Customs Automation Funding Hits Another Snag

August 2, 2000 10:18 AM, EDT

Funding for U.S. Customs automation in fiscal 2001 has hit a new snag. While the House version — with an additional $105 million for Automated Commercial Environment development and $123 million for the Automated Commercial System — easily passed, the Senate version contains not one dollar for ACE.

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ACE is U.S. Customs’ new computer system for processing imports. It is designed to replace the currently used Automated Commercial System, a 17-year-old computer network that uses Cobol programming and has fairly regular brownouts.

If ACS crashes, importers will be left to the time-consuming process of filing paper entries, a disaster for many businesses relying on just-in-time deliveries.

Conferees will not meet until September, however, to get a final Customs appropriations bill for

iscal 2001 whipped into shape, according to Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.), who chairs the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Treasury, Postal Service and General Government.

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