§4331 Interagency Import Safety Working Group

Summary

Creates an interagency Import Safety Working Group to help keep imported goods safe and moving quickly into the United States. The Secretary of Homeland Security must be the Chair and the Secretary of Health and Human Services must be the Vice Chair. Other members include several Cabinet secretaries and agency leaders (for example Treasury, Commerce, Agriculture, the U.S. Trade Representative, OMB, FDA, Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Consumer Product Safety Commission) and any other agency heads the President names. The Group must help make the joint import safety rapid response plan called for in section 4332. It must regularly check federal plans, practices, and resources for import safety and fast entry. That includes reducing duplicated work among agencies, making sure agency policies fit together, and recommending administrative steps while considering effects on businesses. The Group must also review foreign government and manufacturer cooperation on inspections and certifications, find best practices for U.S. importers (such as inspecting foreign factories, checking goods before export or U.S. distribution, and protecting the international supply chain), help government and port authorities improve coordination, and identify ways to increase importer accountability and foreign agency engagement.