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:

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has the authority to detain, seize, forfeit, and ultimately destroy merchandise seeking entry into the United States if it bears an infringing trademark or copyright that has been registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) or the U.S. Copyright Office (USCOP), and has subsequently been recorded with CBP. As an Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) owner, you can partner with CBP to receive border enforcement of your registered trademarks and copyrights through CBP's e-Recordation Program.

The Lacey Act declaration will soon be required for a new list of tariffs, including new unloaded pallets or containers, certain musical instruments, essential oils and trunks/suitcases. This Phase VI of the Lacey Act declaration enforcement was originally slated to begin last October but was delayed due to concerns raised by NCBFAA and others in the trade about pallets/containers. Phase VI is now set to begin July 1, 2020 and will apply to the products shown below.

NCBFAA has recognized Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) Commissioner Michael Khouri for his recent tenure as the commission chairman and continued willingness to engage the association on important matters to ocean freight forwarders and NVOCCs.

NCBFAA would like to thank everyone who attended our highly successful 48th Annual Conference-whether in-person or virtually.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released updated and expanded guidelines for filing EPA-regulated pesticide and device entries.

NCBFAA members should be aware of and expect additional Congressional and Executive action related to forced labor. The data shows an increase in withhold release orders, and a push for greater interagency coordination, NCBFAA Legislative Counsel Whitmer & Worrall said.

Today's golf clubs are generally made of prefabricated components consisting of a head, shaft, and grip. Recently, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in CSMS #47830638 advised the trade how to enter golf clubs when manufactured and assembled in multiple countries with Chinese-originating components subject to Section 301 duties.

Shippers, including freight forwarders and NVOCCs, interested in providing their expertise to the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) will soon be able to apply to serve on the agency's new National Shipper Advisory Committee.

NOAA Fisheries on May 21 released its Report on Initial implementation of the U.S. Seafood Import Monitoring Program.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) on May 18 introduced a bill to re-instate the lapsed Generalized System of Preferences with new labor and environment conditions.

The Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) recently received several Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for information related to FWS-regulated imports and exports provided by importers and exporters on Form 3-177 between Jan. 1, 2015, and Dec. 31, 2020. FWS is notifying the trade community that businesses have until June 1, 2021, to file an objection to the request.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on May 19 updated its list of restricted medical supplies and equipment for export in the ongoing battle against the coronavirus pandemic.

The demand for pets soared during the pandemic, triggering increased imports of dogs into the U.S. As a result, customs brokers have found themselves frequently processing imports of dogs. For many, the requirements are unfamiliar and often confusing.

NCBFAA recently surveyed importers and exporters about their thoughts on our industry, the anticipated future of our relationships, where customs brokers add value, and how our members can keep providing invaluable service to their clients now and in the future.

The NCBFAA Regulatory Agencies Committee (RAC) is closely watching legislation that proposes a sweeping expansion of the SIMP (Seafood Import Monitoring Program). Introduced on May 11 by Reps. Jared Huffman (D-CA) and Garrett Graves (R-LA), the Illegal Fishing and Forced Labor Prevention Act (H.R. 3075) seeks to add even more supply chain data to be transmitted at the time of entry. Provisions of the legislation include:

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:

A controversial California law, known as AB-5, would make it illegal for most industries, such as trucking, to hire independent contractors of those contractors perform tasks that the company does in the normal course of business.

NCBFAA is aware that there have been issues for customs brokers with the eCBP Portal in properly reporting their triennial report and paying the $100 permit fee to Customs and Border Protection.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) on May 12 formerly asked the Mexican government to review whether workers at a General Motors plant in the country are being denied the right of free association and collective bargaining.