Reproduced by permission of International Trade Today, Inc., 800-771-9202, InternationalTradeToday.com The National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America is asking for more transparency around recent surcharges imposed by carriers, saying its members are seeing "sharply" increasing rates for shipping routes that never routed through the Red Sea or the Gulf of Aden (see 2402080083 and 2401050066).

Reproduced by permission of International Trade Today, Inc., 800-771-9202, InternationalTradeToday.com The National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America said the FDA needs to address a few remaining issues in its recently issued guidance document on upcoming cosmetics registration and product listing requirements.

Reproduced by permission of International Trade Today, Inc., 800-771-9202, InternationalTradeToday.com The National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America is asking members to comment on Red Sea shipping experiences ahead of a Federal Maritime Commission meeting on Feb. 7 (see 2401120057). A Jan. 17 email sent by the NCBFAA asked members to share their experiences in the Red Sea and how diversions due to Houthi missile attacks have affected maritime shipping in the region. The association said it plans to compile the responses into an "industry-specific impact statement" that it plans to present at the FMC meeting.

TraversEd has entered an agreement with the NCBFAA Educational Institute (NEI) to offer internationally recognized freight forwarder education to the U.S.

Without a doubt, international trade is Laredo’s No. 1 commodity. And with it comes leadership in the business making this border town the top overall port in the United States with $24 billion of trade. One businessman, with a common Laredo name, Jose D. (JD) Gonzalez, has emerged as a leader and is adding to an impressive resume. International businessman Rodolfo Delgado signaled out with a note to this corner. “My good friend, JD Gonzalez, Laredo born and raised,” is now on the world stage.

Reproduced by permission of International Trade Today, Inc., 800-771-9202, InternationalTradeToday.com National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America President J.D. Gonzalez said the trade group thinks the Customs Modernization Act is heavily focused on enforcement, and the group is "a little disappointed" that some of the items that NCBFAA talked about with Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., didn't find their way into this bill.

The American Association of Exporters & Importers (AAEI) and the NCBFAA Educational Institute (NEI) have launched the Importing 201 course. The Importing 201 course is designed to provide an importer’s compliance professional(s) and corporate leadership with an overview of the key customs topics of knowledge, key compliance functions and their roles, and activities required to build an effective internal compliance program. The course builds on the NEI Import 101 course to strengthen a company’s existing competencies in import compliance to reduce Customs scrutiny.

Reproduced by permission of International Trade Today, Inc., 800-771-9202, InternationalTradeToday.com National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America President J.D. Gonzalez saidrepresentatives from the rail industry and ports, and Homeland Security officials, including Undersecretary Robert Silvers, had a good discussion on how to optimize supply chain flows, but he hopes the group willmeet quarterly and delve “a little bit deeper into some of the processes” needed to make the advisory group effective.

Reproduced by permission of International Trade Today, Inc., 800-771-9202, The National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America, is circulating a joint statement for signature by other trade groups that advocates for keeping "all avenues of international trade" open in the event of a government shutdown if Congress doesn't agree to a funding bill by Sept. 30.

Reproduced by permission of International Trade Today, Inc., 800-771-9202, InternationalTradeToday.com Federal Maritime Commissioner Carl Bentzel expects the government to eventually scrutinize certain rail storage fees imposed by ocean carriers on through bills of lading, he said during an industry conference this week.

Reproduced by permission of International Trade Today, Inc., 800-771-9202, InternationalTradeToday.com The executive at CBP responsible for the two pilot programs collecting data for Section 321 and Entry Type 86 told an audience of brokers that issuing a notice of proposed rulemaking on required data submissions for de minimis shipments is "of the highest priority at CBP right now." He repeated for emphasis, "The highest priority. From the commissioner down, it has been: 'When are we going to get the NPRM?'"

Reproduced by permission of International Trade Today, Inc., 800-771-9202, InternationalTradeToday.com The director of CBP's trade modernization office said CBP is packaging up the discussion drafts of what it would like to see in a 21st Century Customs Framework law, and sending them to the Office of Management and Budget so that the OMB can coordinate interagency comments and clearance of the language.

Reproduced by permission of International Trade Today, Inc., 800-771-9202, InternationalTradeToday.com The Customs Business Fairness Act, a change to bankruptcy law that protects customs brokers, was in effect in 2021, but only as a temporary measure. Its proponents failed to pass a permanent change in 2022. The National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America has made a significant advance in the more than 20-year fight to make it so that the money that brokers' clients give them to send to CBP to pay tariffs is not subject to clawback after a bankruptcy filing.

Reproduced by permission of International Trade Today, Inc., 800-771-9202, InternationalTradeToday.com The National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America sought more clarify from the FDA on a recently issued draft guidance document on upcoming registration and listing requirements for cosmetics facilities and products, in comments submitted to the agency on Sept. 1.

Reproduced by permission of International Trade Today, Inc., 800-771-9202, InternationalTradeToday.com The National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America recently urged CBP to pull back proposed new data elements on CBP Form 7501 for steel and aluminum imports, noting the information is already provided to the Commerce Department through that agency's import licensing programs and could be obtained from Commerce directly without any added burden to the trade.

Reproduced by permission of International Trade Today, Inc., 800-771-9202, InternationalTradeToday.com” NEW ORLEANS -- CBP doesn't want to revoke anyone’s customs broker licenses over the coming continuing education program requirements, Carie Samuel, Ascent Global Logistics vice president of regulatory compliance, said April 26 at the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America annual conference.

Reproduced by permission of International Trade Today, Inc., 800-771-9202, InternationalTradeToday.com NEW ORLEANS -- Much-anticipated customs modernization legislation likely won’t be introduced for at least another few months, but the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America’s legislative adviser isn’t worried about running out of time for Congress to pass it into law before the presidential election cycle, she said during a panel discussion April 26.

Reproduced by permission of International Trade Today, Inc., 800-771-9202, InternationalTradeToday.com A proposal to amend the Seafood Import Monitoring Regulations to require the importer of record to hold the International Fisheries Trade Permit and require foreign importers of record to appoint a U.S. resident agent to hold the IFTP would upend "longstanding commercial practices" with "no measurable improvement in SIMP supply chain tracking," the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America said in comments to the National Marine Fisheries Service dated March 17

A shutdown of the US government could cost American shippers millions of dollars in sudden supply chain delays at the nation’s ports of entry. Importers already face numerous regulatory challenges in the best of circumstances when bringing their goods into the country.