Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service August 11, 2023 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We are proposing to update and amend the user fee regulations associated with the agricultural quarantine and inspection (AQI) program. Specifically, we propose to adjust the fees for certain AQI services that are provided in connection with certain commercial vessels, commercial trucks, commercial railroad cars, commercial aircraft, and international passengers arriving at ports in the customs territory of the United States; adjust the caps on prepaid fees associated with commercial trucks and commercial railroad cars; remove certain fee exemptions that are no longer justifiable based upon pathway analyses of risk; and restructure the treatment monitoring fee. We would also revise requirements pertaining to remittances and statements. Specifically, we would require monthly rather than quarterly remittances for the commercial aircraft fee, international air passenger fee, and international cruise passenger fee to make our revenue stream more stable, clarify our requirements, and provide for electronic payments and statements. We would also include in the regulations information on agents responsible for ensuring compliance with paying the user fees and the requirement for entities to notify APHIS in the event they have a change in personnel responsible for fee payments. These proposed changes are necessary to recover the costs of the current level of AQI activity, to account for actual and projected increases in the cost of doing business, to increase fee payer accountability, and to more accurately align fees with the costs associated with each fee service.