CBP Announces Next Remote COAC Meeting Date, Releases Agenda

CBP's Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) will next meet Dec. 7 in College Park, Maryland, CBP said in a notice. Comments are due in writing by Dec. 2.

The COAC will hear from the following subcommittees on the topics listed below and then will review, deliberate and formulate recommendations on how to proceed on those topics:

• The Next Generation Facilitation Subcommittee will provide updates on its task forces and working groups, including an update on the progress of the 21st Century Customs Framework (21CCF) and E-Commerce Task Forces. The 21CCF Task Force will provide an update on the work addressed this past quarter, which includes discussions with partner government agencies (PGAs) and some of the discussion drafts of trade-related legislative proposals stemming from the 21CCF Task Force and Focus Group. The ACE 2.0 Working Group will provide an update regarding adding new members to the working group to help focus on the identified gaps and potential solutions for ACE 2.0 Modernization. Finally, the One United States Government (1USG) Working Group will provide updates on some of the discussions held this past quarter pertaining to involvement of PGAs in a trusted trader program, with benefits to the trade stakeholders, as well as single window automation with the PGAs.
• The Rapid Response Subcommittee will provide updates for the Broker Modernization Working Group, Domestic Manufacturing and Production (DMAP) Working Group, and the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) Working Group. The Broker Modernization Working Group currently meets monthly with the expectation that recommendations will be developed and submitted for consideration at an upcoming COAC public meeting. The DMAP Working Group meets bi-weekly to obtain input from industry stakeholders on trade enforcement areas affecting domestic manufacturers and producers. The USMCA Working Group has reconvened and meets bi-weekly. The focus of this working group is on Chapter 7 of the trade agreement, specifically the trilateral Committee on Trade Facilitation established pursuant to Article 7.24, which is composed of government representatives of each party to the USMCA.
• The Secure Trade Lanes Subcommittee will provide updates on its four active working groups: the Cross-Border Recognition Working Group, the Export Modernization Working Group, the In-Bond Working Group, and the Trade Partnership and Engagement Working Group. Recommendations for the committee’s consideration are anticipated from the Export Modernization Working Group regarding export-related benefits for Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) partners. The In-Bond Working Group plans to present recommendations for the committee’s consideration related to the trade community’s proposed regulatory revisions/updates to 19 CFR Part 18. The Trade Partnership and Engagement Working Group continues to provide an opportunity for input on CTPAT Trade Compliance program development and implementation from trade members with broad subject matter expertise. The Cross-Border Recognition Working Group continues to work on developing recommendations for the committee’s consideration regarding potential changes to the current joint inspection program (Unified Cargo Processing) and has continued its discussions on CBP’s CTPAT program and Mexico’s Authorized Economic Operator program to ensure alignment and compliance with the mutual recognition arrangement signed in 2014.
• The Intelligent Enforcement Subcommittee will provide updates on the work completed and topics discussed in its working groups. The Antidumping/Countervailing Duty (AD/CVD) Working Group will provide updates regarding its work and discussions on importer compliance with AD/CVD requirements. The Intellectual Property Rights Working Group (IPRWG) will provide recommendations for the committee’s consideration relating to the automation of the CBP detention and seizure process and suggested enhancements to the CBP IPR web page. The Bond Working Group will report on the ongoing discussions and status updates for eBond requirements. The Forced Labor Working Group will submit recommendations for the committee’s consideration regarding the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA).