CBP to Begin Discussions of New Customs Framework
CBP is opening public discussions "to address and enhance numerous aspects of CBP’s trade mission to better position CBP to operate in the 21st century trade environment," the agency said in a notice. CBP will hold an all-day meeting on March 1, 2019, to discuss themes identified by the agency as particularly important, it said. Those themes are: Emerging Roles in the Global Supply Chain, Intelligent Enforcement, Cutting-Edge Technology, Data Access and Sharing, 21st Century Processes, and Self-Funded Customs Infrastructure.
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The public input will help guide consideration for "possible policy, regulatory, and statutory improvements to further the trade mission," it said. CBP is "already pursuing related efforts" with the Border Interagency Executive Council and the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee, it said. The agency is also requesting comments ahead of the meeting by Feb. 4.
The planned discussions reflect a CBP effort to better adapt to the dramatic changes in world trade patterns and processes in recent decades. "CBP’s traditional legal frameworks were developed to primarily reflect containerized shipments and the supply chain to support such shipments, as opposed to small packages and business models built around e-commerce," it said. "CBP is seeking to ensure that all parties in the modern supply chain are aware of their responsibilities to promote safety and compliance, while still enabling legitimate trade and economic prosperity."
CBP also lists specific questions under each of the themes. For example, under "Emerging Roles in the Global Supply Chain," CBP asks about what new roles are unaccounted for in the current customs framework. There are multiple questions about technological potential and data sharing efficiencies, as well as broader inquiries on how import procedures can be improved and best practices used by other customs agencies.
CBP is also "examining avenues to ensure that the ACE has a consistent stream of funding for enhancements and new functionalities," it said. The agency would like to hear suggestions as to "what mechanisms should CBP explore for consistent and timely funding for ACE enhancements" other than the annual congressional appropriations cycle, it said. It also asked "how could the fee collection process be streamlined, improved, or redesigned to more directly fund ACE enhancements?" Despite those questions, CBP said "there will be no in-person statements related" to the Self-Funded Customs Infrastructure theme at the March 1 meeting. That's because "we are anticipating that this is an area that will not get a lot of comments -- compared to the other themes," an agency spokesman said. "However, the agenda is subject to change depending on the comments we receive."
(Federal Register 12/21/18)