119-s956

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 956 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 S. 956

 To facilitate the entry and processing of merchandise and trade 
 enforcement, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 March 11 (legislative day, March 10), 2025

Mr. Cassidy (for himself and Ms. Cortez Masto) introduced the following 
 bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To facilitate the entry and processing of merchandise and trade 
 enforcement, and for other purposes.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Customs 
Facilitation Act of 2025''.

    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as 
follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
 TITLE I--ONE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT AT THE BORDER

Sec. 101. Border Interagency Executive Council.

Sec. 102. Establishment of single window import and export cargo 
 processing release system.

Sec. 103. Continued modernization of the Automated Commercial 
 Environment.

Sec. 104. Authorization of appropriations for uniform system for 
 processing and release of cargo.
 TITLE II--MODERNIZING CUSTOMS PROCESSES

Sec. 201. Simplification of drawback procedures.

Sec. 202. Streamlined export processes.

Sec. 203. Treatment of clerical errors in submission of export data.

Sec. 204. Government Accountability Office report on fee schedule of 
 U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Sec. 205. Improvements to Centers of Excellence and Expertise.
 TITLE III--IMPROVING CUSTOMS DATA AND TRANSPARENCY

Sec. 301. Requirements for regulations relating to data collection for 
 trade enforcement and facilitation.

Sec. 302. Updates to U.S. Customs and Border Protection website and 
 Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism 
 Trade Compliance Handbook.

Sec. 303. Establishment of deadlines for agency responses to trade 
 community requests.

Sec. 304. Accessibility of contact information of representatives of 
 U.S. Customs and Border Protection and 
 Centers of Excellence and Expertise.

 TITLE I--ONE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT AT THE BORDER

SEC. 101. BORDER INTERAGENCY EXECUTIVE COUNCIL.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established an interagency working 
group, to be known as the Border Interagency Executive Council (in this 
section referred to as the ``Council''), to serve as an interagency 
forum to facilitate the development of policies and processes to 
enhance coordination across customs, transport security, health and 
safety, sanitary, conservation, trade, and phytosanitary agencies with 
border management authorities--

    (1) to measurably improve supply chain processes and the 
 identification of illicit shipments; and

    (2) to facilitate and expedite the flow of legitimate 
 trade.

    (b) Oversight.--The Secretary of Homeland Security shall oversee 
the Council.
            (c) Chairperson; Vice Chairperson.--

    (1) Chairperson.--The Commissioner of U.S. Customs and 
 Border Protection or a senior-level designee from U.S. Customs 
 and Border Protection shall serve as the chairperson of the 
 Council.

    (2) Vice chairperson.--There shall be a vice chairperson of 
 the Council, who shall be selected every 2 years from among the 
 members of the Council by a process determined by the members.
            (d) Membership.--

    (1) In general.--In addition to the chairperson and vice 
 chairperson, the Council shall include designated senior-level 
 representatives who are full-time or permanent part-time 
 employees of Federal agencies that provide approval before 
 merchandise can be imported into or exported from the United 
 States, or that otherwise have the authority to establish or 
 enforce requirements relating to the importation or exportation 
 of merchandise, including the following:
        (A) The Department of State.
        (B) The Department of the Treasury.
            (C) The Department of Defense.
            (D) The Department of the Interior.
        (E) The Department of Agriculture.
        (F) The Department of Commerce.
        (G) The Department of Health and Human Services.
        (H) The Department of Transportation.
            (I) The Department of Homeland Security.
        (J) The Environmental Protection Agency.
        (K) Such other Federal agencies, including 
 independent regulatory and quasi-judicial agencies and 
 commissions, as the chairperson and vice chairperson 
 consider appropriate.

    (2) Representatives of executive office of president.--The 
 Council may also include appropriate representatives of the 
 Executive Office of the President.

    (3) Waiver of participation.--The Secretary of Homeland 
 Security may waive the participation, in whole or in part, of 
 representatives of any agency specified in paragraph

    (1) in the 
 Council if the Secretary considers it appropriate.

