Military Reservists Getting New Chance to Qualify for International Trade Jobs
WASHINGTON, Aug. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Making it easier for those in the military to get post-military jobs, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has quietly made it easier for military reservists to sit for the exam to become customs brokers. CBP will give members of military reserves the sole exception to a prohibition on government employees taking the test, allowing them to sit for the Oct. 3 customs exam, International Trade Today reported exclusively in its August 29 issue.
Federal customs regulations bar officers or employees of the U.S. Government from being licensed as customs brokers or sitting for the exam, effectively blocking those in the military reserves from taking it.
The exception may be only temporary as CBP considers a finalized policy, CBP officials said. International Trade Today said the new exception is likely the result of a lawsuit brought against the agency and settled earlier this year. "We are researching this issue and until such time as we make a definitive interpretation, we are allowing reservists to take the exam," said a CBP spokesman. The spokesman said the exemption does not currently apply to other government employees.
Army Reservist Bill Nusbaum forced the issue before the April exam, filing a lawsuit against CBP. The government quickly settled the suit, allowing Nusbaum to take the April exam. Nusbaum who works for NNR Global Logistics in Illinois, was among the significant number of applicants who didn't pass the April exam, but he plans sit for the October exam. Nusbaum said in an interview he was satisfied to see the exception on the new application, though questions remain on licensing if he passes this time around. "I don't know if I have to go through another legal battle if I were to pass the text," he said. "That's another thing I'm a little worried about."
The Reserve Officers Association of the U.S. (ROA), which is actively involved in the issue, said the change is a move in the right direction. "We are very pleased that the Department of Homeland Security now seems to get it and will let reservists not on active duty to take the exam like any other eligible person," said Captain Sam Wright, director of ROA's Service Members Law Center. CBP "should not be standing in the way of reservists getting and keeping jobs," he said.
Washington-based International Trade Today is the leading source for daily news affecting brokers and others in the fields of export and import. Free trials of ITT are available at http://www.brokerpower.com/free_trial.
SOURCE International Trade Today
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