The Bureau of Industry and Security on Dec. 31 suspended the export privileges of four people after they were convicted of export-related offenses, including illegal shipments involving guns, ammunition and Iranian oil. The suspensions took effect from the date of their convictions.
The Bureau of Industry and Security on Jan. 2 published its annual export enforcement year in review, outlining the various penalties it imposed, indictments and guilty pleas it helped bring, guidance documents it issued and Entity List additions during 2024. The summary highlights enforcement actions against China, Russia and Iran; the due diligence best practices and recommendations BIS issued to exporters, financial institutions, and academia; export control-related partnerships the U.S. formed with trading partners; and more.
The Bureau of Industry and Security on Jan. 6 will add 13 companies to the Entity List for illegally shipping export-controlled items in support of China’s military modernization efforts or Pakistan’s ballistic missile program. The entities are located in Myanmar, China and Pakistan, the agency said in a final rule released Jan. 3. They will be subject to license requirements for all items subject to the Export Administration Regulations, and licenses will be reviewed under a presumption of denial.
The Bureau of Industry and Security’s record-setting enforcement pace over the last several years has raised the agency’s profile and convinced more businesses to invest in compliance, said Matthew Axelrod, the top BIS export enforcement official. But Axelrod said he thinks companies can do more.
Nathan Swinton is leaving DOJ to become the Bureau of Industry and Security's new chief counsel, he announced on LinkedIn. He was DOJ's senior counsel to the assistant attorney general for national security.
The Bureau of Industry and Security this week published the third quarterly update of its boycott requester list, a list of entities that have asked other companies to boycott goods from certain countries in violation of the Export Administration Regulations.
The Bureau of Industry and Security is asking users of SNAP-R, the agency’s export application submission system, to verify that the email address in their user profile is correct and valid to prepare for upcoming “enhancements” to the SNAP-R system. BIS said it’s planning to replace users’ current log-in ID with their email address “to enable the required two-factor authentication procedures.” It said users should update their profiles with a “unique” email address by Jan 31.
Space industry associations and companies largely welcomed a recent State Department proposal to modernize U.S. space-related export controls, although they asked for several clarifications, fewer export control guardrails and an extended timeline to allow space firms to update their compliance programs.
Congress and the executive branch should use a mix of export controls and foreign investment restrictions to prevent China from using biotechnology to commit human rights abuses, the Congressional-Executive Commission on China said in its 2024 annual report.
The Commerce Department’s fall 2024 regulatory agenda for the Bureau of Industry and Security features a host of new rules that could soon update U.S. export controls, including restrictions on aircraft engines, biological equipment and reporting requirements for certain weapons sales, AI chips.