Section 321 automation among top trade priorities

Customs commissioner tells NCBFAA a lot of work remains to be done.    Automation of Section 321 de minimis entries is among the top remaining priorities for U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP’s) work to complete additional functionality in the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE), CBP Executive Assistant Commissioner for Trade Brenda Smith said Wednesday at the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America (NCBFAA) annual conference.
   “I know we’re not done” on ACE development, Smith said during the conference in Rancho Mirage, Calif. “Let me say that again: I know we’re not done. There is a lot of capability that remains to be done.”
   Enacted in 2016, the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act (TFTEA) raised the de minimis level from $200 to $800, contributing to a recent increase in smaller and low-value shipments, including e-commerce shipments.
   Speaking during another conference session, CBP Trade Policy and Programs Executive Director John Leonard said the agency planned to submit to Congress this week a list of priorities for desired e-commerce-related enforcement authorities.
   Senate Finance Committee ranking member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., requested the list during a March hearing where Smith testified.
   Smith said the proposed e-commerce regulatory package will seek to involve advance information tools and leveraging enforcement authorities, and to avoid seeking information that CBP can’t use effectively.
   “We’re trying to make sure that the right people give us information at the right time,” she said. “We’re in a situation now where we have many new players that are parties to the transaction, and I believe have the responsibility to work with you, to work with us, to make sure that the goods coming in are safe, secure, and pay the right duties and provide the right information. So I think that’s going to be a significant area of focus for us over the next 12 months.”
   Smith and CBP Executive Director for Commercial Targeting and Enforcement Troy Riley also expressed optimism that a proposed rule would be released this fiscal year to update regulations for customs brokers in 19 CFR 111.
   Smith said she doubts that the rule include any surprises for brokers, noting that her agency took into account years of suggestions from the NCBFAA and several others in the trade community.
   She also highlighted the agency’s “Trade Strategy 2020” vision, referring to the regulations and initiatives CBP hopes to have in place two years from now.
   The vision includes final implementation of TFTEA mandates, continued ACE work and trying to prepare for unforeseen needs that will naturally surface as trade continues to evolve in the future, she said.