Israel-based Nice and U.S.-based LiveVox Holdings, two software and technology companies that provide artificial intelligence-related products, submitted a voluntary filing with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. ahead of their proposed combination, Squire Patton said in a November client alert. In an SEC filing, the companies said CFIUS must approve their transaction before it can be completed.
The Biden administration will soon add another industry advisory committee to provide input on U.S. export control regulations.
The Biden administration should investigate all Chinese lidar technology companies to determine whether they should be placed on the Entity List or made subject to U.S. investment restrictions, the House Select Committee on China said in a letter this week. The lawmakers said lidar, or light detection and ranging, is being used in autonomous systems and robotics but isn’t subject to export controls, potentially allowing a loophole for Chinese companies to acquire U.S. technologies for use in lidar systems that can aid the country’s military.
The House Oversight Committee is probing the Bureau of Industry and Security's 90-day suspension of new export licenses for firearms, saying the potentially “extralegal” decision was made with no explanation and infringes on the Commerce Department’s goal of increasing U.S. competitiveness. Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., in a letter this week to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, requested a briefing on the issue by Dec. 5 and asked for a range of agency documents before Dec. 12, including any related to the decision-making process that led to the suspension announcement.
The World Trade Organization's Committee on Trade in Civil Aircraft on Nov. 17 agreed to Brazil's terms of accession to the Agreement on Trade in Civil Aircraft, the WTO announced. Brazil will submit the agreement along with its commitments to the nation's National Congress for approval. Brazil originally submitted its application to accede to the deal in June 2022. Marcio Elias Rosa, Brazil's deputy minister and executive secretary of the Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services, highlighted Brazil's "unwavering commitment to the principles of the WTO and the enhancement of international supply chain," WTO said.
Senate Democrats said they supported the Biden administration’s recent decision to suspend certain sanctions against Venezuela but urged the president to reimpose the measures “absent concrete steps by” the Nicolas Maduro-led regime to end its crackdown on civil society and political opposition.
Leaders of the Senate and House Armed Services committees should ensure the upcoming 2024 defense spending bill includes new measures protecting U.S. outbound investments when the two chambers work on a compromise text for the legislation, a bipartisan group of lawmakers said in a Nov. 20 letter. The more than 40 lawmakers suggested the final version of the National Defense Authorization Act should feature an amendment included as part of the Senate’s version of the NDAA, passed in June, that would require companies to notify the Treasury Department 14 days before making certain investments in several “countries of concern,” including China (see 2307260029 and 2307280052).
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Gary Locke, former U.S. commerce secretary and ambassador to China, has joined Dorsey & Whitney as a senior advisor in the Seattle office, the firm announced. Locke currently chairs Committee of 100, a "leading organization for Chinese Ameircans," and will help guide Dorsey's international practice, the firm said. Locke has a background in foreign direct investment, export controls, government relations and "cross-cultural diplomacy," the firm said.
The Senate voted 87-11 to approve a laddered temporary spending bill that will continue government appropriations at last fiscal year's level through Jan. 19 for some agencies and through Feb. 2 for others.