Monday Morning eBriefing

On behalf of NCBFAA's Board of Directors, Leadership and Staff, we want to take a moment to acknowledge and welcome the following members who have recently joined our association:

Kelli Giannattasio, acting deputy director for import operations at FDA, told NCBFAA Board and Regulatory Agencies Committee (RAC) members on July 16 that the agency expects more changes in the food system over the next 10 years than ever before.

The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission has established a new audit program and dedicated audit team to assess carrier compliance with the agency's rule on detention and demurrage, as well as to provide additional information beneficial to the regular monitoring of the marketplace for ocean cargo services.

On April 29, a group of 17 students from United South High School in Laredo, Texas, passed the NEI's Certified Customs Specialist (CCS) exam offered through the Academy of Global Business and Advanced Technology at Laredo College.

The Biden administration had proposed tariffs in response to a pair of Section 301 investigations alleging currency manipulation and illegal timber practices in Vietnam.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials during the agency's Virtual Trade Week (July 20-22) announced changes that they will propose to the Entry Type 86.

The NCBFAA earlier this year joined the Airforwarders Association and Airports Council International-North America in comprehensively surveying their memberships about the factors currently challenging the ability to move freight through the nation's airport infrastructure.

During the first panel of Customs and Border Protection's Virtual Trade Week (July 20), "Aligning Customs and Trade for the 21st Century," NCBFAA Customs Counsel Lenny Feldman addressed the key question, "Are we transforming trade or is trade transforming us?"

While many Americans look forward to some semblance of a summer vacation during the ongoing battle against COVID, the supply chain woes in Chicago are not taking any breaks and continue to curtail the flow of valuable containerized import cargo from the West Coast ports.

The Census Bureau plans to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking requiring the specific country of origin information for all foreign goods on Electronic Export Information (EEI) filings in the Automated Export System.

The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) and the Justice Department's Antitrust Division today signed an interagency Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to foster increased cooperation and communication in their respective oversight and enforcement responsibilities of the ocean liner shipping industry.

The Census Bureau plans to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking requiring the specific country of origin information for all foreign goods on Electronic Export Information (EEI) filings in the Automated Export System.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued draft guidance outlining its oversight activities for covered foods imported from countries with Systems Recognition Agreements (SRAs).

As with many large trade associations, the NCBFAA maintains outside counsel positions for guidance and to provide the membership with the highest quality of service available. To that end, we currently contract with two legal counsels, covering general association operations and customs and transportation matters, as well as legislative representative.

President Biden on July 13 announced that he intends to nominate Alan Estevez to be the Commerce Department's next undersecretary for industry and security in charge of the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS).

The following message was originally broadcast by the Airforwarders Association which granted the NCBFAA Air Freight Subcommittee permission to send out to our membership:

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reminded the trade community that former U.S. export restrictions imposed on certain medical supplies and equipment to combat the spread of COVID-19 are now lifted.

In a win for the importer-plaintiffs, the U.S. Court of International Trade on July 6 granted a preliminary injunction to suspend the liquidation of unliquidated import entries subject to Lists 3 and 4A duties subject to the Section 301 litigation. Plaintiffs should work with their respective counsel, as appropriate, to ensure they provide additional information that the court requires regarding unliquidated entries and also are handling liquidated entries appropriately.

President Biden on July 9 signed an executive order aimed at promoting competition throughout the U.S. economy, including among freight railroads and the ocean shipping industry.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asked the import community who deal in FDA-regulated articles to use the Import Trade Auxiliary Communication System (ITACS) for current entry status and to receive Notices of FDA Action electronically.