    (e) Functions of Council.--The Council shall--

    (1) facilitate the development of common risk management 
 principles and methods to inform agency operations associated 
 with the review and release of cargo at the border and to 
 support compliance with applicable law;

    (2) facilitate the development of policies and processes to 
 coordinate, improve, and accelerate agency review of electronic 
 trade-related documentation or information transmitted, or 
 otherwise made available, through relevant systems and provide 
 coordinated and streamlined responses back to users to 
 facilitate trade and support compliance with applicable law and 
 international agreements;

    (3) identify opportunities to use documentation or 
 information relating to the importation of merchandise, 
 including documentation or information provided prior to the 
 arrival of merchandise into the customs territory of the United 
 States or the filing of an entry of merchandise with U.S. 
 Customs and Border Protection, to facilitate priority 
 processing and the expedited release of such merchandise from 
 the custody of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and to reduce 
 redundancies in the trade data that each party in a supply 
 chain is required to provide;

    (4) identify opportunities to streamline Federal Government 
 systems and reduce costs through the elimination of redundant 
 capabilities and through enhanced utilization of the 
 capabilities of the Automated Commercial Environment, or any 
 successor system, as a means of improving supply chain 
 management processes;

    (5) identify opportunities to enhance whole-of-Government 
 trade processing capabilities, including capabilities relating 
 to processing cargo manifests, collection of advance import and 
 export data, uniform cargo admissibility and release processes, 
 entry summaries, and cargo financial data, in the Automated 
 Commercial Environment, or any successor system, that conform 
 with the criteria for the admissibility of merchandise of all 
 agencies represented on the Council;

    (6) enhance uniformity, consistency, and transparency, by 
 facilitating the development, to the extent practicable and 
 consistent with applicable law, of a standard nomenclature, 
 including definitions of relevant terms, across and within the 
 Federal agencies represented on the Council for--
        (A) any party in the supply chain; and
        (B) any event related to the importation or 
 exportation of merchandise or any customs program;

    (7) engage with and consider input from the trade community 
 and other relevant stakeholders regarding opportunities to 
 improve supply chain processes and the processing of imported 
 and exported merchandise, with the goal of promoting economic 
 competitiveness through enhanced trade facilitation and 
 enforcement;

    (8) encourage other countries to develop similar trade 
 processing capabilities, including single window systems, to 
 facilitate the sharing of relevant trade data, as appropriate, 
 across governmental systems and with trading partners; and

    (9) assess opportunities to facilitate electronic payment 
 of duties, taxes, fees, and charges imposed under Federal law 
 upon entry of merchandise.

    (f) Report.--

    (1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date of 
 the enactment of this Act, and not later than December 31 of 
 every other year thereafter, the Council shall make available 
 to the public a report that describes the progress that the 
 Council has made toward carrying out the functions described 
 under subsection

    (e) .

    (2) Public comment.--The Council shall provide an 
 opportunity for public comment on the report required by 
 paragraph

    (1) .

    (g) Continuation of Members.--An individual serving as a member of 
the Border Interagency Executive Council established by Executive Order 
13659 (19 U.S.C. 1411 note; relating to streamlining the export/import 
process for America's businesses) on the day before the date of the 
enactment of this Act may continue to serve as a member of the Council 
established by subsection

    (a) .

SEC. 102. ESTABLISHMENT OF SINGLE WINDOW IMPORT AND EXPORT CARGO 
 PROCESSING RELEASE SYSTEM.

    (a) In General.--In order to advance the national economic 
security, trade enforcement, and trade facilitation missions of U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection and partner government agencies of U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall 
ensure that a scalable, uniform automated platform provides a system 
for the processing and release of cargo being imported into and 
exported from the United States.

