preferences to have the date of presentation be the date of entry. We encourage you to work with your clients to maximize the savings under this program by timing your entries appropriately.

The National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will soon begin implementing a far-reaching traceability program for imports of 11 species of seafood and products containing the seafood. Beginning January 1, new data elements must be submitted through ACE.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO - www.gao.gov) is composing a report on Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway (GLSLS) shipping for the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. The GAO is an independent, nonpartisan agency that investigates how the federal government spends taxpayer dollars on behalf of Congress.

Last week, NCBFAA Executive Vice President Megan Montgomery was focused on diving into NCBFAA's relationship with CBP from the daily ACE status calls to continued discussions on the NCBFAA priorities. There was robust dialogue to follow up the well-attended East Coast Trade Symposium. She had the opportunity to spend time with American Shipper, working on our partnership for the upcoming year. She supported the ongoing NCBFAA Board's strategic planning initiative, to be fully unveiled at the 2018 Annual Meeting as the path forward for the Association for the next five years. Last week was also the week for the monthly "usual suspects" gathering at a fellow trade association office, where Executives of trade associations, who really understand the technical aspects of customs and trade, meet once a month to share information and strategy to help better serve our members by working together. Finally, amidst a desk full of general Trade Symposium follow-up, she dedicated time to the upcoming Annual Conference. With 2018 just around the corner, the Annual Conference will be here in the blink of an eye.

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.