HOUSE PASSES BILL MAKING ELECTRONIC SED FILINGS MANDATORY
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed legislation mandating the electronic filing of all shippers’ export declarations (SEDs).
The bill requires all SEDs to be filed through the government’s Automated Export System (AES).
The new law would not go into effect until the Senate acts and the White House agrees to sign such legislation.
Recently, the Federal Maritime Commission declined to take action regarding complaints over ocean carriers charging $100 fees for processing the paper filings of SEDs.
The FMC said that fewer and fewer SEDs are handled via paper filings and also took note of the fact that the House was poised to pass the bill.