In November, JAS USA Corporate Compliance team members teamed up with JAS Atlanta Branch team members to facilitate client compliance training. From left to right, Calvin Oh (Corporate Compliance), Scott Cassell (Corporate Compliance), Carlo Rebuffi (Manager of Live Animals Division-ATL), Laurie Arnold (VP Corporate Compliance), and Rishma Patel (CHB Manager-ATL). The team was able to facilitate learning on the topic of import compliance.

OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control), part of the Department of Treasury, has imposed a $1.1 Million penalty on a US individual. The panlty was issued for 75 violations of OFAC Iran sanctions.

To read the full details check out the link below:

BIS has published its newest edition of "Don't Let This Happen to You!" The newest version includes new enforcement cases. New topics include the first Disruptive Technology Strike Force case, criminal cases, an assassination plot and much more.

Check out the full document at the link below:

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has added 29 new entities to the UFLPA Entity list. There are now more than 100 PRC-Based companies on the list. The companies on the list face significant challenge to enter goods into the United States because of alleged forced labor practices.

To read more details, check out the link to the Federal Register.

The President-elect has indicated that tariffs are coming to Canadian and Mexican goods in January. In a recent post on Truth Social, he has indicated that an executive order on January 20 will impose 25% on goods from Canada and Mexico with an additional 10% on goods from China. This action is to combat illegal immigration and illicit drugs.

This November, we are honored to feature Tracey Suggs, Import Specialist at JAS Forwarding USA Inc., for his tireless advocacy for individuals with Down Syndrome. While October marks Down Syndrome Awareness Month, Tracey and his family advocate every day for the empowerment and inclusion of individuals who face intellectual and developmental challenges. Inspired by his daughter, Treana, who has Down Syndrome, Tracey is driven to ensure that every individual can live their fullest life. Treana's zest for life and inspiring spirit is a testament to the impact of love, perseverance, and understanding that Tracey strives to bring to his work and community. Tracey’s unwavering commitment to making a difference embodies our values at JAS, reminding us all of the importance of inclusivity and advocacy in both our professional and personal lives.

Tracey has been with JAS for 3 years and has been in the industry for over 20 years. Tracey has a passion for sports, fitness, art, community advocacy (special needs/disadvantaged youth), and spending time with family.

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JAS Forwarding VP Compliance, Laurie Arnold joined forces with JAS Forwarding Global Development Director Jennifer Koon, and Regional Sales Director Lindsay Gambee to attend the International Compliance Professionals Association (ICPA) Fall Conference (Western Cowboy Theme) in Grapevine, Texas from October 20-23.  

They were able to meet with numerous members of the trade community and discuss current events and network.

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On November 1, 2024, BIS imposed a civil penalty of $500,000 against a semiconductor wafer manufacturing company. The U.S. subsidiary shipped approximately $17.1 million of semiconductor wafers company listed on the BIS Entity List, without the required licese/authorization.

The company voluntarily disclosed the conduct and cooperated which resulted in significant reduction in the penalty.

To read more, check out the final order below.

The U.S. Trade Representative has announced the opening of a process to request Section 301 exclusions. The requests will be limited to certain machinery within chapters 84 and 85 of the HTSUS.

The docket opened on October 15, 2025, and the deadline for submitting requests is March 31, 2025.

To read more details, check out the link below to the press release.

On October 30, 2024, the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) determined "...that a U.S. Industry is not materially injured or threatened with material injury by reason of imports of aluminum extrusions from China, Columbia, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Itay, Malaysia, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam that the U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) has determined are sold in the United States at less than fair value, and subsidized by the Governments of China, Indonesia, Mexico, and Turkey."

The overall result is that "...Commerce will not issue antidumping duty orders on imports of this product from..." the countries listed.

It is important to note that older AD/CVD orders on aluminum extrusions remain in effect (2011).

To read the full press release, click the button below.

U.S. Customs has posted in the Federal Register the long-awaited information on the continuing education requirement credit hours for the current triennial period. The notice published in the Federal Register on November 1, 2024, CBP has announced that "...customs brokers license holders may begin completing qualified continuing broker education courses on January 1, 2025 (compliance date) and, accordingly, 20 credits as the prorated number of required credit hours for the triennial period beginning on February 1, 2024, and ending on January 31, 2027."

Additionally, the notice "...announces the criteria that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) used to select qualified accreditors, the list of CBP-selected qualified accreditors, and the period of award for these accreditors."

September was a busy month for JAS Forwarding (USA) Inc. Compliance team members.

Laurie Arnold and Leah Ellis attended the NCBFAA (National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America) GAC (Government Affairs Conference). During the conference, Laurie and Leah "walked the hill" and met with numerous congress members to discuss industry issues.

