MINNEAPOLIS -- The U.S., Mexico and Canada are edging closer to implementing a unified portal to process import and export compliance verifications, as the U.S. strives to meet a 2016 deadline on Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) completion and Canada wraps up work on its own single window, said acting CBP deputy commissioner Kevin McAleenan during June 17 remarks at the American Association of Exporters and Importers (AAEI) annual conference. Mexico has already completed work on its single window counterpart and integration among the three countries is “almost visible on the horizon,” said McAleenan.
It's still unclear exactly when the three Centers of Excellence and Expertise (CEE) chosen for accelerated roll-out will begin to handle import processing for their respective industries, said Elena Ryan, who is in charge of the transition to the CEEs at CBP. Those CEEs -- the Pharmaceutical CEE in New York, the Electronics CEE in Los Angeles and the Petroleum CEE in Houston -- will be the first centers to handle post-release processing for entire industries (see 14030613). Despite rumors otherwise, "we do not have a specific date in mind for all of this to happen," she said. Ryan discussed process on the CEEs during the American Conference Institute's Import Compliance and Enforcement forum on June 13.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues:
The House Appropriations Committee approved by bipartisan voice vote on June 11 fiscal year (FY) 2015 appropriations legislation for the Department of Homeland Security. The measure includes nearly $8.3 billion in funds for CBP border security, immigration, customs, agricultural inspections, regulatory activities related to plant and animal imports, and other fundamental resources and operations. The draft bill mandates that $3.3 million should be derived from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund to fund CBP. The draft also directs $810.2 million, of which $446.6 million should remain available through FY16, to be spent on automation. Of the $810.2 million, $140.1 million should be reserved for development of the Automated Commercial Environment. The Senate Appropriations Committee has yet to consider or release counterpart legislation.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues:
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues:
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues:
The House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee for Homeland Security advanced Department of Homeland Security fiscal year 2015 appropriations legislation by unanimous voice vote on May 28. Committee Democratic leadership expressed support for the legislation during the markup. Lawmakers did not offer or debate amendments to the legislation. The full Appropriations Committee will now consider the bill. The legislation would boost funding for CBP and mandate spending for completion of the Automated Commercial Environment (see 14052817).
The House Appropriations Committee released its Department of Homeland Security fiscal year 2015 (FY15) funding legislation, which includes a $219.6 billion boost in discretionary appropriations for CBP from FY14 levels (see 14011423). The legislation would authorize $10.78 billion in discretionary appropriations for CBP, of which $3.27 million should come from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund. The committee is seeking to appropriate $8.3 billion of the total discretionary appropriations for customs, agricultural inspections and other primary agency activities. The bill would also provide $810 million for the CBP operation and improvement of automated systems, including $141 million mandatory appropriations for the Automated Commercial Environment. The Appropriations Committee legislation requires $481 million in funds to remain available through FY19 for the operation, maintenance and repair of land ports of entry. The CBP appropriations are $98.3 million above the President Barack Obama’s FY15 request, according to the committee. The funding would support 23,775 CBP officers, said a committee fact sheet on the bill (here). The bill would also deny Obama's proposal to increase aviation passenger security fees and CBP user fees (see 14031217), it said.
As CBP’s work on Air Cargo Advance Screening enters into its rulemaking phase, trade officials gave their final recommendations on the program during the May 22 meeting of the Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations (COAC) in Miami. In its final update, the COAC Supply Chain Committee’s ACAS working group urged the alignment of work between CBP and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) on the program, as well as international harmonization of similar projects.