CBP has issued a notice announcing that the following six individual Customs broker licenses, as well as any and all permits have been cancelled due to the death of the broker:
Licensed Customs Broker
Customs brokers are entities who assist importers in meeting federal requirements governing imports into the United States. Brokers can be private individuals, partnerships, associations or corporations licensed, regulated and empowered by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Customs brokers oversee transactions related to customs entry and admissibility of merchandise, product classification, customs valuation, payment of duties, taxes, or other charges such as refunds, rebates, and duty drawbacks. To obtain a customs broker license, an individual must pass the U.S. Customs Broker License Exam. Customs brokers are not government employees and should not be confused with CBP officials. There are approximately 11,000 active licensed customs brokers in the United States.
The U.S. Census Bureau (Census) has issued a proposed rule to amend the Foreign Trade Statistics Regulations (FTSR, 15 CFR Part 30)1 in order to require mandatory filing of export information through the Automated Export System (AES) or AESDirect for all shipments where a Shipper's Export Declaration (SED) is currently required, etc.
The Justice Department, on behalf of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), has filed a request with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit asking that the court overturn the decision issued by the U.S. District Court in Montana that granted a preliminary injunction to delay the implementation of USDA's minimal-risk regions final rule, which would, among other things, re-establish trade with Canada for beef products and live cattle under 30 months of age. (See ITT's Online Archives or 03/04/05 news, 05030410, for BP summary of the Montana court's injunction.) (USDA Release No. 0096.05, dated 03/17/05, available at http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?contentidonly=true&contentid=2005/03/0096.xml)
The International Trade Administration (ITA) has issued an interim final rule to, among other things, modify and extend the Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis (SIMA) System through March 21, 2009. In addition, this interim final rule modifies the list of specific products subject to automatic steel import licensing.
The European Apparel and Textile Organization reports that EURATEX, acting on behalf of the European Apparel and Textile Industry, made formal application to the Commission and member-states to apply the special textile safeguard clause to 12 categories of textile and apparel products imported from China, including category 5 (jerseys and pullovers), category 6 (trousers and shorts of wool, cotton or manmade fiber), category 7 (women's or girls' blouses), etc. The release reports that China's own export data was used in making its unanimous decision to apply for relief. (EATO, dated 03/10/05, available at http://www.euratex.org/download/publications/pressreleases/china-safeguardmarch-10-2005.doc.en.html )
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted to its Web site a list of approved trade and/or fictitious names (trade names) that are currently being used by licensed Customs brokers, updated as of February 14, 2005.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a February 17, 2005 (3rd) version of its Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and responses regarding the mandatory advance electronic information requirements for rail cargo.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted to its Web site a document entitled "Instructions for the Customs Broker License Examination."
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted to its Web site a guidance document for the Pilot Bond Centralization Program entitled "Latest News and Developments."
According to a U.S. Association of Importers of Textiles and Apparel (USA-ITA) Textile Development Memo, on January 27, 2005, the government filed with the CIT a motion for a stay (halt) of its preliminary injunction (which is preventing CITA from taking further action on threat-based China safeguard petitions), pending consideration by the CAFC of the government's appeal of the injunction. (USA-ITA TDM, dated 01/28/05, www.usa-ita.com )