The State Department is extending two International Traffic in Arms Regulations measures to allow employees involved in certain ITAR-related activities to work remotely (see 2004240017) as the agency seeks to make the changes permanent, a notice released Dec. 10 said. The notice continues a temporary exception to the ITAR to allow employees to telework, including employees working remotely in a country “not currently authorized” by a technical assistance agreement, manufacturing license agreement or an exemption. The exceptions do not apply to employees working in certain blocked countries, including Russia.
The Census Bureau needs more time to assess the comments it received on whether to eliminate certain export filings for shipments to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, partly because the comments were so split (see 2012040033), said Kiesha Downs, chief of Census’ Foreign Trade Division’s regulations branch. She also said the comments didn’t help the agency find alternative sources to collect the data that is normally submitted through the Electronic Export Information filings.
The State Department is circulating a proposed rule that would permanently revise the International Traffic in Arms Regulations to allow employees involved in ITAR-related activities to work remotely. To make the change, the rule would update the definition of a “regular employee” in ITAR, which would allow for greater flexibility for industry workers who telework, a State Department official said in a Dec. 9 email. The proposed rule was sent for interagency review last week (see 2012080011).
The Commerce Department will not publish its long-awaited proposed regulations on routed export transactions (see 2007150044) this year and is experiencing delays on other rules, including another set of export controls from the 2019 Wassenaar Arrangement, a Commerce official said. Hillary Hess, the Bureau of Industry and Security’s regulatory policy director, cited a combination of internal BIS delays and a backlog at the Federal Register for the slowdown.
The Council of the European Union adopted its long-awaited human rights sanctions regime (see 2010210008), giving the EU the ability to designate people and entities that commit crimes against humanity or other “serious human rights violations,” the EU said Dec. 7. The regime will allow the EU to impose travel bans and asset freezes on violators and will block people and entities in the EU from “making funds available” to entries on the sanctions list, either “directly or indirectly,” the EU said.
The U.S. sanctioned 14 officials on China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee associated with Hong Kong’s so-called national security law, the latest escalation in a series of U.S. designations aimed at Beijing. The sanctions target various NPCSC vice chairpersons who were involved in “developing, adopting, or implementing” the law, which has allowed Beijing to “stifle dissent” and arrest pro-democracy advocates, the State Department said Dec. 7.
The Census Bureau received a mixed bag of feedback as it considers whether to eliminate certain filing requirements for exports to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (see 2009160033). Many of the U.S. industry groups that submitted comments, released by Census Dec. 2, said the Automated Export System filings are a burden for their members and their elimination is long overdue. But government officials from both the U.S. and Puerto Rico cautioned Census about removing the requirements, saying it could lead to an absence of a vital source of data collection and damage the islands’ economies.
The Justice Department plans to announce more indictments involving cases of Chinese technology theft before the Joe Biden administration takes over in January, top U.S. security officials said. Under the agency’s China initiative (see 2008130036), the U.S. has targeted and arrested Chinese nationals for trying to steal export-controlled technology, an effort that has resulted in more than 1,000 Chinese researchers leaving the country since July, said John Demers, the U.S. assistant attorney general for national security.
The Bureau of Industry and Security should apply the “minimal” necessary level of export controls on foundational technologies to prevent impacts on U.S. academic research, universities said in comments to the agency. BIS also should reexamine which technologies it defines as “emerging” because some are already commercially widespread, a British aerospace company said.
As China continues to gain ground in technology competition with the U.S., Congress should pursue more investment and visa restrictions to prevent China from accessing sensitive U.S. technologies, the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission said in a Dec. 1 report. Commissioners said China’s access to U.S. technologies is helping it innovate and export surveillance tools and other advanced technologies globally.