Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, introduced a bill Dec. 3 that would require sanctions against those who commit "genocide, war crimes or crimes against humanity" in Sudan.
Sens. Peter Welch, D-Vt., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., asked the Government Accountability Office Dec. 3 to report to Congress on whether U.S. restrictions on artificial intelligence exports are adequate to protect national security and human rights.
The House approved a bill by voice vote Dec. 3 that is designed to protect American companies that are sued in federal court for complying with U.S. sanctions and export controls.
The Fish and Wildlife Service has declared the swale paintbrush (Castilleja ornata) an endangered species, according to a notice in the Federal Register. The dwale paintbrush, a flowering plant, can be found in New Mexico as well as the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Durango. The rule is effective Jan. 6.
The EPA is proposing new reporting requirements for 35 chemicals under significant new use rules. The proposed SNURs would require notification to EPA at least 90 days in advance of a new use by importers, manufacturers or processors, it said in a notice published in the Dec. 2 Federal Register. Importers of chemicals subject to these proposed SNURs would need to certify their compliance with the SNUR requirements should these proposed rules be finalized, EPA said. Exporters of these chemicals would become subject to export notification requirements. Comments on the proposed SNURs are due by Jan. 2.
CBP released updated guidance this week for exporters of certain used vehicles from the U.S. to Puerto Rico, stressing that even though those shipments don’t constitute an export, companies must still file certain Electronic Export Information in the Automated Export System “for all used self-propelled vehicles.” CBP also said exporters must include the vehicle identification number or product identification number in the EEI and added that “used self-propelled vehicles shipped from the United States to Puerto Rico or from Puerto Rico to the United States are not exempt from being inspected.”
The U.S. announced sanctions this week against five people and four companies connected to the TGR Group, a network of businesses and their employees that help Russian elites evade sanctions. The designations were the result of an international investigation by the U.S., the U.K. and the United Arab Emirates that the U.K.’s National Crime Agency said exposed Russian money laundering networks with touchpoints in Great Britain, the U.S., the Middle East and South America.
U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan this week called for a rethink of strategic technology controls and suggested that the incoming Trump administration look to build on the Biden administration's export control modernization efforts.
The State Department is expecting to see a large uptick by the end of the year in the number of authorized users under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations' new AUKUS exemption, a senior agency official said.
The U.S. must continue to coordinate with allies on export controls, especially around Russia-related trade restrictions and curbs on advanced semiconductors and semiconductor tools destined to China, the Bureau of Industry and Security's Thea Kendler said during her final international outreach event as a Biden administration official.