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.
Jenner & Block hired Rachel Alpert, previously with Latham & Watkins, as a partner, the firm said in a news release. Alpert also previously worked in the State Department Office of the Legal Adviser. Her work “supports organizations in the oil and gas, communications, travel, and other industries on legal issues involving export controls and US sanctions laws and regulations under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), Export Administration Regulations (EAR), and Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) regulations,” Jenner & Block said.
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with the top stories for Dec. 28-31 in case you missed them. You can find any article by searching on the title or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
FedEx issued a December alert on its services and policies for shipping to Hong Kong and China items that are controlled by the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. The company said its policies reflect changes the Donald Trump administration made in July to increase licensing restrictions and end preferential treatment for controlled shipments to Hong Kong (see 2007150019). FedEx said exporters that obtained a State Department license before the July restrictions were announced cannot use its International Controlled Export service option to ship certain controlled goods to Hong Kong because the restrictions suspended all license exceptions. The company also said it “cannot accept ITAR items” that are prohibited by its “service guides,” including firearms, weaponry and certain parts. “Even if the customer has properly obtained the required license/permit for exporting the weapons, these cannot be transported on FedEx Express International Services and service options,” the company said.
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with the top stories for Dec. 21-24 in case you missed them. You can find any article by searching on the title or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
The State Department published its fall 2020 regulatory agenda. The agenda includes a new mention of a proposed rule to amend the International Traffic in Arms Regulations to allow certain employees involved in ITAR activities to work remotely. The rule will revise the ITAR’s definition of a “regular employee” and clarify the “contractual relationships that meet the definition of regular employee.” The State Department sent the rule for interagency review this month (see 2012080011) and aims to issue the rule in February 2021.
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with the top stories for Dec. 14-18 in case you missed them. You can find any article by searching on the title or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
The Bureau of Industry and Security will amend the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) Dec. 23 to add the new military end-user list (see 2012210047), consisting of 103 entities subject to export licensing requirements, the agency said in a Dec. 22 notice. Licenses will be required to export, reexport or transfer certain items described in the EAR that are subject to military end-use (MEU) or end-user licensing requirements. A BIS spokesperson said the 102 cited in the notice is a typo.
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls is establishing an industry working group to receive regular feedback on the Defense Export Controls and Compliance System, DDTC said Dec. 14. The agency said it is looking for 50 industry volunteers for the DECCS “User Group,” which will “identify functional and technical challenges” with DECCS and recommend system improvements. The group’s first virtual meeting is scheduled for Jan. 26, 2021. DDTC said the “initial plan is for the User Group to span one calendar year.” Applicants should email PM_DDTCProjectTeam@state.gov with their name and affiliation by Dec. 23. The agency said it will choose members by Jan. 11.
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls Dec. 14 issued guidance on the recently imposed U.S. sanctions against Turkey, detailing how it will implement various export restrictions. DDTC said it will not approve “any specific license or authorization” for exports or reexports for transactions where Turkey’s Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) is a party, including for “defense articles,” technical data or defense services. While the restrictions do not apply to “temporary import authorizations” or current and valid reexport authorizations, they do apply to all new export and reexport authorizations, DDTC said. That includes “amendments to previously approved licenses or agreements and licenses in furtherance of previously approved agreements.”