Check Out November Issue of AES Newsletter

Overwhelmed by the new AES requirements? Take time out to read some helpful information in the November edition of the AES Newsletter. This edition contains some useful information on the following topics:

• Impact of New Foreign Trade Regulations (FTR).


• Penalties and filing deadlines for various modes of transportation.


• AES Downtime Policy.


• Explanation of the differences between suppression and cancellation of AES filings.


• Clarification on Routed Export Transactions and responsibilities.


• Information about monthly AES compliance reports sent to filers.
  

Visit the AES web site for additional resources.

DHS Transition Team Announced

President-elect Barack Obama has named the Transition Agency Review Teams that are charged with completing a thorough review of key departments, agencies and commissions of the United States government. Reporting to Sara Sewell, Rand Beers was appointed to lead the Homeland Security team and will be assisted by Clark Ervin. Beers and Ervin will be responsible for reviewing DHS budgets, personnel and policies. It is predicted that the new administration will act cautiously with respect to Homeland Security issues.

Current DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff will leave the agency at the end of the year. Prospective candidates for Secretary of Homeland Security in the Obama administration: include:

· William J. Bratton - Chief, Los Angeles Police Department
· Jane Harman - Member, U.S. House of Representatives (D-Calif.)
· Raymond Kelly -New York City police commissioner
· Janet Napolitano - Governor of Arizona (D)

The next secretary inherits the daunting tasks of securing the nation's borders against illegal immigration, preventing the next terrorist attack on America and leading the federal response to natural disasters. In addition, he or she will be responsible for 200,000 employees and over 80 congressional oversight committees and subcommittees.

CBP Commissioner Basham is also preparing to leave office; however, no names of potential candidates have been published. Stay tuned, it’s likely names for the new commissioner will start circulating soon!

Exam Letters From CBP

Since so many of you have been asking about the letters from CBP concerning the exam, we went straight to the source at CBP. Here’s what our contact at CBP had to say:


“The answer sheet and answer key were sent by the vendor that does the scoring. The official letter is sent by HQ. The letters from HQ didn’t go out as quickly as the answer sheets, thus the confusion. The letters are on their way.”


So, for those of you who are wondering about the letters, just be patient a little longer and you’ll receive one in the mail soon!


Make the Boskage Trade News your favorite place to read about new developments concerning the Customs Broker Exam as well as new developments and useful information concerning international trade!

CBE Appeal Checklist

If you plan to appeal your CBP Exam score, it is important to follow CBP’s appeal requirements. CBP will reject the appeal if it:

• is incomplete, is untimely, or is in the wrong format


• includes any arguments written by another person


• does not provide supporting arguments


• argues for an answer the applicant did not select


• contests an incomplete erasure or insufficient marking on the applicant’s answer sheet
  

CBP will provide to the examinee written notice of the decision on the appeal. If the CBP decision on the appeal affirms the result of the examination, the examinee may request review of the decision on the appeal by writing to the Secretary of Homeland Security, or his designee, within 60 calendar days after the date of the notice of that decision. 19 CFR 111.13(f)

Save yourself some time and expense by submitting your very best arguments the first time. To help you submit an appeal that complies with CBP requirements, we’ve created the CBE Appeal Checklist. Be sure to review each item and place a check mark next to the individual requirements.

CBP Posts October Exam Results

For all of you who have been patiently (or not so patiently) waiting on the results of the October 2008 Customs Broker Exam, the results are posted on the CBP web site. Results will be mailed and should be in your mailboxes in the next 7 to 10 days. Some ports have been calling people, so you may receive a phone call.

For those of you who purchased the Boskage Study Plans that included the detailed exam commentary, we’ll be completing that information and posting it soon. Look for upcoming articles on protesting questions on the exam.