Industry may experience delays in wait times on responses from the State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls due to road closures and other public safety measures in place in Washington through next week, DDTC said Jan. 13. DDTC is expecting “longer than normal wait times” on responses from DDTC staff, including communications related to mail and the DDTC Response Team or Help Desk, through Inauguration Day Jan. 20. “We appreciate your patience and will get back to you as soon as we can,” DDTC said.
The U.S. and Bahrain signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a U.S. trade zone in Bahrain to help boost trade between the two countries, the Commerce Department said Jan. 13. Commerce said the zone will be a trade, manufacturing, logistics and distribution “hub” for U.S. companies operating in the country. It will allow U.S. businesses “multimodal access to an area ideal for crossdocking activities, end-to-end specialized customs solutions and fast track operation for the purpose of exporting” via the Khalifa bin Salman Port, the Bahrain International Airport and the King Fahd Causeway and “future customs posts” created by Bahrain.
The Bureau of Industry and Security is seeking comments, due March 15, on an information collection related to a request for appointment of a technical advisory committee, it said in a Jan. 14 notice. The collection describes the functions and responsibilities of the Commerce Department TACs. “The TACs advise the government on proposed revisions to export control lists, licensing procedures, assessments of the foreign availability of controlled products, and export control regulations.” the notice says.
The White House launched a National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Office to help ensure U.S. leadership in AI technology, it said in a news release Jan. 12. The office will oversee the national AI strategy and act as the “central hub” for AI research and federal policymaking across government agencies, including engagement with industry and academia. In October, the White House issued a national strategy on critical and emerging technologies to better synchronize agency policy efforts, including for AI technologies (see 2010150038). The new AI office within the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy comes as the Commerce Department works on export controls for AI and a range of emerging technologies (see 2101050018 and 2009170026).
The National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America recently published two export compliance documents to help guide freight forwarders involved in exporting, the group said in a Jan. 11 email to industry. The U.S. Principal Party in Interest export responsibility information sheet provides guidance on the responsibilities of an export customer in an export transaction, and the Shipper’s Letter of Instruction model is intended to help forwarders as they gather required export control information and create a company-specific SLI.
The Commerce Department is adjusting its civil monetary penalties for inflation for 2021, the agency said in a Jan. 11 notice. The inflation adjustments apply only to penalties “with a dollar amount,” not those “written as functions of violations,” Commerce said. The rule is effective Jan. 15, it said.
The Bureau of Industry and Security removed three entities from its Unverified List after completing successful end-use checks, the agency said in a notice released Jan. 8. The notice removes Germany-based DMA Logistics GmbH and Halm Elektronik GmbH and Mexico-based Integrated Production and Test Engineering from the list after BIS verified their bona fides. The changes take effect Jan. 11.
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer called others to join him in condemning of the Jan. 6 violence at the Capitol. Lighthizer, in a signed tweet Jan. 6, said: “All patriotic Americans should condemn the violence we saw at our Capitol today. This is inconsistent with our democracy and our most cherished values.”
President-elect Joe Biden is expected to choose Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo to serve as secretary of the Commerce Department, multiple outlets reported Jan. 7. Raimondo, governor since 2015, is viewed as a moderate Democrat and has an extensive background in the financial sector, including co-founding a venture capital firm, according to The New York Times. Raimondo will take over an agency that is in the process of pursuing export controls over a range of emerging and foundational technologies (see 2011250054 and 2009170040), and that frequently has been used by the Trump administration to blacklist Chinese state-owned entities (see 2012180039). A spokesperson for the Biden transition team didn’t comment.
The Commerce Department extended a public comment period to receive feedback on an information collection related to U.S. foreign direct investment, the agency said in a Jan. 8 notice. The collection includes a quarterly survey on FDI that asks industry for information on “transactions and positions” between foreign-owned U.S. businesses and their “affiliated foreign groups.” The survey feedback is used to “derive universe estimates of direct investment transactions, positions, and income in non-benchmark years,” which helps the U.S. measure “the size and economic significance of foreign direct investment.” Commerce previously asked for feedback in October and allowed for a 60-day comment period, but now is extending the period for 30 days following publication of the notice.