    (b) Elements.--The system required by subsection

    (a) shall include 
the following elements:

    (1) Incorporation of whole-of-Government trade processing 
 capabilities, including capabilities relating to processing 
 cargo manifests, collection of advance import and export data, 
 uniform cargo admissibility and release processes, entry 
 summaries, and cargo financial data, in the Automated 
 Commercial Environment, or any successor system, to conform 
 with the admissibility criteria of--
        (A) the Automated Commercial Environment, or any 
 successor system; and
        (B) all agencies--
            (i) participating in the International 
 Trade Data System established under 

section 411
            (d) of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 
 1411
            (d) ); and
            (ii) represented on the Border Interagency 
 Executive Council, established in 

section 101.

    (2) Continued collaboration with the head of each agency 
 participating in the International Trade Data System to make 
 efforts to ensure that--
        (A) if data required by a partner government agency 
 is already available in the Automated Commercial 
 Environment, or any successor system, as a result of a 
 requirement of U.S. Customs and Border Protection or 
 another agency, the system will populate that data for 
 the purpose of reporting the data to the partner 
 government agency and the data will not need to be 
 reported again through a separate submission, unless 
 U.S. Customs and Border Protection or the partner 
 government agency determines an additional submission 
 is necessary to confirm the accuracy of data received 
 from 2 or more sources;
        (B) the Automated Commercial Environment, or a 
 successor system, provides a partner government agency 
 with any data that is needed to facilitate the 
 coordination and efficient execution of inspections 
 conducted by that partner government agency;
            (C) a partner government agency interested in 
 obtaining import and export data and conducting or 
 directing its own inspections is able to do so through 
 the manifest and entry functionality of the Automated 
 Commercial Environment, or a successor system, and in 
 real time when entries and manifests are submitted, 
 rather than as a redelivery process when cargo may have 
 already been delivered; and
            (D) a partner government agency interested in 
 obtaining clearance data clearly indicates all headings 
 and subheadings of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of 
 the United States that are subject to its jurisdiction, 
 such that the agency is identified when any such 
 heading or subheading of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule 
 is submitted into the Automated Commercial Environment 
 or a successor system.

    (3) Any other feature determined by the Commissioner of 
 U.S. Customs and Border Protection to be necessary to 
 substantially advance the national economic security, trade 
 enforcement, and trade facilitation missions of U.S. Customs 
 and Border Protection and partner government agencies.
            (c) Assessment.--

    (1) In general.--Not later 180 days after the date of the 
 enactment of this Act, the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and 
 Border Protection shall complete an assessment of whether a 
 technology solution that is capable of delivering the system 
 required by subsection

    (a) is commercially available.

    (2) Report required.--If the Commissioner decides not to 
 acquire a commercially available technology to satisfy the 
 system requirement of subsection

    (a) , the Commissioner shall 
 submit to Congress a report that includes a description of--
        (A) if applicable, the determination that--
            (i) developing the system required by 
 subsection

    (a) is more cost effective than 
 acquiring such system from a commercial source; 
 and
            (ii) a system developed by U.S. Customs and 
 Border Protection can more adequately address 
 the needs of partner government agencies and 
 the trade community than a system acquired from 
 a commercial source; and
        (B) the manner by which the Commissioner will 
 provide the system required by subsection

    (a) within 
 the timeline and meeting the requirements set forth in 
 subsection
            (d) .
            (d) Implementation of the System.--

    (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date on 
 which amounts appropriated pursuant to the authorization of 
 appropriations under 

section 104 are first made available to 
 U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Commissioner shall 
 implement the system required by subsection

    (a) .

    (2) Requirements.--In implementing the system required by 
 subsection

    (a) , the Commissioner shall--
        (A) collaborate with the Trade Support Network and 
 other members of the trade community as the 
 Commissioner considers appropriate;
        (B) ensure that the system provides the same or 
 greater functionality as any system being replaced by 
 the system required by subsection

    (a) , to include 
 functionality with respect to the ability of partner 
 government agencies and the trade community to conduct 
 ordinary business;
            (C) ensure that the system provides the features 
 envisioned in the 21st Century Customs Framework of 
 U.S. Customs and Border Protection; and
            (D) if unable to timely provide a feature of the 
 system required by this section, consult with the Trade 
 Support Network and other members of the trade 
 community, as the Commissioner considers appropriate, 
 to provide a feature of equal importance.

