Here is a recap of the latest customs and international trade news:    

Customs and Border Protection (CBP)     

  • CBP activates lead field coordinator for Region IV, makes final preparations for arrival of Hurricane Idalia. 
  • The Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) will hold its quarterly meeting on Wednesday, September 20, 2023. Agenda items include: 
    • IPR working group update on the development of a portal on the CBP IPR web page 
    • Progress report on the ACE 2.0 initiative 
    • New recommendation from the Broker Monetization Working Group 
  • CBP released a set of frequently asked questions (FAQs) on the Automated Export System (AES) response message 97H-Shipment on Hold.
  • CBP updates instructions for Northern border customs brokers using ‘Permit Ports’ – the updated instructions explain to the customs broker the procedures for how to file a request to cross cargo at a “permit port.” These types of ports are not regularly staffed by CBP for crossing. 

  Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) 

  • BIS published a proposed rule that continues the Department’s efforts to improve the exclusion process for steel and aluminum tariffs and obtain public feedback. 
    • The proposed rule responds to public comments received since BIS’s February 2022 notice, proposes four additional changes to the Section 232 exclusions process, and requests additional public comment on a series of issues. 

  Department of Commerce   

  • Secretary Gina Raimondo addressed the virtual meeting of the Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness (ACSCC), the Secretary’s advisory body that provides recommendations to support U.S. supply chain and economic competitiveness. 
    • During the discussion, Secretary Raimondo asked committee members for their recommendations on key supply chain priorities, including how to effectively promote supply chain resiliency with partners and allies in the Indo-Pacific region through the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF). 
  • Date announced for the next meeting of the Civil Nuclear Trade Advisory Committee – the meeting will be held on Sept. 14. 
  • Stainless steel flanges from India: Final results of the expedited first sunset review of the countervailing duty order. 
  • Certain frozen warmwater shrimp from India: Notice of initiation and preliminary results of antidumping duty changed circumstances review.

U.S. Department of State 

  • State Department concludes settlement resolving export violations by Island Pyrochemical Industries Corp. 
    • The settlement addresses the misrepresentation of material facts on export license applications and engagement in unauthorized brokering activities involving ITAR-controlled ammonium perchlorate. 

Federal Trade Commission 

  • The FTC prepares to ramp up enforcement of social media influencer marketing. The agency recently issued new guidelines for social media influencing disclosures, a step that is usually taken to put industry on notice before ramping up enforcement actions. 

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) 

 U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 

  • The FDA issued a final guidance to assist stakeholders in meeting its expectations and to ensure that FDA can appropriately evaluate observational studies that are submitted in marketing applications to support the safety and effectiveness of a drug. 

 Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) 

  • Whirlpool agrees to pay $11.5 million civil penalty for failure to immediately report glass cooktops posting burn and fire hazards.   

  The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) 

  • OFAC released the second episode of its “Introduction to OFAC” web series, a series of short videos created to provide viewers with a high-level introduction on the fundamentals of OFAC and sanctions implementation. Episode available here. 

 Industry Updates 

  • Shein makes move into physical retail – fast-fashion competitors Shein and Forever 21 have joined forces, announcing a deal in which Shein will acquire about a third of Forever 21′s operator, Sparc Group. Sparc will also take a minority stake in Shein. 

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