CBP is working with other government agencies "to evaluate the possibility of expanding the [Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism] program to include U.S. exporters," the agency said in a fact sheet on the C-TPAT program. CBP is also working to partner with other agencies to "exchange common program information, metrics, and operational lessons in an effort to identify opportunities to increase efficiency and reduce redundancy within their respective trusted trader programs to ultimately streamline the process," it said.
The Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations (COAC) should be allowed to review results of a trusted trader pilot combining the Importer Self Assessment (ISA) and Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) before the agency issues the final trader program requirements, the group said in a recommendation to CBP at the May 22 COAC meeting. The COAC trusted trader subcommittee said the group should get a chance to provide input on the program "in its entirety" before COAC decides whether to endorse the program, the recommendation said. There's some uncertainty within the trusted trader subcommittee of the COAC over plans to combine, said COAC member George Weise from Sandler & Travis Trade Advisory Services during the meeting.
Industry representatives commended the Senate customs reauthorization bill in its first formal hearing May 22, and said the bill’s provisions on intellectual property rights, the Automated Commercial Environment, the International Trade Data System and de minimis will go a long way towards facilitating trade. The bill -- S-662, the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act -- was introduced by Senate Finance Committee leaders Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, in March (see 13032906 for more on specific provisions in the bill).
CBP is requesting comments by July 22 for an existing information collection for the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program. CBP proposes to extend the expiration date of this information collection with a change to the burden hours.
CBP is planning to initiate a pilot program that consolidates its Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) and Importer Self Assessment (ISA) trusted trader programs by September, said an update on trusted trader programs released ahead of the May 22 Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of CBP (COAC). CBP has said its plans for the combined trusted trader programs would allow for a single validation and management approach (see 12120321). The executive summary is (here).
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for May 6-10 in case they were missed.
CBP offered advice to members of the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program on how to handle reports of suspicious activities, anomalies, and security breaches. C-TPAT members should report such issues prior to CBP discovery to avoid possible suspension, it said. "Reporting a breach would result in an immediate joint review of the totality of circumstances," it said.
The forced budget cuts of sequestration won't directly affect CBP's numerous pilot programs that are part of its "Trade Transformation" initiative, said Maria Luisa O’Connell, CBP's Senior Advisor for Trade, while speaking on a panel at an American Bar Association conference April 25. Many of the effects of sequestration, including the need for furloughs, remain unclear and the agency is waiting to hear from the White House for further guidance, she said. CBP expects to know more within the month, she said. Agency trade transformation pilots include its Document Image System, the Centers for Excellence and Expertise (CEEs), and Simplified Entry.
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for April 15-19 in case they were missed.
CBP's intent to establish a new system of records (SORS) for data filed as part of the Customs—Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program is causing alarm among some trade groups due to the potential release of proprietary information. Several recent filings with the agency responding to the notice establishing the SORS and a related proposed rulemaking (see 13031225) indicate concern with the idea and the speed at which the regulatory process is moving forward.