Del. James Moylan has joined an effort to restore the de minimis postal exemption for Guam, the CNMI and other territories that are outside the U.S. customs zone.
Moylan and fellow representatives from the Northern Marianas, the Virgin Islands and American Samoa introduced legislation to reverse the impacts of an executive order that suspended the exemption on low-value goods.
Before the order was signed by President Donald Trump in August, shipments from the territories valued under $800 could be sent to U.S. states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia without any customs fees.
Now, people sending goods to the U.S. have to prepay customs duties using a third-party app before packages will be accepted.
“The sudden policy shift resulted in packages being treated as foreign shipments, creating delays, unexpected fees, and confusion for residents and businesses throughout the islands,” a news release from Moylan’s office stated. “The new bill restores the duty-free treatment Congress originally intended for Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands, and creates safeguards to ensure federal agencies consider territorial impacts before imposing future trade or tariff restrictions.”
The Legislation, sponsored by Del. Kimberlyn King-Hinds of the CNMI and cosponsored by Moylan, Del. Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen of American Samoa and Del. Stacey Plaskett of the Virgin Islands, permanently grants de minimis treatment for goods going from the territories to the U.S. customs zone.
The bill has been introduced and referred to the House Ways and Means Committee.
