GAC 2017 Schedule

Back to GAC Registration Page

Saturday, September 9, 2017
10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Congressional A	RAC Committee Meeting (Open to all NCBFAA Regular Members)

1:00 p.m to 4:30 p.m. Congressional A	NEI Committee Meeting

4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Congressional A	Legislative Committee Meeting (Open to all NCBFAA Regular Members)

5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Regency B	APN Committee Meeting (Open to all NCBFAA Regular Members)
Sunday, September 10, 2017
7:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. Regency B	Transportation Committee Meeting (Open to all NCBFAA Regular Members)

10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Regency B	Customs Committee Meeting (Open to all NCBFAA Regular Members)

1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Regency CD	Board of Directors Meeting (Open to all NCBFAA Regular Members)

3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Columbia Wall	NCBFAA Registration Desk Opens

6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Congressional A 2nd Floor	Opening Reception (For All Attendees) Hosted by: Leah Ellis, JAS Forwarding USA Inc., NCBFAA PAC Chair
Monday, September 11, 2017
7:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.	Breakfast on Your Own

7:30 a.m to 5:00 p.m. Columbia Wall	NCBFAA Registration Desk Open

8:15 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Columbia	Call to Order and Welcoming Remarks Presenters: Geoffrey C. Powell, C.H. Powell Co., NCBFAA President Megan Montgomery, NCBFAA Executive Vice President Jerry Becnel, J. W. Allen & Co., Inc., NCBFAA GAC Chair Leah Ellis, JAS Forwarding USA Inc., NCBFAA PAC Chair

8:30 a.m to 8:50 a.m. Columbia	NCBFAA President's Report on Challenges for the Industry Precis: NCBFAA's President describes what the Association has done to shape the industry's future during the past year -- working with CBP to construct ACE; evolving the relationships with the PGAs that assume a much greater role in our businesses; addressing the efficiencies of our ports; generating an export-focus in the federal trade agencies; and ensuring that regulation does not constrain our ability to compete. Look to this presentation and the balance of the GAC program for what your Association sees as our challenges for the future. Speaker: Geoffrey C. Powell, C.H. Powell Co., NCBFAA President

8:50 a.m. to 9:20 a.m. Columbia	A FMC Commissioner's Perspective on Port Efficiency and Congestion Precis: FMC Commissioner Rebecca Dye has long favored a hands-off approach to federal regulation of the maritime industries. Recently, she has organized, under the auspices of the FMC, "Business Innovation Teams," among whom she has formed three working groups to develop practical business solutions for such issues as efficiency and congestion at the port. Included are all sectors of the port community. Hear about this and other emerging transportation issues. Speaker: Rebecca F. Dye, Federal Maritime Commission, Commissioner Introduced by: Jan Fields, John S. James Co., NCBFAA Transportation Committee Chair

9:25 a.m. to 10:10 a.m. Columbia	Trade Legislation: What Direction Will It Take? Precis: Trade has been a major focus of the new administration -- modernizing NAFTA, withdrawing from TPP, reducing trade deficits and protecting the economy against predatory trade practices. How does Congress feel about these priorities? Where does CBP fit in? Learn about the on-coming trade activity on the Hill from two representatives of the Senate Finance and House Ways and Means Committees. Panel: Blake Harden, U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Ways & Means Greta Peisch, Senate Finance Committee, International Trade Counsel (Invited) Moderator: Jon Kent, Kent & O’Connor, Inc., NCBFAA Legislative Counsel

10:10 a.m. to 10:40 a.m. Columbia	Preparing for the Hill in a Time of Change and Turmoil *Precis:* Valuable time can be spent reviewing the issues that you will discuss during your visits preparing you to put the best foot forward on behalf of your company and your industry. This sessions goal is to answer your questions, help you articulate complex subjects in an understandable way and prepare you to respond to divergent viewpoints and open-ended questions. Presenters: Jon Kent, Kent & O'Connor, Inc., NCBFAA Legislative Counsel Jerry Becnel, J. W. Allen & Co., Inc., NCBFAA GAC Chair Charles Riley, John A. Steer Co., NCBFAA Legislative Committee Chair

10:40 a.m. to 10:55 a.m. Columbia	Networking Break

10:55 a.m. to 11:40 a.m. Columbia	NCBFAA Perspective on CBP's Regulatory and Trade Policy Precis: As our industry’s relationship with CBP evolves, our increasing inter-dependency allows us to explore the more nuanced issues of our collaboration. Join us for a robust discussion of the hot topics of the customs arena. Panel: Dan Meylor, Carmichael Intl Service, NCBFAA Customs Committee Vice Chair Alan Klestadt, Grunfeld, Desiderio, Lebowitz, Silverman & Klestadt LLP, NCBFAA Customs Counsel Michael Cerny, Global Customs & Trade Specialists, NCBFAA Drawback Committee Chair Moderator: Scott Larson, MOL Logistics (USA), Inc., NCBFAA Treasurer

11:40 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Columbia	ASAPRA: The Shared Vision of Our Latin and South American Counterparts Precis: The Association of Professional Customs Brokers of the Americas (ASPARA) is a vehicle for our colleagues in the Western Hemisphere to discuss common issues and, where necessary, work with our respective governments in a common direction. This portion of the program will introduce the organization and outline major issues in Central and South America that will be of interest to attendees. Speaker: Alfonso Rojas González de Castilla, ASAPRA President Introduced by: Federico "Kiko" Zuniga, NEI Executive Director

12:00 p.m. to 12:10 p.m. Columbia	Networking Break (Transition to Lunch Room)

