CBP CROSS Rulings

Shippers' NewsWire reports that U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Ralph Basham spoke at the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America's (NCBFAA) Government Affairs Conference and emphasized that he understands the importance of international trade to the economic security of the country and pledged to get the manpower to improve the speed of shipments across the border. Basham also acknowledged that developing the multibillion-dollar Secure Border Initiative (SBI) on the Southwest border has been at the expense of import/export facilitation, cargo security, and other traditional activities. (American Shipper, dated 09/19/06, www.americanshipper.com)

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted to its Web site notices announcing the opening of the tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) on cotton and cotton card strips provided for under HTS Chapter 52, Additional U.S. Notes (AUSNs) 5 and 9, respectively, for the period September 20, 2006 through September 19, 2007. According to CBP, these TRQs open on September 20, 2006.

In the September 6, 2006 issue of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Bulletin(CBP Bulletin) (Vol. 40, No. 37), CBP has published a notice which proposes to modify a ruling and revoke treatment as follows:

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted a courtesy notice to its Web site announcing that the global refined sugar tariff-rate quota (TRQ) that reopened on August 7, 2006 filled on September 8, 2006 at 4:01 p.m.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a press release announcing the formation of a new office that will consolidate CBP's trade policy, program development, and compliance measurement functions into a single Office of Trade.

Customs may pursue multiple broker penalties that in total exceed $30,000. In U.S. v. UPS Customshouse Brokerage, Inc., dba UPS Supply Chain Solutions, Inc., the Court of International Trade (CIT) gave Chevron deference to U.S. Customs and Border Protection's interpretation of the statutory phrase "a monetary penalty not to exceed $30,000 in total for a violation or violations of" in 19 USC 1641(d)(2)(A).

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued a notice soliciting nominations for membership on the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI). FSIS states that each member is expected to serve no less than a two-year term and notes that it plans to fill 16 to 18 vacancies on the NACMPI). Nomination materials must be received no later than October 12, 2006. (D/N FSIS-2006-0019, FR Pub 09/12/06, available at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2006/pdf/E6-15060.pdf)

In the August 30, 2006 issue of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Bulletin (CBP Bulletin) (Vol. 40, No. 36), CBP issued notices: (1) proposing to revoke a classification ruling on a foundation undergarment, and (2) modifying a classification ruling on a certain laser distance meter. CBP states that it is also proposing to revoke, or is revoking, any treatment it has previously accorded to substantially identical transactions.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted to its Web site a summary of the August 3, 2006 meeting of the Departmental Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of Customs and Border Protection and Related Homeland Security Functions (COAC).

According to Washington Trade Daily, on Thursday, the Senate is expected to give final approval to implementing legislation (HR 5684) for a free trade agreement (FTA) with Oman. WTD indicates that the House has already approved the measure. (WTD, dated 09/13/06, www.washingtontradedaily.com )