Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee

On June 10, 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Protection published in the Federal Register (89 FR 48906) Committee management; notice of open Federal advisory committee meeting.

The Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) will hold its quarterly meeting on Wednesday, June 26, 2024, in Long Beach, CA. The meeting will be open for the public to attend in person or via webinar. The in-person capacity is limited to 50 persons for public attendees.

The COAC will hear from the current subcommittees on the topics listed below:

1. The Intelligent Enforcement Subcommittee will provide updates on the work completed and topics discussed in its working groups as well as present proposed recommendations for the COAC's consideration. 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 (IPR) Process Modernization Working Group anticipates providing proposed recommendations for the committee's consideration regarding the Trade Seminars Mailbox and enhancements to the CBP Petitions Portal specific to IPR enforcement. The Forced Labor Working Group (FLWG) will provide updates regarding its updated Statement of Work that aims to enhance focus on technology best practices, stakeholder training and guidance, increased transparency on the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) applicability reviews, and enforcement of cotton imports under the UFLPA. Additionally, the FLWG will continue to monitor progress of the implementation of prior recommendations made by the COAC.

2. The Next Generation Facilitation Subcommittee will provide updates on all its existing working groups. The Broker Modernization Working Group (BMWG) plans to present proposed recommendations which aim to improve the end user experience and re-envision the Customs Broker Licensing Exam (CBLE). The Modernized Entry Processes Working Group (MEPWG) will report on the work done in the area of Cyber Incident Guidance for Brokers. The remaining working groups, the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) 2.0 Working Group, the Passenger Air Operations Working Group, and the Customs Interagency Industry Working Group (CIIWG), were not active this past quarter but will provide a report on topics that each working group will focus on in the coming quarter.

3. The Secure Trade Lanes Subcommittee will provide updates on its seven active working groups: the Centers Working Group, the Cross- Border Recognition Working Group, the De Minimis Working Group, the Export Modernization Working Group, the FTZ/Warehouse Working Group, the Pipeline Working Group, and the Trade Partnership and Engagement Working Group. The Centers Working Group has continued to have robust discussions around the interactions between the Centers of Excellence and Expertise (Centers) and the trade community, including opportunities for improved communications and for providing the trade community with a better understanding of the Centers' internal organization. The Cross-Border Recognition Working Group has continued to discuss best practices at ports of entry on the southern border that facilitate legitimate trade. The De Minimis Working Group has continued discussions on the revised timeframe for submitting Type 86 entries and on potential compliance measurements for de minimis shipments that CBP can communicate to the trade community. The Export Modernization Working Group has continued its work on the Electronic Export Manifest Pilot Program. The Export Modernization Working Group is specifically focused on the effects of progressive filing by the shipper to continuously update export information on successive dates, rather than on a specific date. The Drawback Task Force under the Export Modernization Working Group has continued discussions around recommendations from last quarter, conducting an analysis of program statistics and examining areas to maximize resources. The FTZ/Warehouse Working Group continues to review previous recommendations along with 19 CFR part 146 and anticipates presenting proposed recommendations at the June public meeting. The Pipeline Working Group has continued discussing the most appropriate commodities and potential users of Distributed Ledger Technology to engage once the pilot for tracking pipeline-borne goods deploys. The Trade Partnership and Engagement Working Group has continued its work on the elements of the Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) security program and the validation process.