This subpart sets forth regulations providing for a continuing education requirement for individual brokers and the framework for administering this requirement. The continuing broker education requirement is for individual brokers, in order to maintain sufficient knowledge of customs and related laws, regulations, and procedures, bookkeeping, accounting, and all other appropriate matters necessary to render valuable service to importers and drawback claimants. Individual brokers will be required to certify completion of the continuing broker education requirement with the filing of their 2027 status report, required under § 111.30(d), and every status report thereafter, in accordance with the provisions of this subpart.

(a) Continuing broker education requirement. All individual brokers must complete qualifying continuing broker education as defined in § 111.103(a), except:

(1) During a period of voluntary suspension as described in § 111.52; or

(2) When individual brokers have not held their license for an entire triennial period at the time of the submission of the status report as required under § 111.30(d).

(b) Required minimum number of continuing education credits. All individual brokers who are subject to the continuing broker education requirement must complete at least 36 continuing education credits of qualifying continuing broker education each triennial period, except upon the reinstatement of a license following a period of voluntary suspension as described in § 111.52. Upon the reinstatement of a license following a period of voluntary suspension as described in § 111.52, the number of continuing education credits that an individual broker must complete by the end of the triennial period during which the reinstatement of the license occurred will be calculated on a prorated basis of one continuing education credit for each complete remaining month until the end of the triennial period.

(c) Reporting requirements. Individual brokers who are subject to the continuing broker education requirement must report and certify their compliance upon submission of the status report required under § 111.30(d).

(d) Recordkeeping requirements—(1) General. Individual brokers who are subject to the continuing broker education requirement must retain the following information and documentation pertaining to the qualifying education completed during a triennial period for a period of three years following the submission of the status report required under § 111.30(d):

(i) The title of the qualifying continuing broker education attended;

(ii) The name of the provider or host of the qualifying continuing broker education;

(iii) The date(s) attended;

(iv) The number of continuing education credits accrued;

(v) The location of the qualifying continuing broker education; and

(vi) Any documentation received from the provider or host of the qualifying continuing broker education that evidences the individual broker's registration for, attendance at, completion of, or other activity bearing upon the individual broker's participation in and completion of the qualifying continuing broker education.

(2) Availability of records. In order to ensure that the individual broker has met the continuing broker education requirement, upon CBP's request, the individual broker must make available to CBP the information and documentation described in paragraph (d)(1) of this section on or before 30 calendar days from the date of receipt of CBP's request. CBP can request that the information and documentation be made available for in-person inspection or be delivered to CBP by either hard-copy or electronic means, or any combination thereof.

(a) Qualifying continuing broker education. In order for a training or educational activity to be considered qualifying continuing broker education, it must meet the following two requirements:

(1) Providers of qualifying continuing broker education. The training or educational activity must be offered by one of the following providers:

(i) Government agencies. Qualifying continuing broker education constitutes any training or educational activity offered by CBP, whether online or in-person, and training or educational activity offered by another U.S. government agency, whether online or in-person, but only if the content is relevant to customs business as identified by CBP in coordination with the appropriate U.S. government agency when applicable. Accreditation is not required for trainings or educational activities offered by U.S. government agencies.

(ii) Other providers requiring accreditation. Any other training or educational activity not offered by a U.S. government agency, whether online or in-person, will not be considered a qualifying continuing broker education, unless the training or educational activity has been approved for continuing education credit by a CBP-selected accreditor before the training or educational activity is provided.

(2) Recognized trainings or educational activities. The training or educational activity must constitute one of the following:

(i) A seminar, webinar, or a workshop, whether online or in-person, whether experienced live or recorded, that is conducted by an instructor, discussion leader, or speaker;

(ii) A symposium or convention, with the exception of the attendance at a meeting conducted in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. App.), whether online or in-person;

(iii) Online coursework, a workshop, or a module, conducted as self-guided education, culminating in a retention test;

(iv) The preparation of a subject matter for presentation as an instructor, discussion leader, or speaker at a training or educational activity described in paragraph (a)(2)(i) or (a)(2)(ii) of this section, subject to the requirements set forth in paragraph (b) of this section; and

(v) The presentation of a subject matter as an instructor, discussion leader, or speaker at a training or educational activity described in paragraph (a)(2)(i) or (a)(2)(ii) of this section, subject to the requirements set forth in paragraph (b) of this section.

