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!

Changes to Antiquated Customs Broker Regulations Pending

At the NCBFAA Conference in April, Commissioner Ralph Basham stated that some changes needed to be made to antiquated broker processes. First, there needs to be change to the process of filing the Triennial Status Report. Initiated prior to automated systems, the party who forgets to mail the administrative report could lose their license almost immediately, which results in a penalty disproportionate with the infraction. Second, CBP needs to be able to suspend the licenses of brokers whose illegal activities threaten national security and the health and safety of individuals in the U.S. Just last year, brokers were indicted and arrested for smuggling, but CBP could not suspend their licenses. Basham told the attendees that new draft legislation addresses both of these issues.