On February 11, 2019, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) published in the Federal Register a notice [Docket No. USCBP–2019–0005] announcing the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) will hold its quarterly meeting on Wednesday, February 27, 2019, in Washington, DC. The meeting will be open to the public. Meeting participants may attend either in person or via webinar after pre-registering using one of the methods indicated in the notice.
Agenda: The COAC will hear from the current subcommittees on the topics listed below and then will review, deliberate, provide observations, and formulate recommendations on how to proceed:
1. The Secure Trade Lanes Subcommittee will present plans for the scope and activities of the Trusted Trader and CTPAT Minimum Security Criteria Working Groups. Recommendations will be presented regarding the proposed Forced Labor Trusted Trader Strategy. The subcommittee will also deliver recommendations from the Petroleum Pipeline Working Group for CBP to develop and codify uniform reporting procedures for pipeline carriers as well as entry and bonding procedures for importers. The subcommittee will also deliver recommendations from the In Bond Working Group regarding potential automation and process enhancements.
2. The Intelligent Enforcement Subcommittee will provide necessary updates from the Anti-Dumping and Countervailing Duty, Bond, and Forced Labor Working Groups and recommendations from Intellectual Property Rights Working Group.
3. The Next Generation Facilitation Subcommittee will discuss the E-Commerce Working Group’s progress on mapping the supply chains of various modes of transportation to identify the differences between e-commerce and traditional channels to address CBP’s strategic plan regarding e-commerce threats and opportunities for both the government and trade. The subcommittee will also provide an update on the status of the Emerging Technologies Working Group’s NAFTA/ CAFTA and Intellectual Property Rights Blockchain Proof of Concept Projects. Finally, the subcommittee will provide recommendations from the Regulatory Reform Working Group upon completing its review of Title 19 of the Code of Federal Regulations to identify regulations for potential repeal or modification to eliminate or reduce costs and burdens for U.S. businesses. Meeting materials will be available by February 25, 2019, at: http://www.cbp.gov/trade/stakeholderengagement/coac/coac-public-meetings.
