Monday Morning eBriefing

The Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations (HIS), Department of State’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC), and Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Dec. 11 issued a joint compliance note outlining steps parties to a transaction can take to stay compliant with U.S. export control and sanction regulations.

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

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 Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that its new eSTAR tool is now available for certain voluntary Premarket Approval (PMA) submissions for medical devices.

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

NCBFAA on Dec. 12 emphasized to the Biden Administration during a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)-hosted Supply Chain Roundtable the vital role that customs brokers and freight forwarders play in the global supply chain, particularly their expertise ensuring regulatory compliance over commercial U.S. imports and exports.

The Customs Business Fairness Act (CBFA) (H.R. 1453), which was inserted into the Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations bill in the House as section 596 of the bill, has not made it to the House floor for a vote yet. Congress attempted to move it forward after Thanksgiving, but there are some controversial provisions that prevented the bill from moving to the full House for consideration. The NCBFAA Legislative Committee will continue its push for inclusion of the bill in the final compromise version.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on Jan. 27 will deploy the automation of CBP Form 6051D for detentions of cargo filed in ACE, including Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) detentions in ACE.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on Jan. 16 will nationally implement cargo messaging to communicate with the filer on entry summaries that are potentially noncompliant for antidumping and countervailing duties (AD/CVD) while the entry summaries are in trade control.

The National Organics Program at the U.S. Department of Agriculture has provided this Searchable HTS Code update that will take effect on Jan. 1, 2024.

Software vendors and customs brokers have been eager to see the details of the CATAIR so they can prepare for the March 19 implementation date for filing the electronic import certificate for certified organic products.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said “Save Time, Submit Online,” when it announced that the submission period for the 2024 Customs Broker Triennial Status Report (TSR) and associated $100 filing fee for all licensed customs brokers opens Monday, Dec. 18.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (SNPR) to implement the electronic filing of certificates for imported consumer products.

As customs brokers and their clients seek to better understand the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) new National Organic Program, an excellent resource is the USDA's Organic Integrity Learning Center.

Bipartisan legislation has been reintroduced in Congress to ban the import of certain commodities grown or produced on illegally deforested land.

Many in the trade are confused or uncertain about the upcoming implementation of the new Organics rules by the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). The rule takes effect March 19, 2024. While AMS will begin with a soft enforcement approach, importers must take steps now to prepare.

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) on Dec. 8 announced the addition of three China-based companies to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) Entity List, bringing the total number of entities now on the list to 30 companies.

On behalf of NCBFAA's Board of Directors, Leadership and Staff, we want to take a moment to acknowledge and welcome Bay Water Transportation, CGL Cohesion Global Logistics USA, and U.S. Logistics Group which have recently joined our association.

Blanket Declaration Records for Importers and Organizational Brokers moved Dec. 9 to the modernized ACE Portal.