    (3) Exemption from the federal advisory committee act.--
 Chapter 10 of title 5, United States Code, shall not apply to 
 this section or to other efforts of U.S. Customs and Border 
 Protection to collaborate with members of the trade community 
 with respect to the development of the system required by 
 subsection

    (a) .

    (e) Modifications To Ensure Operation of International Trade Data 
System.--

Section 411
            (d) (4)
        (A) of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 
1411
            (d) (4)
        (A) ) is amended--

    (1) in the matter preceding clause
            (i) , by striking ``and 
 the Interagency Steering Committee'' and inserting ``, the 
 Interagency Steering Committee, and the Border Interagency 
 Executive Council (established by 

section 101 of the Customs 
 Facilitation Act of 2025), as appropriate, and in consultation 
 with the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee, 
 Trade Support Network, and other members of the trade community 
 as the Secretary considers necessary,'';

    (2) in clause
            (i) , by striking the semicolon and inserting 
 ``; and'';

    (3) in clause
            (ii) , by striking the semicolon and inserting 
 a period; and

    (4) by striking clauses
            (iii) and
            (iv) .

SEC. 103. CONTINUED MODERNIZATION OF THE AUTOMATED COMMERCIAL 
 ENVIRONMENT.

    (a) In General.--In order to advance the national economic 
security, trade enforcement, and trade facilitation missions of U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection and partner government agencies of U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall 
provide for the continuous modernization of the Automated Commercial 
Environment or a successor system.

    (b) Requirements.--

    (1) Development priorities.--The Commissioner of U.S. 
 Customs and Border Protection, in consultation with the 
 Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (established 
 under 

section 109 of the Trade Facilitation and Trade 
 Enforcement Act of 2015 (19 U.S.C. 4316)), the Trade Support 
 Network, and any other member of the trade community the 
 Commissioner considers appropriate, shall determine the 
 development priorities for the Automated Commercial 
 Environment, or a successor system.

    (2) Collaboration with partner government agencies and 
 industry.--
        (A) In general.--The Commissioner of U.S. Customs 
 and Border Protection shall collaborate with partner 
 government agencies, the Commercial Customs Operations 
 Advisory Committee, the Trade Support Network, and any 
 other member of the trade community the Commissioner 
 considers appropriate, to ensure that any enhancement 
 to the Automated Commercial Environment, or a successor 
 system, is effectively delivered to Federal agencies 
 and to the trade community.
        (B) Meetings.--
            (i) In general.--Not later than 90 days 
 after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
 and as frequently as the Commissioner considers 
 appropriate thereafter, but not less frequently 
 than every 30 days, the Commissioner shall 
 convene meetings to solicit feedback on 
 enhancements to the Automated Commercial 
 Environment, or a successor system.
            (ii) Attendees.--For each meeting convened 
 under clause
            (i) , the Commissioner shall 
 invite--
            (I) any representative from a 
 partner government agency or member of 
 the trade community who has a stake in 
 the system feature being discussed at 
 the meeting;
            (II) any contractor or technical 
 expert that the Commissioner considers 
 appropriate; and
            (III) any other stakeholder the 
 Commissioner considers appropriate.
            (iii) Tasks.--For each meeting convened 
 under clause
            (i) , the Commissioner shall--
            (I) solicit feedback on any 
 enhancement to the Automated Commercial 
 Environment, or a successor system, 
 that is planned, in development, or 
 newly implemented and is addressed at 
 the meeting;
            (II) conduct user testing or 
 research with respect to any 
 enhancement to the Automated Commercial 
 Environment that is planned, in 
 development, or newly implemented;
            (III) maintain a summary of the 
 feedback received with respect to each 
 such enhancement; and
            (IV) incorporate, to the extent 
 practicable and as aligned with the 
 development priorities determined under 
 paragraph

    (1) , the results of any 
 testing or research conducted under 
 subclause
            (II) into the development of 
 any such enhancement.

