Industry lawyers and advisers see the Bureau of Industry and Security's revamped voluntary disclosure policies as a positive set of moves that could reduce compliance burdens on exporters and encourage more companies to come forward with tips about their competitors. But at least one former government official said corporations should remain skeptical about the changes until BIS offers more clarity about how it will implement them in practice.
The House of Representatives on Feb. 15 passed a bill that would reverse the Biden administration’s recent pause on pending decisions on liquefied natural gas exports. The bill received 224 yea votes -- 215 Republicans and nine Democrats -- and 200 nay votes, all from Democrats. The vote came a day after the administration said it “strongly opposes” the bill (see 2402140005). The legislation faces an uphill battle in the Democrat-controlled Senate.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control is modifying its North Korea sanctions regulations to amend a general license for humanitarian activities carried out by non-governmental organizations in North Korea. The agency also is adding three new general licenses for Commerce Department-authorized transactions, agricultural and medical goods, and some journalistic activities, it said.
A senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies said the dissection of Russian military equipment used in the Ukraine war frequently uncovers Western-made microchips.
Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Bonnie Jenkins said she is “very confident” Australia and the U.K. will qualify to receive International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) exemptions from the U.S., a key requirement for the AUKUS trilateral security partnership.
The U.K.'s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation in 2024 is transitioning to a new "Sanctions Digital Guidance" format instead of its usual PDF guidance, the agency announced in a Feb. 13 blog post. The switch will allow for greater navigation, responsiveness, accessibility and compatibility, making the guidance available on any device, OFSI said. The transition will happen "throughout 2024," and during this time, interested parties will find sanctions guidance as a mix of digital and legacy PDFs. The agency kicked off the transition by making its general guidance available through the digital platform.
U.S. agencies met with European officials at a “Sanctions Coordinators Forum” Feb. 14 in Brussels to “discuss impacts and enforcement of our Russia sanctions regimes," the State Department said in a news release. State, along with the Commerce and Treasury departments, met with senior EU and member state government officials and delegations from the U.K. and Ukraine on topics including “the use of targeted sanctions to deter and disrupt malign Russian activity and to demonstrate our readiness to take action to defend international norms.”
Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-Mo., pressed the Treasury Department on Feb. 14 to consider sanctioning Chinese online store Temu over allegations it uses forced labor to make its garments. During a House Financial Services Committee hearing, Luetkeyemer noted that Temu aired a commercial during the Feb. 11 Super Bowl, reflecting its growing presence in the U.S. Treasury Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson testified during the hearing that he would “take on board" the congressman's concern but could not comment on any potential sanctions activity by his department. Temu didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
The U.S. this week sanctioned four entities and three people for procuring and facilitating the illegal export of “goods and technology from over two dozen U.S. companies” to Iranian end-users, including the Central Bank of Iran.
Republican members of the House Financial Services Committee on Feb. 14 criticized the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network’s new beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting rule (see 2401050023), saying it's too complicated and burdensome for small businesses.