U.S. CUSTOMS GETS INDUSTRY BACKING FOR AUTOMATION FUNDS

   Industry representatives told a U.S. House Ways and Means Committee that the Customs Service needs an "immediate" infusion of money for automated systems.
   Witnesses at the hearing noted that the 15-year-old Automated Commercial System is prone to breakdowns. "Unless we give our Customs officers the tools they need, we’re on the path to a third-world operating capability," said Jane B. O’Dell, vice president of international trade and customs compliance for The Limited, speaking on behalf of the International Mass Retailers Association.
   The industry wants Congress to spend $300 million in each of the next
four years to develop Customs’ new Automated Commercial Environment, but to do it with general government revenues instead of user fees as proposed by the Clinton Administration.