    (3) Management of communication.--The Commissioner shall 
 establish, through the use of a ticketing system or such other 
 means as the Commissioner considers appropriate, a mechanism to 
 manage communication relating to the Automated Commercial 
 Environment, or a successor system, under which users of the 
 Automated Commercial Environment, or such successor system, may 
 report feedback, including with respect to bugs or any other 
 issue, and the appropriate contractor or agency may review and 
 respond to such feedback.
            (c) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Commissioner shall submit to 
Congress and make available to the public a report that describes the 
development progress of the Automated Commercial Environment, or any 
successor system.

SEC. 104. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR UNIFORM SYSTEM FOR 
 PROCESSING AND RELEASE OF CARGO.

 There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of 
Homeland Security for fiscal year 2026, and each fiscal year 
thereafter, such sums as may be necessary to carry out improvements in 
a scalable, uniform automated platform that provides a system for the 
processing and release of cargo being imported into and exported from 
the United States, including improvements to and integration of the 
Automated Commercial Environment, or any successor system, as described 
in 

section 102.

 TITLE II--MODERNIZING CUSTOMS PROCESSES

SEC. 201. SIMPLIFICATION OF DRAWBACK PROCEDURES.

    (a) In General.--

Section 313 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 
1313) is amended by inserting after subsection

    (s) the following:
 ``

    (t) Simplification of Drawback Procedures.--
 ``

    (1) Accelerated payment.--
 ``
        (A) In general.--A person that meets the 
 requirements of paragraph

    (3) and files a claim for 
 drawback under this section shall be paid all estimated 
 duties, taxes, and fees covered by the claim while the 
 liquidation of the claim is pending.
 ``
        (B) Estimated payment exceeds liquidated 
 amount.--If the amount of estimated duties, taxes, and 
 fees paid by U.S. Customs and Border Protection under 
 subparagraph
        (A) for a drawback claim exceeds an amount 
 that is $20 more than the final liquidated amount for 
 that claim, the person that filed the claim shall 
 refund to U.S. Customs and Border Protection the amount 
 by which the amount of estimated duties, taxes, and 
 fees paid by U.S. Customs and Border Protection exceeds 
 the final liquidated amount.
 ``
            (C) Liquidated amount exceeds estimated 
 payment.--If the final liquidated amount for a drawback 
 claim exceeds an amount that is $20 more than the 
 amount of estimated duties, taxes, and fees paid by 
 U.S. Customs and Border Protection under subparagraph
        (A) for the claim, U.S. Customs and Border Protection 
 shall provide to the person that filed the claim an 
 additional refund in the amount by which the final 
 liquidated amount exceeds the amount of estimated 
 duties, taxes, and fees paid by U.S. Customs and Border 
 Protection.
 ``

    (2) Prior notice of export not required.--A person that 
 meets the requirements of paragraph

    (3) shall not be required 
 to provide notice to U.S. Customs and Border Protection of an 
 export of merchandise to be used in a claim for drawback under 
 this section before exporting the merchandise.
 ``

    (3) Requirements for claimants.--A person meets the 
 requirements of this paragraph if the person has completed the 
 following:
 ``
        (A) Submitted to U.S. Customs and Border 
 Protection information and supporting documentation 
 kept by the person in the normal course of business 
 that evidences the ability of the person to file for 
 and claim drawback under this section, which submission 
 shall--
 ``
            (i) be deemed complete when submitted to 
 U.S. Customs and Border Protection by the 
 person; and
 ``
            (ii) apply to all claims for drawback 
 filed by the person under this section after 
 the completion of the submission.
 ``
        (B) Obtained a properly executed bond securing, 
 pending liquidation of a drawback claim, repayment of 
 100 percent of the estimated duties, taxes, and fees 
 covered by the claim.
 ``

    (4) Electronic filings for drawback claims.--A person 
 making a claim for drawback under this section shall be allowed 
 to file an amendment to, or perfection of, a drawback claim 
 through electronic means.''.

