3086 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 20 / Tuesday, January 30, 1996 / Notices

Type of Review: Extension (without

change).

Affected Public: Business or other forprofit institutions.

Estimated Number of Respondents:

177.

Estimated Time Per Respondent: 2

hours.

Estimated Total Annual Burden

Hours: 354.

Dated: January 18, 1996.

V. Carol Barr,

Leader, Printing and Records Services Group.

[FR Doc. 96–1602 Filed 1–29–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4820–02–P

Announcement of National Customs

Automation Test Regarding Electronic

Protest Filing

AGENCY: Customs Service, Department

of the Treasury.

ACTION: General notice.

SUMMARY: This notice announces

Customs plan to conduct a test

regarding the electronic filing of

protests. This notice invites public

comments concerning any aspect of the

test, informs interested members of the

public of the eligibility requirements for

voluntary participation in the test, and

describes the basis on which Customs

will select participants.

EFFECTIVE DATE: The test will commence

no earlier than May 1, 1996, and will

run for approximately six months.

Comments must be received on or

before February 29, 1996. Anyone

interested in participating in the test

should contact Customs on or before

February 29, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Written comments

regarding this notice and information

submitted to be considered for

voluntary participation in the test,

should be addressed to the Chief,

Commercial Compliance Branch, U.S.

Customs Service, 1301 Constitution

Avenue, N.W. Room 1313, Washington

D.C. 20229–0001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For protest systems or automation

issues: Steve Linnemann (202) 927–

0436.

For information on how to become ABI

operational: Kris Crane (202) 927–

0452.

For operational or policy issues: Jim

Casler (713) 313–2876.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Title VI of the North American Free

Trade Agreement Implementation Act

(the Act), Public Law 103–182, 107 Stat.

2057 (December 8, 1993), contains

provisions pertaining to Customs

Modernization (107 Stat. 2170). Subtitle

B of title VI establishes the National

Customs Automation Program (NCAP)—

an automated and electronic system for

the processing of commercial

importations. Section 631 in Subtitle B

of the Act creates sections 411 through

414 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C.

1411–1414), which define and list the

existing and planned components of the

NCAP (section 411), promulgate

program goals (section 412), and

provide for the implementation and

evaluation of the program (section 413).

In addition section 645 of the Act

provides for the electronic filing of

protests. Section 411 (2) (A) defines the

‘‘electronic filing and status of protests’’

as a ‘‘Planned Component’’ of the

NCAP. Section 101.9(b) of the Customs

Regulations (19 CFR 101.9(b)),

implements the testing of NCAP

components. See T.D. 95–21 (60 FR

14211, March 16,1995).

I. Description of the Test

The Concept of Electronic Protest Filing

The Customs Service has developed

transaction sets for the Automated

Broker Interface (ABI) system which

will allow the following to be filed

electronically and their status tracked

electronically:

(1) Protests against decisions of the

Customs Service under 19 U.S.C. 1514;

(2) Claims for refunds of Customs

duties or corrections of errors requiring

reliquidation pursuant to 19 U.S.C.

1520(c) and (d); and

(3) Interventions in an importer’s

protest by an exporter or producer of

merchandise from a country that is a

party to the North American Free Trade

Agreement under § 181.115 of the

Customs Regulations.

Customs Regulations regarding who

has the right to file a protest and the

port having jurisdiction over the protest

remain the same. For the purposes of

the test, the date of filing for a protest

will be determined by the date of ABI

input of the protest based on midnight

eastern standard time. A customhouse

broker will be able to input the protest

from any computer processing location,

but will still have to be licensed to

transact business at the port where the

protest is filed.

The test will be implemented at

selected ports. Ports selected will

depend in part upon the number of

volunteers who transact Customs

business at those ports and the

anticipated volume of protests filed at

those ports.

II. Eligibility Criteria

In order to qualify for the electronic

protest test, volunteers must be

currently ABI operational, or become

ABI operational, and willing to develop

or acquire the software necessary to

input protests into and interact with the

electronic protest programming which

has been established within Customs

Automated Commercial System (ACS).

Note that participation in this testing

will not constitute confidential

information and lists of participants will

be made available to the public upon

written request.

Test Participation Application

This notice requests volunteers for the

test. Protest filers who wish to volunteer

for the test should contact the Trade

Compliance Branch, U.S. Customs

Service, 1301 Constitution Avenue,

N.W., Room 1322, Washington D.C.

20229–0001 on or after the date set forth

in the effective date paragraph at the

beginning of this notice.

Basis for Participation Selection

Eligible filers will be considered for

participation in the test. Those not

selected for participation will be invited

to comment on the design, conduct, and

evaluation of the test. Selections will be

based on anticipated volume of protests,

ports identified as having jurisdiction

over those protests, and the selectee’s

electronic abilities to interface with

Customs ABI electronic protest

programming. Participants selected will

be notified by means of the Customs

Electronic Bulletin Board and the

Customs Administrative Message

System and by letter of notification.

III. Test Evaluation Criteria

Once participants are selected,

Customs and the participants will meet

to review all public comments received

concerning any aspect of the test

program or procedures, finalize

procedures in light of those comments,

form problem solving teams, and

establish baseline measures and

evaluation methods and criteria. At 90

days and 180 days after commencement,

evaluations of the test will be conducted

with the final results published in the

Federal Register as required by

§ 101.9(b) of the Customs Regulations.

Dated: January 22, 1996.

Samuel H. Banks,

Assistant Commissioner, Office of Field

Operations.

[FR Doc. 96–1593 Filed 1–29–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4820–02–P