CUSTOMS GETS $2.6 MILLION TO CONTINUE ACE

CUSTOMS GETS $2.6 MILLION TO CONTINUE ACE
     Congress has authorized $2.6 million to allow U.S. Customs to resume development of the agency’s new automation system, known as the Automated Commercial Environment.
     Customs announced last month that development of ACE would be halted because the agency had run out of funds. The $2.6 million is part of $6 million that Congress had held back until Customs came up with additional plans for ACE development.
     The money will be used to continue work at current levels on a prototype program to smooth the clearance of cargo across the U.S. borders with Mexico and Canada.
     Customs wants to develop ACE to replace the agency’s existing computer system, the Automated Commercial System. ACS, which dates to the mid-1980s, is running at capacity and has been prone to breakdowns.