    (b) Prior Approval Not Required for Substitution Drawback.--

Section 313

    (b) of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1313

    (b) ) is amended by 
adding at the end the following:
 ``

    (5) Advance approval of claims not required.--A person 
 filing a claim for drawback under paragraph

    (1) shall not be 
 required to obtain any ruling or approval authorizing drawback 
 under that paragraph from the U.S. Customs and Border 
 Protection before filing the claim, but shall exercise 
 reasonable care in determining whether to obtain such a ruling 
 in advance of the filing.''.
            (c) Regulations.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border 
Protection shall prescribe regulations specifying the information 
required to be included in submissions made under subsection

    (t) of 

section 313 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as added by subsection

    (a) .

SEC. 202. STREAMLINED EXPORT PROCESSES.

 

Section 304 of title 13, United States Code, is amended by adding 
at the end the following:
 ``
            (d) Regulations Relating to Advance Information.--
 ``

    (1) In general.--The Secretary of Commerce shall 
 prescribe regulations to account for advance documentation or 
 information and reports described in subsection

    (a) made 
 available with respect to cargo before the exportation or 
 transportation of the cargo.
 ``

    (2) Consideration of timelines for submission.--In 
 prescribing regulations under paragraph

    (1) , the Secretary 
 shall--
 ``
        (A) consider how the different business models of 
 persons submitting advance documentation or information 
 under subsection

    (a) impact the availability of the 
 documentation or information; and
 ``
        (B) adjust the timelines required for the 
 submission of that documentation or information as 
 appropriate.
 ``

    (3) Avoidance of redundancy.--If information relating to 
 the exportation or transportation of cargo provided under this 
 section or 

section 431 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 
 1431) is redundant with information required to be provided 
 under any other provision of law, the Secretary shall, pursuant 
 to the regulations prescribed under paragraph

    (1) , work jointly 
 with the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection to 
 ensure that the provision of the information under this section 
 or such 

section 431 satisfies the requirement to provide the 
 information under such other provision of law, to the extent 
 practicable.''.

SEC. 203. TREATMENT OF CLERICAL ERRORS IN SUBMISSION OF EXPORT DATA.

 

Section 305

    (b) of title 13, United States Code, is amended--

    (1) by striking ``The Secretary'' and inserting the 
 following:
 ``

    (1) In general.--The Secretary''; and

    (2) by adding at the end the following:
 ``

    (2) Treatment of clerical errors.--For purposes of 
 paragraph

    (1) , clerical errors or mistakes of fact are not 
 violations unless they are part of a pattern of violative 
 conduct. The mere nonintentional repetition by an electronic 
 system of an initial clerical error does not constitute a 
 pattern of violative conduct.''.

SEC. 204. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE REPORT ON FEE SCHEDULE OF 
 U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION.

 Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to 
Congress a report on the fee schedule of U.S. Customs and Border 
Protection that includes--

    (1) an assessment of--
        (A) how that schedule might be restructured; and
        (B) ways--
            (i) to reduce costs for the entities in the 
 trade community that are the most compliant 
 with the customs and trade laws of the United 
 States (as defined in 

section 2 of the Trade 
 Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 
 (19 U.S.C. 4301)); and
            (ii) to ensure that all entities that 
 benefit from customs services provided by U.S. 
 Customs and Border Protection pay for those 
 services; and

    (2) recommendations for Congress.

SEC. 205. IMPROVEMENTS TO CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE AND EXPERTISE.

 

Section 110

    (a) of the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act 
of 2015 (19 U.S.C. 4317

    (a) ) is amended--

    (1) in paragraph

    (8) , by striking ``; and'' and inserting a 
 semicolon;

    (2) in paragraph

    (9) , by striking the period and inserting 
 a semicolon; and

    (3) by adding at the end the following:
 ``

    (10) develop procedures, informed compliance 
 publications, or other guidance with respect to the entry of 
 merchandise in compliance with the law; and
 ``

    (11) provide guidance to importers on the post-entry and 
 clearance procedures for imported merchandise impacted by 
 admissibility issues including alleged violations of 

section 307 of the Trade Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1307).''.

