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Last year, CBP entered into
five reimbursable service agreements with the city of El Paso, Texas;
the City of Houston Airport System; Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport;
Miami-Dade County; and the South Texas Assets Consortium under Section 560 of
the Consolidatedand Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013. As a
result, CBP provided an additional 9,000 CBP officer assignments and
opened primary lanes and booths for an additional 24,000 hours at the
request of 560 partners, increasing border processing throughput at U.S. air
and land ports of entry. Among the three participating airports, the
added staffing and supplementary lane openings, in conjunction with
Automated Passport Control deployments and other innovative technology
efforts, have helped decrease wait times by an average of almost 30 percent
while traveler volume has increased about 7 percent over the last
year. Section 559 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act,
2014 expands this authority to enter into additional agreements to
increase CBP's ability to provide new or enhanced services on
a reimbursable basis by creating partnerships with private sector and
government entities. Reimbursable services under Section 559 include
customs, agricultural processing, border security services, and immigration
inspection-related services at ports of entry. The statute maintains
several limitations at CBP-serviced airports, including a maximum of
five reimbursable service agreements permitted per year, and
reimbursable services being limited to overtime costs only. These
agreements will not replace existing services. The entities tentatively
selected for these partnerships in Florida is Broward County, Fla. (Port
Everglades).
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Jaenichen Confirmed as MARAD
Administrator
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The U.S. Senate confirmed Paul
"Chip" Jaenichen as U.S. Maritime Administrator on July
15, approving President Obama's choice for the country's top
maritime post. Administrator Jaenichen has been with the U.S. Department
of Transportation, Maritime Administration since July 2012 when he was
appointed Deputy Maritime Administrator by President Obama.
"AMP members appreciate
Administrator Jaenichen's understanding that a strong domestic maritime
industry is critical for U.S. economic, national, and homeland security and
that this essential industry is best supported by maintaining the Jones Act,
which serves as the foundation of the nation's vibrant domestic maritime
policy. We look forward to working with him to ensure that the American
maritime sector can grow and thrive as we proudly continue our service to the
nation," said American Maritime Partnership Chairman Thomas A.
Allegretti. Captain Jaenichen was a career naval officer, retiring after
serving 30 years as nuclear trained Submarine Officer in the U.S. Navy. Jaenichen's
hometown is Brandenburg, Kentucky.
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Notifications of Expiration of Wildlife Import/Export Licenses and Designated Port Exception Permits
Wildlife import/export licenses issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement (OLE) are valid for one year from the date of issuance. For a number of years now OLE has, as a courtesy, sent written notifications by mail to license holders to inform them in advance of the pending expiration date of their license and encourage them to request renewal on a timely basis. We have also provided advance written notice to holders of designated port exception (DPE) permits to remind them of pending expiration.
Due to staff and other resource constraints, we will no longer be able to provide this service. Individuals and businesses that hold wildlife import/export licenses and DPE permits will be responsible for monitoring expiration dates and obtaining license/permit renewals without notification from the Service. The Service is exploring options for electronic reminders for users of our eDecs system.
As of August 1, 2014, the Office of Law Enforcement will no longer send written notices to wildlife import/export license holders and DPE permit holders concerning the expiration of those licenses/permits and the need to request renewal. Service wildlife inspectors will not clear shipments presented for import or export under expired licenses or DPE permits.
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