BUSH BUDGET PROPOSES $130 MILLION FOR CUSTOMS? ACE IN FISCAL 2002

BUSH BUDGET PROPOSES $130 MILLION FOR CUSTOMSÆ ACE IN FISCAL 2002    The Bush Administration has proposed “not less than” $130 million for the Customs Service’s future umbrella computer system in fiscal 2002.
   The Coalition for Customs Automation Funding, a group of more than 200 companies, trade associations, consultants, law firms and lobbyists, said that’s $178 million under what’s needed to keep the Automated Commercial Environment on a four-year roll-out schedule. The group plans to step up its lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill to secure additional ACE funds for fiscal 2002.
   Other systems budgets for the agency remain relatively stagnant in the proposed budget, compared to last year. The administration earmarked about $122 million for maintenance of Customs’ 17-year-old Automated Commercial System, and $5.4 million for the International Trade Data System, the proposed front-end system for ACE.
   The administration proposed $1.96 billion to support the Customs Service’s overall operations in fiscal 2002, compared to $1.86 billion this fiscal year.