This bill would change how the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) handles export license applications under the Export Control Reform Act of 2018. It would set a target that BIS should make a licensing decision and notify an applicant within 90 days of submission. If a decision is not made within 120 days, BIS must tell the applicant the application status, explain why a decision has not been made, and request any extra information needed.
The bill says licensing reviews should involve licensing officers with relevant subject matter expertise. It requires BIS to send quarterly reports to specified congressional committees. The first report, covering the prior year, and each later quarterly report must include numbers of applications, application status counts (for example: received, on hold, referred, signed off, countersigned, validated), approvals/denials/returns, average and median processing times overall and broken down by end-user country, ECCN, and export type, referrals to other agencies (State, Defense, Energy), and the number of applications pending 90 days or longer with reasons for delay.
The bill also directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to start an audit within 90 days of enactment and to issue a report within one year. The audit must analyze whether BIS licensing decisions have been made expeditiously in the prior calendar year and identify bottlenecks affecting timing. The GAO report must be delivered to two congressional committees and posted publicly.
No publicly available information.
The bill reflects the Sense of Congress that long delays at BIS create uncertainty for exporters and domestic manufacturers, can cause U.S. firms to lose business to foreign competitors, and harm the U.S. economy. It states that efficient, predictable processing and transparency are important for U.S. technology company competitiveness, stable supply chains, and effective congressional oversight.
No publicly available information.