 TITLE III--IMPROVING CUSTOMS DATA AND TRANSPARENCY

SEC. 301. REQUIREMENTS FOR REGULATIONS RELATING TO DATA COLLECTION FOR 
 TRADE ENFORCEMENT AND FACILITATION.

    (a) Requirements for New Regulations.--In developing and imposing 
regulations requiring the collection of additional information for the 
purposes of trade enforcement and facilitation, each official described 
in subsection

    (b) shall adhere to the following:

    (1) The official shall solicit comments from and consult 
 with a broad range of parties likely to be affected by the 
 regulations, including importers, exporters, carriers, customs 
 brokers, platforms, and freight forwarders, and other 
 interested parties.

    (2) In general, the requirement to provide particular 
 information shall be imposed on parties with direct knowledge 
 of that information, as appropriate. Where requiring 
 information from a party with direct knowledge of that 
 information is not practicable, the regulations shall take into 
 account how, under ordinary and reasonable commercial 
 practices, information is acquired by a party on which the 
 requirement is imposed, and whether and how such party is 
 reasonably able to verify the information. Where information is 
 not reasonably verifiable by a party on which a requirement is 
 imposed, the regulations shall permit that party to transmit 
 information on the basis of what the party reasonably believes 
 to be true based on commercially reasonable practices.

    (3) The official shall take into account the existence of 
 competitive relationships among the parties on which 
 requirements to provide particular information are imposed.

    (4) Where the regulations impose requirements on carriers 
 of cargo, the regulations shall take into account differences 
 among different modes of transportation, including differences 
 in commercial practices, operational characteristics, and 
 technological capacity to collect and transmit information 
 electronically.

    (5) The regulations shall take into account the extent to 
 which the technology necessary for parties to transmit and U.S. 
 Customs and Border Protection to receive and analyze data in a 
 timely fashion is available. To the extent the official 
 determines that the necessary technology will not be widely 
 available to particular modes of transportation or other 
 affected parties until after promulgation of the regulations, 
 the regulations shall--
        (A) provide interim requirements appropriate for 
 the technology that is available at the time of 
 promulgation; or
        (B) other accommodations.

    (6) In determining the timing for transmittal of any 
 information, the official shall balance likely impact on flow 
 of commerce with impact on trade enforcement. With respect to 
 requirements that may be imposed on carriers of cargo, the 
 timing for transmittal of information shall take into account 
 differences among different modes of transportation, as 
 described in paragraph

    (4) .

    (7) Where practicable, the regulations shall avoid imposing 
 requirements that are redundant with one another or that are 
 redundant with requirements in other provisions of law.

    (8) The official shall determine whether it is appropriate 
 to provide transition periods between promulgation of the 
 regulations and the effective date of the regulations and shall 
 prescribe such transition periods in the regulations, as 
 appropriate, taking into account different business models.

    (9) The official shall, in collaboration with the 
 Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the 
 Postmaster General, prescribe regulations requiring the United 
 States Postal Service to transmit the information described in 
 this subsection to the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border 
 Protection for international mail shipments by the Postal 
 Service (including shipments to the Postal Service from foreign 
 postal operators that are transported by private carrier).

    (b) Officials Described.--The officials described in this 
subsection are--

    (1) the Secretary of the Treasury;

    (2) the Secretary of Homeland Security; and

    (3) the head of each agency represented on the Border 
 Interagency Executive Council established by 

section 101.

SEC. 302. UPDATES TO U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION WEBSITE AND 
 CUSTOMS-TRADE PARTNERSHIP AGAINST TERRORISM TRADE 
 COMPLIANCE HANDBOOK.

    (a) Notification of Changes.--

    (1) In general.--The Commissioner of U.S. Customs and 
 Border Protection shall consult with and notify members of the 
 trade community if content related to minimum security criteria 
 is added to or removed from the publicly accessible website of 
 U.S. Customs and Border Protection or the Trade Compliance 
 Handbook for the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism.