(b) Special allowance for instructors, discussion leaders, and speakers. (1) Contingent upon the approval by a CBP-selected accreditor, an individual broker may claim half of one continuing education credit for each full 30 minutes spent:

(i) Presenting subject matter as an instructor, discussion leader, or speaker at a training or educational activity described in paragraph (a)(2)(i) or (ii) of this section; or

(ii) Preparing subject matter for presentation as an instructor, discussion leader, or speaker at a training or educational activity described in paragraph (a)(2)(i) or (ii) of this section.

(2) The special allowance for instructors, discussion leaders, and speakers is subject to the following limitations:

(i) For any session of presentation given at one time, regardless of the duration of that session, an individual broker may claim, at a maximum, one continuing education credit for the time spent preparing subject matter for that presentation pursuant to paragraph (b)(1)(ii) of this section.

(ii) Per triennial period, an individual broker may claim, at a maximum, a combined total of 12 continuing education credits earned in accordance with paragraphs (b)(1)(i) and (ii) of this section.

(3) Regardless of whether the training or educational activity is offered by a U.S. government agency or another provider, any instructor, discussion leader, or speaker seeking to claim continuing education credit in accordance with paragraph (b)(1) of this section must obtain the approval of a CBP-selected accreditor.

(c) Selection of accreditors. The Office of Trade will select accreditors based on a Request for Information (RFI) and a Request for Proposal (RFP) announced through the System for Award Management (SAM) or any other electronic system for award management approved by the U.S. General Services Administration, in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (48 CFR 1.000 et seq.), for a specific period of award, subject to renewal. The Executive Assistant Commissioner, Office of Trade, will periodically publish notices in the Federal Register announcing the criteria that CBP will use to select an accreditor, the period during which CBP will accept applications by potential accreditors, and the period of award for a CBP-selected accreditor.

(d) Responsibilities of CBP-selected accreditors. CBP-selected accreditors administer the accreditation of trainings or educational activities other than those described in paragraph (a)(1) of this section for the purpose of the continuing broker education requirement by reviewing and approving or denying such educational content for continuing education credit. A CBP-selected accreditor's approval of a training or educational activity for continuing education credit is valid for one year, and the accreditation may be renewed through any CBP-selected accreditor. CBP-selected accreditors will not deny review or approval of a training or educational activity for continuing education credit solely because it was previously denied by the CBP-selected accreditor or any other CBP-selected accreditor.

(e) Prohibition of self-certification by an accreditor. CBP-selected accreditors may not approve their own trainings or educational activities for continuing education credit.

(a) Notification by CBP. If an individual broker is subject to the continuing broker education requirement pursuant to § 111.102 and submits a status report as required under § 111.30(d)(2) but fails to report and certify compliance with the continuing broker education requirement as part of the submission of the status report, then CBP will notify the individual broker of the broker's failure to report and certify compliance in accordance with § 111.30(d). The notification will be sent to the address reflected in CBP's records or transmitted electronically pursuant to any electronic means authorized by CBP for that purpose.

(b) Required response to notice. Upon the issuance of such notification, the individual broker must on or before 30 calendar days:

(1) Submit a corrected status report that, in accordance with § 111.30(d), reflects the individual broker's compliance with the continuing broker education requirement, if the individual broker completed the required number of continuing education credits but failed to report and certify compliance with the requirement as part of the submission of the status report; or

(2) Complete the required number of continuing education credits of qualifying continuing broker education and submit a corrected status report that, in accordance with § 111.30(d), reflects the individual broker's compliance with the continuing broker education requirement, if the individual broker had not completed the required number of continuing education credits at the time the status report was due.

(c) Suspension of license. Unless the individual broker takes the corrective actions described in paragraph (b)(1) or (b)(2) of this section on or before 30 calendar days from the issuance date of the notification described in paragraph (a) of this section, CBP will take actions to suspend the individual broker's license in accordance with subpart D of this part.

(d) Revocation of license. If the individual broker's license has been suspended pursuant to paragraph (c) of this section and the individual broker fails to take the corrective actions described in paragraph (b)(1) or (b)(2) of this section on or before 120 calendar days from the issuance date of the order of suspension, CBP will take actions to revoke the individual broker's license without prejudice to the filing of an application for a new license in accordance with subpart D of this part.