Monday Morning eBriefing

If you’re a Licensed Customs Broker and an NCBFAA member, you can earn continuing education credits if you register to attend the 52nd NCBFAA Annual Conference at the Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass on April 6-9, 2025.

Many leaders are looking to outsource HR administration tasks by leveraging expert HR advice, technology, and HR tools to gain a competitive advantage, maintain data privacy, and enhance employee productivity. Read this Paychex article to discover the insights from our survey and consider how they can inform your business strategy in the coming months.

A summary of the latest legislative and regulatory transport, logistics and trade sector updates brought to you by our NCBFAA Transportation Counsel firm Venable.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted an updated Cargo Release Condition Codes document to the cbp.gov website. Specifically, new codes 228 and 229 have been added for De Minimis.

NCBFAA is keeping our Los Angeles-area member companies and their staff and families in our thoughts and prayers, as they bravely face deadly fires that have devastated area communities. “Words cannot fully express the utter sadness that our association feels for our L.A. members and their families, as well as the community at large, for the terrible loss resulting from these deadly fires,” said NCBFAA President Jose D. (JD) Gonzalez.

The recent Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) issued by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for the Electronic Export Manifest (EEM) for rail transportation represents a significant development for NCBFAA members.

It's official! The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on Jan. 8 published the final rule to implement electronic filing of Certificate information for regulated, imported consumer products. CPSC extended the mandatory deadline to 18 months, or July 8, 2026 (and for entries from an FTZ, the deadline is Jan. 8, 2027.

NCBFAA on Jan. 6 provided comments in a white paper to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) regarding the agency’s in-bond process and policy with goal to achieve what the association said is “a path forward that mutually serves the facilitation and enforcement demands upon CBP and customs brokers as well as other in-bond filers.”

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Office of Business, Industry, and Infrastructure Integration (OB3I) announced the launch of its new National Business Emergency Operations Center (NBEOC) Dashboard.

NCBFAA leaders, led by Legislative Advisor Nicole Bivens-Collinson, canvassed Capitol Hill on Jan. 3 as House and Senate lawmakers returned to Washington, D.C., following the end-of-year recess.

The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) on Jan. 8 announced that they have reached a tentative agreement on all items for a new six-year Master Contract. The two sides agreed to continue to operate under the current contract until the union can meet with its full Wage Scale Committee and schedule a ratification vote, and USMX members can ratify the terms of the final contract.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) on Jan. 7 released “Adapting Trade Policy for Supply Chain Resilience: Responding to Today’s Global Economic Challenges,” a series of six policy papers on trade and investment policy initiatives that promote supply chain resilience.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said the updates separate imported e-cigarette products from all other tobacco products and provide clearer instructions to FDA staff in the field, as well as our federal partners and the wider trade community – including importers, customs brokers, filers, and others.

International trade and customs law firm Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A. (ST&R), announced Jan. 6 that five experienced international trade attorneys from customs law firm The Law Office of Lawrence W. Hanson, P.C. have joined the firm, establishing an ST&R presence in Houston.

On behalf of NCBFAA's Board of Directors, Leadership and Staff, we want to take a moment to acknowledge and welcome Nubian Logistics and Tom Gould Customs Consulting, 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!

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

According to press reports at the end of 2024, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX) are expected to resume formal bargaining negotiations on Jan. 7. The NCBFAA Transportation Committee continues to monitor this situation and will provide our members with the most up-to-date information in the weeks ahead.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on Dec. 30 issued CSMS #63564703, which announced that, effective Jan. 1, the severity for AES Response messages 5C2 and 5C3 will be changed from Informational to Fatal.

The Census Bureau has updated its tables for Schedule B, Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS), and HTS Codes “That are Not Valid” for the Automated Export System (AES). The outdated codes expired Dec. 31, 2024, with the new codes taking effect Jan. 1.

It’s the beginning of a new year, and what better way to enhance your industry knowledge and facilitate your day-to-day business than by registering to attend the industry-leading 52nd NCBFAA Annual Conference at the Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass on April 6-9, 2025.