    (2) Content of notifications.--A notification required by 
 paragraph

    (1) shall include a summary and explanation of the 
 reasons for the addition or removal of the content.

    (3) Model.--The Commissioner shall use the process of the 
 United States International Trade Commission for disclosing 
 modifications to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United 
 States as a model for the notification required by paragraph

    (1) .

    (b) Additions to Trade Compliance Handbook.--In addition to 
providing the notification required by subsection

    (a)

    (1) , the 
Commissioner shall consult with members of the trade community with 
respect to any new requirements that may be added to the Trade 
Compliance Handbook of the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism.
            (c) Revisions to Trade Compliance Handbook.--The Commissioner shall 
revise the Trade Compliance Handbook of the Customs-Trade Partnership 
Against Terrorism to include constructive and detailed context for best 
practices for mitigating the risk of importing merchandise produced 
using forced labor.
            (d) Consultations With Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force.--In 
revising the Trade Compliance Handbook of the Customs-Trade Partnership 
Against Terrorism under this section, the Commissioner shall consult 
with the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force to ensure consistent 
messaging and streamlining of resources.

SEC. 303. ESTABLISHMENT OF DEADLINES FOR AGENCY RESPONSES TO TRADE 
 COMMUNITY REQUESTS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border 
Protection--

    (1) shall review any regulations governing deadlines for 
 rulings and decisions of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 
 including with respect to petitions, protests, and requests for 
 advice, and customs rulings; and

    (2) may, in consultation with members of the Commercial 
 Customs Operations Advisory Committee, revise such regulations.

    (b) Updates to Existing Deadlines.--In a case in which a deadline 
is already established for a response described in subsection

    (a) , the 
Commissioner shall--

    (1) review the deadline; and

    (2) if appropriate, revise the deadline to be more 
 expeditious.
            (c) Report Required.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 
shall submit to Congress and make available to the public a report on 
rulings and decisions of U.S. Customs and Border Protection that 
includes--

    (1) an assessment of--
        (A) the average annual number of rulings and 
 decisions described in subsection

    (a) considered by 
 U.S. Customs and Border Protection, including such 
 rulings and decisions that are not subject to a 
 statutory or regulatory deadline;
        (B) the average response time of U.S. Customs and 
 Border Protection to petitions, protests, and requests 
 for advice, including the total amount of responses 
 made before and after the applicable statutory or 
 regulatory deadline;
            (C) the average time for issuance of customs 
 rulings by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 
 including the total amount of rulings issued before and 
 after the applicable statutory or regulatory deadline;
            (D) for deadlines not met, the average time it took 
 for U.S. Customs and Border Protection to respond or 
 issue a ruling;
        (E) reasons provided by U.S. Customs and Border 
 Protection explaining why the deadlines were not met; 
 and
        (F) in the case of rulings and decisions not 
 subject to a statutory or regulatory deadline, reasons 
 for the length of time for issuing such rulings and 
 making such decisions;

    (2) a description of the petition and protest process, 
 including timelines that apply under statutes or regulations as 
 of the date of the report; and

    (3) recommendations for Congress on improving the time 
 taken by U.S. Customs and Border Protection to respond to 
 petitions, protests, and requests for advice and to issue 
 rulings.

SEC. 304. ACCESSIBILITY OF CONTACT INFORMATION OF REPRESENTATIVES OF 
 U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION AND CENTERS OF 
 EXCELLENCE AND EXPERTISE.

 The Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection shall 
develop a system to assist members of the trade community in quickly 
and easily identifying up-to-date contact information for--

    (1) personnel within the headquarters of U.S. Customs and 
 Border Protection that interact with members of the trade 
 community;

    (2) personnel of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and 
 partner government agencies at ports of entry that interact 
 with members of the trade community; and

    (3) personnel of the Centers of Excellence and Expertise 
 established under 

section 110 of the Trade Facilitation and 
 Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 (19 U.S.C. 4317) that interact 
 with members of the trade community.
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