Monday Morning eBriefing

Congress is currently considering the first substantial amendments to the Nation’s shipping laws in over 20 years. This significant undertaking to alter the Shipping Act of 1984 is a result of the pandemic, as well as concerns raised by the shipper community as to ocean carrier activities and services.

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have continued to postpone their “Container Dwell Fee,” and said they will reconsider its possible imposition on March 18.

The NCBFAA Airfreight Subcommittee’s Internal Screening Advisory Council (iSAC) on March 9 identified and confirmed a new Security Threat Assessment (STA) from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to be used by the airfreight industry for all initial and renewing STA application submissions.

The Customs Business Fairness Act (CBFA) (H.R. 4186) has recently gained its 22nd congressional co-sponsor which is proof that NCBFAA member voices regarding pending legislation matters to our nation’s lawmakers.

This article is provided to NCBFAA by our Customs Counsel Lenny Feldman at Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A.

Every customs broker knows that interacting with Partner Government Agencies (PGAs) can be the most challenging part of their job. The PGA data requirements are often demanding. And, on top of that, there are just so many agencies!

We need each of our members to continue reaching out to their Congressional Members on Capitol Hill to let them know just how important Customs Business Fairness Act (CBFA) (H.R. 4186) is to our industry.

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

The Census Bureau announced that updates of Schedule B and Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) updates in the Automated Export System (AES) took effect Feb. 10.

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

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in lockstep with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), FBI, and the National Security Agency (NSA), is urging U.S. infrastructure operators and air transport providers to protect themselves against the possible increase in cyberattacks.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in a message to the trade on Feb. 9 said CBP ports are encouraged to consider maximum flexibility to ensure that legitimate cargo is processed as a Canadian trucker strike are expected to continue impacting key Northern Border crossings into early this week.

Some of you may occasionally receive questionable electronic communications which are believed to be part of phishing schemes. Always ignore and delete these communications!

During this past week, the U.S. Government activated various enforcement agencies to do “boots on the ground” outreach to the trade, including freight forwarders. This has consisted of onsite visits, calls, and follow-up emails.

It has come to NCBFAA’s attention that some of our members (particularly our smaller members) are encountering attempts by ocean carriers to amend, alter or otherwise deviate from agreed-to terms and conditions in valid service contracts. We understand in some cases, carriers are seeking to cancel existing contracts, as well.

NCBFAA on March 10 responded to a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) notice requesting comments regarding methods to prevent imports into the U.S. of goods mined, produced, and manufactured in China using forced labor, especially from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The DHS request for comments was facilitated by the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) and the U.S. government’s Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force (FLETF).

The just-passed omnibus spending bill includes a small but important feature: a provision to add $250 million for the USDA’s Agriculture Quarantine Inspection (AQI) program. USDA APHIS collects the AQI fees which are then used to pay for the CBP agriculture inspectors. The last-minute emergency request for funds from USDA was the result of a shortfall in fee collections due to reduced trade and travel during the pandemic. The additional funds will keep the AQI going through FY2023.

The NCBFAA Transportation Committee’s Logistics Subcommittee is regularly collecting data on the nation’s rail delays and port congestion that are impacting the supply chain and your business operations.

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 Transportation Committee’s Logistics Subcommittee is regularly collecting data on the nation’s rail delays and port congestion that are impacting the supply chain and your business operations.