Bill > S1015

This bill, the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015, aims to reauthorize and enhance various trade functions and activities. Key provisions include improving partnership programs between U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and private sector entities to offer trade benefits for compliance, establishing clearer priorities and performance standards for customs modernization, trade facilitation, and enforcement, and creating educational seminars for CBP personnel to improve the classification and appraisal of imported goods, as well as trade enforcement efforts. The bill also mandates a joint strategic plan between CBP and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for trade enforcement and facilitation, updates funding and reporting requirements for the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) computer system, and strengthens the International Trade Data System (ITDS) to improve information sharing among federal agencies. Furthermore, it establishes an interagency Import Safety Working Group to address health and safety risks of imported merchandise, creates a National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center to combat counterfeiting and piracy, and introduces new procedures for investigating claims of evasion of antidumping and countervailing duty orders, which are duties imposed on imported goods sold at less than fair market value. The bill also includes provisions to improve trade monitoring, address honey transshipment, protect intellectual property rights through various measures including the creation of a Chief Innovation and Intellectual Property Negotiator, and makes changes to drawback and refund processes, as well as other miscellaneous trade and customs provisions.