BONNER AFFIRMS COAC’s IMPORTANCE, BUT FUTURE ROLE TO BE DETERMINED

BONNER AFFIRMS COACÆS IMPORTANCE, BUT FUTURE ROLE TO BE DETERMINED    Robert Bonner, commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, said department heads at Homeland Security have yet to decide how to delegate the Treasury Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations, (COAC) but predicted the industry panel will continue to serve as an important communications channel between Customs and the international trade community.
   Speaking at COAC's April 4 meeting, Bonner also said he assumed the Treasury Department would continue to rely on the industry panel along with Homeland Security.
   'COAC is going to continue. I am going to continue to call on COAC to advise me and others within government' Bonner said. 'This is a very, very important body to me and Customs and Border Protection and to Treasury and DHS.'
   A decision on COAC's role could be made within the next two weeks, he said.
   COAC's future has been in limbo since the March 1 reorganization that transferred Customs from the Treasury Department to the new Department of Homeland Security.
   With the creation of a Homeland Advisory Committee last week, some wonder if COAC will diminish in importance as a key channel for dialogue between the trade industry and Customs or even be dissolved.
   Bonner tried to allay industry concerns and even suggested COAC's role could expand to cover inspections of food products and immigration issues that affect business. Customs absorbed the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the Agriculture Department's Plant and Health Inspection Service as part of the federal government's March 1 reorganization.
   'How can we make sure that the relevant parts of the trade are represented to add to the discussion beyond what are traditional customs trade issues?' Bonner said of his vision for COAC. Customs enforces laws for about 50 other agencies and 'this group could be very important on advising' how border issues affect commercial operations in a wide variety of industries.
   COAC is next scheduled to meet on June 20.