New lobbyist registrations on trade issues include:

CBP official Kevin McAleenan briefly touched on cargo screening in his Sept. 11 testimony before the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security in a hearing on travel security since 9/11. McAleenan, CBP Deputy Assistant Commissioner Office of Field Operations, spoke of the National Targeting Center (NTC) and its new role. "A recent effort to make CBP passenger and cargo targeting more effective, the NTC was established as a stand-alone entity in the Office of Field Operations with greater responsibility for CBP passenger and cargo targeting operations at the port of entry," he said. "The NTC continues to improve its operations as DHS and CBP anti-terrorism targeting requirements expand by exploring new and innovative ways to identify, interdict or deter terrorists, their weapons and their supporters."

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mt.) referred the Enforcing Orders and Reducing Customs Evasion (ENFORCE) Act (S-3524) to the Senate calendar for a vote. The bill is meant to deter the evasion of antidumping and countervailing duty orders.

Granting Russia Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status and repealing the Jackson-Vanick amendment, which limits trade with communist countries, is being held up by "presidential politics at this point," said Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.), speaking at the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association (NCBFAA) Government Affairs conference Sept. 11. Roskam, who sits on the House Ways and Means Committee, expects "that it will get done," but every day "we wait is a day that American companies are disadvantaged as they are pursuing the Russian marketplace," he said.

New lobbyist registrations on trade issues include:

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) should move to establish a certification program allowing for private sector canine explosive detection teams to help in air cargo screening, said a report from House Transportation Security Subcommittee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Ala.). "Substantial delays are leading to a missed opportunity to expand canine resources, create private sector jobs and leverage the private sector toward better air cargo security," the report said. "TSA needs to finalize its efforts to develop a certification program for private companies to enable them to use their own canines, certified to TSA standards, to meet federal air cargo screening mandates. Leveraging private sector resources will introduce much-needed additional canines into the cargo screening system."

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee scheduled a Sept. 19 mark-up of the Increasing American Jobs Through Greater Exports to Africa Act (S-2215).

While international tariff and non-tariff barriers remain, along with the need for heightened security to deal with issues such as terrorism and money laundering, the U.S. foreign trade zone system is “likely to continue and even, possibly, expand,” said the Congressional Research Service in a report on U.S. FTZs. The Sept. 5 report, entitled “U.S. Foreign-Trade Zones: Background and Issues for Congress,” gives background on free trade zones in general, outlines the U.S. FTZ program, and discusses current FTZ and worldwide zone-related issues for Congress.

The House of Representatives was scheduled to consider the American Manufacturing Competitiveness Act of 2012 (HR-5865) Sept. 11 under suspension of the rules, which allows for fast-tracked approval of the legislation. The bill would require the president to establish a American Manufacturing Competitiveness Board, which would conduct a review of manufacturing policies, including "customs enforcement and counterfeiting" and "trade policy and balance." The board must then develop a "competitiveness strategy" and provide information on how to implement the strategy. If approved, the bill would still need approval from the Senate.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) introduced a Continuing Resolution, a temporary funding measure, to prevent a government shutdown and fund federal programs until March 27, 2013 (H.J.Res 117). Among other things, the bill would pay for "operations necessary to maintain the staffing levels (including by backfilling vacant positions) of Border Patrol agents, Customs and Border Protection officers, and Air and Marine interdiction agents in effect at the end of the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2012."