Joint Industry Group Homepage

Thursday, June 19 - JIG held an Export Control Meeting, which featured an off-the-record discussion about the current U.S. Export Control System, potential modernization changes, and the reformation of export licensing agencies. The meeting included a briefing by Robert Kovac, Managing Director, Directorate for Defense Trade Controls, U.S. Department of State, with comments by William Reinsch, President of the National Foreign Trade Council, and Edmund Rice, President of the Coalition for Employment Through Exports. The discussion facilitated suggestions from the private sector; consisting of a unitary system versus a dual list; an initiative towards a single list; and having one authority approving or denying export licenses. Progress on these issues is being made.

Thursday, May 1 - JIG held its first General Membership Meeting of the year at the offices of Hogan & Hartson. The meeting included Hill staff who addressed variety of issues with updates on the current U.S. Free Trade Agreements, the status of the 100 percent scanning mandate of the Safe Port Act of 2006, the 10+2 initiative, the halting of the GTX program, the Customs Reauthorization Bill, and the preference programs set to expire this year. The meeting also included a discussion with Mike Mullen, CPB’s Assistant Commissioner for International Affairs, detailing his visit with the WCO relating to the AEO/C-TPAT Mutual Recognition effort and also an inside view of the costs of the 100% scanning initiative. The meeting concluded with an informative presentation from Mr. Nishant Pillai, Program Manager for the POLA TWIC Field Test. He outlined the scope of the program and the possibility of TWIC having a greater impact on port security in the future.

Thursday, April 9 - CBP Commissioner Ralph Basham has announced that plans to exchange global warehouse data through the Global Trade Exchange program have been indefinitely put on hold. JIG had opposed the GTX program.

Welcome to the Joint Industry Group

The Joint Industry Group is a coalition of firms actively involved in international trade. Members include manufacturers, customs brokers, importers, exporters, trade associations, law firms, and accounting firms.

JIG engages federal agencies and the Bush Administration on a variety of international trade-related issues. We work closely with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Congress to promote trade policy that supports both border enforcement and trade facilitation. See our policy priorities here.