Term-end Trade Advisory Committee Meeting

The Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of Customs and Border Protection held their last public meeting of the year Tuesday December 4, 2012 in Washington, D.C. The meeting was comprised of the appointed members of the COAC and various government agencies, all of which acknowledged the significant progress that was made during this term. Topics varied from updates on border security to supply chain safety and compliance.

During the last two years, this COAC offered CBP more than 50 recommendations on how to improve aspects of the nation's importing and exporting processes which led to initiatives like The Centers of Excellence and Expertise, Simplified Entry and the Trade Efficiency Survey. The COAC's efforts continue to advance improvements that save the trade and government both time and money.

Karen Kenney, Chief Operating Officer of Liberty International, a member of the COAC and the Trade Co-Chair for its Intellectual Property Rights subcommittee, gave an update at the public meeting about a new tool being used by CBP at the ports. "Based on feedback from a number of rights holders, CBP secured digital microscopes for use in some port locations to improve Intellectual Property Rights enforcement", reported Kenney. This is just one example of the many ways the trade and CBP can partner together to protect the intellectual property of US rights holders.

The COAC is a national advisory committee consisting of 20 members jointly appointed by the Secretaries of the Treasury and Homeland Security to provide advice on the commercial operations of CBP. Each member may serve for two, two year terms.

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