12:10 p.m. to 1:40 p.m. Capitol	Lunch Report from the Acting Commissioner Precis: Acting Commissioner Kevin McAleenan is a longtime ally of fair and free trade interests and NCBFAA is excited to welcome him to our first Government Affairs Conference as CBP’s number one. We look forward to a lively update on moving trade forward as we move toward the end of the administration’s first year in office. Speaker: Kevin K. McAleenan, Customs & Border Protection, Acting Commissioner Introduced by: Geoffrey C. Powell, C.H. Powell Co., NCBFAA President

1:40 p.m. to 1:55 p.m. Columbia	Networking Break (Transition to Meeting Room)

1:55 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. Columbia	Promoting Exports Through Collaboration With the Trade Community Precis: The Department of Commerce is continuing the path of export promotion with their latest initiative, the public private partnership "Getting to Global (GtG)," that NCBFAA is proud to be a part of. This talk will include an update on the administration's export plans and initiatives, a GtG overview and a road map to where our industry can keep trade moving. Speaker: Israel Hernandez, DOC, Intl Trade Administration, Deputy Chief of Staff Introduced by: Melzana Wilson, Mallory Alexander Intl, NCBFAA Transportation Committee Vice Chair

2:15 p.m. to 2:20 p.m. Columbia	PAC Raffle

2:20 p.m. to 2:55 p.m. Columbia	NAFTA: Modernizing Critical Trade Relationships Precis: The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has been the operating system for trade between the U.S., Canada and Mexico since 1994. Rhetoric has evolved from eliminating NAFTA altogether to "modernizing" the treaty so that it can adapt to changes in trade from 2018 and beyond. NAFTA negotiations are underway from mid-August and hold center stage on the Hill and in the new Administration. See how the negotiation process works and what we can expect. Panel: Andrew Rollo, Senate Finance Committee Stephen Lamar, American Apparel & Footwear Association, Executive Vice President Introduced by: Jon Kent, Kent & O'Connor, Inc., NCBFAA Legislative Counsel

2:55 p.m. to 3:05 p.m. Columbia	Networking Break

3:05 p.m. to 3:55 p.m. Columbia	The Ports: Overcoming the Challenges of the Recent Past Precis: After a tempestuous period, commerce at the ports has entered a new phase -- avoiding the crises of the past and improving the efficiency of our maritime operations. There are differing views on how to accomplish this that affect business, labor, carriers, shippers and the intermediaries that constitute NCBFAA's membership. Panel: Jon Gold, National Retail Federation, V.P. Supply Chain & Customs Policy Karyn Booth, Thompson Hine LLP, Partner, Transportation Practice Group Leader Gene Seroka, The Port of Los Angeles, Executive Director Moderator: Ed Greenberg, GKG Law, P.C., NCBFAA Transportation Counsel

3:55 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. Columbia	The Food and Drug Administration and Its Growing Significance to Trade Precis: As the Partner Government Agencies have joined ACE, a lion's share of the attention has been focused on the Food and Drug Administration. Opening the way into automation, reorganization and culture change has created big challenges for the Trade and for FDA leadership. Our industry has engaged in unprecedented dialogue with the agency, much to our mutual benefit. Speaker: Douglas Stearn, FDA, Director, Office of Enforcement and Import Operations Introduced by: Roger Clarke, Williams Clarke Co., NCBFAA Regulatory Affairs Committee Chair

4:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. Columbia	The De Minimis Debate: How Will It Change Your Business? Precis: With the passage of TFTEA and the increas of de minimis from $200 to $800, CBP has been confronted with a range of difficult questions: how will CBP manage the increased number of individual importations? How will they refer data, if appropriate, to specific PGAs? How can CBP apply its targeting technology? What are the business implications for brokers and will the playing field be leveled? Panel: Amy Magnus, A.N. Deringer, Inc., NCBFAA Vice President Cindy Allen, FedEx Trade Networks, Transport & Brokerage Jim Swanson, CBP, Director of Cargo, Office of Field Operations Michael Walsh, CBP, Office of Trade Moderator: Mary Jo Muoio, Geodis, NCBFAA Customs Committee Chair

5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Congressional B	Drawback Committee Meeting

6:00 p.m.	Dinner on Your Own
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Capitol	Breakfast CBP Office of Trade Initiatives: A Report to NCBFAA (Please be prompt. Breakfast service ends once presentation begins) Precis: For customs brokers, the future often rides on policy decisions made at CBP's Office of Trade: the long-awaited broker regulations, e-Commerce, ACE, to name but a few. This session, moderated and organized by Executive Assistant Commissioner Brenda Smith, features those immediately responisble for those important policy determinations. Panel: Troy Riley, CBP, Executive Director, Trade Remedy Law Enforcement Directorate Deborah Augustin, CBP, Executive Director, Trade Transformation Office Alex Amdur, CBP, Division Director, AD/CVD Policy & Programs Division Moderator: Brenda Brockman Smith, CBP, Executive Assistant Commissioner Introduced by: Amy Magnus, A.N. Deringer, Inc., NCBFAA Vice President

9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.	Congressional Appointments on Capitol Hill

3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Rayburn House Office Building 2360 RHOB	Congressional Appointments Debriefing Moderators: Jon Kent, Kent & O’Connor, Inc., NCBFAA Legislative Counsel Jerry Becnel, J. W. Allen & Co., Inc., NCBFAA GAC Chair Charles Riley, John A. Steer Co., NCBFAA Legislative Committee Chair Megan Montgomery, NCBFAA Executive Vice President

5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Rayburn HOB Gold Room 2168	Congressional Reception
Wednesday, September 13, 2017


8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Capitol	Customs Committee Meeting with CBP (Regular Members Only) Continental breakfast will be provided for the Customs Committee and CBP attendees only; all others will have breakfast on their own.

12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Congressional CD	Lunch Lunch will be provided for the Customs Committee and CBP attendees only; all others will have lunch on their own.