Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, announced the committee's leaders last week, including Vice Chair Ann Wagner, R-Mo. McCaul said he looks forward to working with them and committee Democrats “to pass meaningful legislation that prioritizes national security and strengthens our relationships with key allies, while conducting vital oversight of the Biden administration.” One oversight effort will include a review of the Bureau of Industry and Security’s export control licensing decisions and policies (see 2210030068, 2301190055 and 2301300052).
A Miami-based company violated U.S. export regulations when it illegally shipped red dot scopes to Austria and Switzerland, the Bureau of Industry and Security said in Feb. 2 order. The company, Dotphins, entered into a settlement agreement with BIS that will require it to complete compliance training.
The Bureau of Industry and Security will hold a two-day conference this month to help it better understand emerging brain computer interface (BCI) technology as it considers potential export controls. The public conference, which will be both in person and virtual Feb. 16-17, comes a little more than a year after the agency requested public comments on potential BCI export restrictions (see 2110250011).
The Bureau of Industry and Security this week suspended the export privileges of six people for illegally exporting defense items -- from guns and ammunition to night-vision goggles -- to Hong Kong, Iran, Mexico and Ukraine.
New U.S. chip export controls are among the most complex export regulatory provisions ever published and have caused significant uncertainty in the semiconductor industry, trade groups and technology firms told the Bureau of Industry and Security in comments that were due this week. More than 40 companies, trade associations, law firms and others asked BIS to revise parts of the regulations or offer more guidance to avoid hurting U.S. competitiveness, with some saying the new controls may force foreign companies to stop using U.S.-origin items altogether rather than deal with the added compliance obligations.
The Bureau of Industry and Security scheduled a temporary outage of its Simplified Network Application Process – Redesign (SNAP-R) system for the weekend of Feb. 4-5 as the agency completes the transfer of data and connectivity points for the system software. “BIS regrets the inconvenience to users due to this necessary outage,” it said.
The Bureau of Industry and Security's top export enforcement official is in Canada this week to discuss improving U.S.-Canadian enforcement efforts. Matthew Axelrod, BIS assistant secretary for export enforcement, said he’s meeting with the Canada Border Services Agency and the Global Affairs Canada Royal Canadian Mounted Police to share information on Russian “diversion actors,” coordinate the “targeting and conduct of pre- and post-shipment verifications and audits,” upgrade efforts to “inspect, detain, and seize illicit shipments,” and work to “reduce threats through coordinated outreach, investigations, and enforcement actions.”
The Bureau of Industry and Security added seven Iranian entities to the Entity List this week for their involvement in drone transfers to Russia, the agency said in a final rule. The entities are Iranian producers of unmanned aerial vehicles, top BIS export enforcement official, Matthew Axelrod, said during a Toronto conference this week, adding that Russia is using the drones to “attack civilian infrastructure” in Ukraine.
The chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Michael McCaul, R-Texas, promised a "thorough review of the policies and procedures" at the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security after the state-run China Academy of Engineering Physics reportedly was able to continue purchasing U.S.-made semiconductors since 2020 despite being on a U.S. export ban list since 1997.
The Bureau of Industry and Security added seven Iranian entities to the Entity List for aiding Russia’s military and defense industrial base. The additions, effective Jan. 31, will also be subject to the Russia/Belarus-Military End User Foreign Direct Product rule. They will require a license for all items subject to the Export Administration Regulation, and BIS will review license applications under a policy of denial except for certain food and medicine, which will be reviewed case by case. No license exceptions will be available.