The substitute to H.R. 5788 to be considered by the House would require the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to transmit advance electronic data (AED) to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on at least 70 percent of international packages by December 31, 2018, and 100 percent of international packages by December 31, 2020. The data will enable CBP to target high-risk shipments for inspection and seizure. The bill would require USPS to refuse shipments for which AED is not furnished after December 31, 2020 or to take remedial measures, including law enforcement actions, to ensure compliance. The bill would establish penalties if USPS accepts international mail shipments without AED after December 31, 2020. The bill would also direct the State Department to strengthen international postal agreements and to ensure that any future agreements preserve our ability to require AED on international mail shipments.
The bill would establish a new fee on items being mailed to the United States from overseas through the Inbound Express Mail service, beginning in 2020 to cover the cost of additional customs processing. The fee for most items would be $1, subject to annual adjustments.
The bill would direct the USPS, CBP, and other federal agencies as appropriate, to collaborate to develop technology to detect opioids and other drugs that enter the United States through the mail.