Scott Cassell spent time with clients in Newark, NJ along with J. Nathan May, Regional Sales Director to facilitate training on the HTS GRI (Harmonized Tariff Schedule General Rules of Interpretation) and Incoterms 2020.

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Our October spotlight of the month is Rishma Patel from our Atlanta branch, where Rishma has been with JAS since 1997. Rishma has been in the industry for 32 years. She is the CHB Manager and Licensed Customs Broker responsible for the JAS Atlanta/College Park location.

Rishma's favorite sports are cricket, volleyball, tennis and badminton. In her spare time, she enjoys painting, drawing and food carving.

Rishma's dedication is yet another example that People Make the Difference!

The USTR (US Trade Representative) announced that they are proposing to increase Section 301 tariff rates on five subheadings of the HTSUS covering certain products of tungsten, wafers, and polysilicon.

The public docket was opened to allow for comments. All comments should be submitted by October 22, 2024.

To read more, check out the link below:

Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is working to modernize the options for filing certificate data. "CPSC is actively developing the eFiling program and finalizing rulemaking." This creates a new opportunity to streamline the filing of General Certificates of Conformity (GCC).

Read more by checking out the link below:

A new Federal Register notice has been issued on September 26, 2024, proposing a ban on Chinese and/or Russian "Vehicle Connectivity Systems (VCS)." According to the notice, BIS/Commerce "...is soliciting comment on this proposed rule, which builds on the advance notice proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) issued by BIS on March 1, 2024." Comments to the proposed rule must be received on or before October 28, 2024.

To read more details check out the Federal Register Notice

Our September spotlight of the month is Mr. Joseph Schmidt from our New York branch, where he has been with JAS since 1998. Joe has been in the business for 46 years and has been a Licensed Customs Broker since 1983. He is the Broker Manager and Licensed Customs Broker responsible for the JAS New York location.

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Joe loves sports, and is a huge fan of the NY Mets, Giants and Knicks. He also loves Elvis Presley. His ringtone on his phone is the song "Follow That Dream" from the 1962 Elvis movie of the same name.

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His long tenure shows not only his dedication to JAS, but also shows JAS' commitment to retain dedicated professionals because People Make the Difference!

The JAS Forwarding (USA) Inc. Corporate Compliance Team met in August at our Corporate Headquarters.

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The JAS Corporate Compliance Team gets together regularly to discuss current trade compliance topics such as AD/CVD (recent aluminum case), and section 301 matters.  Additionally, the Compliance Team is always strategizing on how to better serve our client's compliance needs.

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The team was able to have an evening of team building throwing axes!

The Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act (MoCRA) has recently gone into effect. The MoCRA is the most significant expansion of FDA's authority to regulate cosmetics since the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic (FD&C) Act was passed in 1938.

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Manufacturers and processors must register their facilities with FDA and renew every two years. Examples of items subject to MoCRA include but are not limited to baby products, bath preparations, various makeups, hair products, and even oral products such as mouthwash.

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There are free tools available to determine whether FDA's new MoCRA regulations apply. Check out the link below to utilize this free tool!

An importer of uniforms and footwear has been penalized $1.3 Million for a fraudulent scheme involving fake invoices that deliberately and materially understated the value of their imports. These goods were being imported from China, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The defendants, including the CEO were also accused of providing invoices misrepresenting the fabric content which resulted in reduced duty amounts.

To read more details, check out the full US District court order.

Indira Coomar from our JAS Forwarding (USA) Inc. Norfolk branch has been with JAS for 14 years in September.  She likes to run each morning.  During her runs, she takes some very beautiful photos of the sunrise over the beach and shares them with an inspirational quote to start many days. One of her recent quotes was “the secret to getting ahead is getting started!”  We appreciate Indira’s motivation, and this attitude perfectly reflects that People Make the Difference.

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July 2024, JAS Forwarding (USA) Inc.’s Laurie Arnold (VP Compliance) and Scott Cassell (Corporate Compliance Project Manager) facilitated a client seminar covering Foreign Trade Zone, Forced Labor and Duty Drawback.  The event was hosted by our JAS Forwarding (USA)Inc. Charlotte Branch!

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CBP publishes monthly trade statistics that provide a snapshot of the volume of shipments being processed.  In May2024, CBP processed more than 2.9 million entry summaries.  This includes numerous modes of transport from all over the world.  

CBP’s monthly trade stats show duties paid, seizures, WRO data and much more.

To read the full article, check out the link below.

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CBP has announced an increase of the Merchandise Processing Fee (MPF) within the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA). The fee increase will be effective on October 1, 2024.

The new minimum will increase from $31.67 to $32.71. The new maximum will increase from $614.35 to 634.62. The ad valorem rate of 0.3464% remains unchanged.

For more details check out the link below.