Committee Chairs:

William Ferrara, Co-Founder, Harbour Island Consulting, LLC

harbourislandconsulting@gmail.com

Ania Wierzbowska-Fuller, Director of Consulting and Regulatory Affairs, A.N. Deringer, Inc.

afuller@anderinger.com

Customs Compliance meets regularly and has quarterly meetings with CBP. The committee is open to all CONECT members, contact Susan at sbeland@conect.org

The CONECT Customs Committee remains committed to fostering strong relationships with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and advancing the interests of the trade community. This year, the committee has focused heavily on outreach, engaging with CBP field offices across the country to enhance communication and collaboration. Recent meetings with the Buffalo, Boston, and Seattle CBP offices have provided valuable insights into regional operational challenges and opportunities, and we plan to expand our outreach efforts to additional field offices in the coming months.

One of our key initiatives has been advocating for the implementation of a Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) benefit for CTPAT Trade Compliance Partners in the context of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) shipments. CONECT President and the committee previously submitted a formal letter to both CBP and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), outlining the advantages of this FTZ benefit and how it could streamline compliance for trusted trade partners while supporting CBP's enforcement efforts under UFLPA. Following the submission, committee representatives met with senior leadership from both CBP and DHS to further discuss these benefits and highlight the positive impacts this policy would have for both the agency and the trade community.

We are pleased to report that CBP has since implemented the FTZ benefit, reflecting the value of our collaboration and advocacy. The CONECT Customs Committee looks forward to continuing these important discussions with CBP and other government partners to ensure a productive and mutually beneficial trade environment.

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