On December 8, 2016, the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act or WIIN passed the House of Representatives.  There was strong bipartisan support with the final vote 360 yes and 61 no.  Following the House vote, the Senate passed the bill on December 10, 2016

WIIN has been created with the goal of building and improving infrastructure related to trade and water resources.  Also included in this act is the Water Resources Development Act of 2016 which passed the House of Representatives in September.  Among other things, these acts address American harbors, dams, locks and flood control systems which are vital to US economic and trade growth.

Harbor maintenance programs are of particular interest with regards to trade.  In recent years, barely half of the funds available in the “harbor maintenance trust” fund was being utilized in ports.  The surplus was unfortunately being used in other federal programs leading to shortfalls in maintenance of US ports.  The WIIN Act provides a path to work towards eliminating the surplus and ensuring that full funding is diverted back to its intended use by 2025.

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Harbor projects are paramount to the continued competitiveness of the US in trading with the rest of the world.  Improved harbors will allow larger ships to call US ports which will improve efficiencies of the supply chains and strengthen the trade community.  For questions contact JAS USA Inc. Compliance!

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2016 has brought many changes to the trade community with mandatory dates for ACE and numerous PGAs (Partner Government Agencies) integration.  CBP published in January of 2016 the revised AESTIR (Automated Export System Trade Interface Requirements).  The AESTIR publication defined the requirements from PGAs with regards to AES transmissions.  JAS Forwarding USA, Inc. already has the ability to capture and report all the new required data elements electronically.

The PGA’s which require additional PGA data elements are:

• Department of State – DDTC
• Department of Treasury – OFAC
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service – NMFS
• Agricultural Marketing Service – AMS
• Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives – ATF
• Drug Enforcement Administration – DEA
• Environmental Protection Agency – EPA
• Fish and Wildlife Service – FWS
• Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau – TTB

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As of September 20, 2016 only the National Marine Fisheries Services (NMFS) is mandatory.  Additional agencies are expected to announce mandatory dates into 2017.  JAS Forwarding USA Inc. is working on filing any export filings which require PGA data elements.  Our local JAS offices will be reaching out to obtain any PGA information which is required for your export filing.

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TSA discovered 70 firearms over the past several weeks in carry-on bags around the nation.  "Of the 70 firearms discovered, 60 were loaded and 20 had a round chambered," stated an article by the TSA.  As a precaution, if you are traveling this holiday season be sure that you do not take with you items that could be misconstrued as a weapon!

To see a list of items that TSA has confiscated and items that could be misconstrued as a weapon:

Click Here

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Are you a compliant traveler?

Things NOT to Do on an Airplane

As we approach the holiday season, the goal is to not only be safe but to also be as pleasant as possible.

However, sometimes we get in our own way!

JAS Compliance would like to give you a few helpful tips on what not to do if you are on an airplane and make your travel easier.

• Don’t tune out the safety briefing.
• Don’t joke about bombs.
• Don’t recline your seat during meal times.
• Don’t eat smelly foods.
• Don’t drink too much.
• Don’t abuse the flight attendant call button.
• Don’t put your carry-on in an overhead bin where you are not sitting.
• Don’t inflict your feet on other passengers.

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Happy Holidays and Safe Travels to you this Holiday Season!

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The US Lumber Coalition filed a petition for relief on November 25, 2016 from Canadian subsidies on exports of softwood lumber to the United States. The industry group claims that Canadian governments provide access to loggers at a lower rate. This gives the Canadian timber industry an unfair financial strong point, which allows for the export of products at low values.

From the article:

"The decades old disagreement between the two trading partners had been addressed by the 2006 Softwood Lumber Agreement (SLA), which expired in October of 2015. After a one year 'cooling off period' the US lumber industry has again taken up the torch and will proceed to address their claims of material injury to US lumber manufacturing. Should the Department of Commerce find merit to the claim, antidumping and countervailing duties (ADD/CVD) could be imposed as soon as early spring."

Read the Whole Article

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AES Compliance Seminar

​Date:  January 18, 2017

Location:  Houston, TX

This one day seminar will provide the latest information on export filing requirements.  Experts from the Department of Commerce and Customs and Border Protection will discuss various topics on export compliance.  Registration coming soon!

Get All the Information

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Complying with U.S. Export Controls

Date:  January 25-26, 2017

Location:  Scottsdale, AZ

The two-day program is led by BIS's professional counselling staff and provides an in-depth examination of the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). The program will cover the information exporters need to know to comply with U.S. export control requirements on commercial goods.

Get More Information Here

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