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Entity List firms face tighter export reviews
A Senate amendment would narrow who can override decisions on listed companies’ requests for items covered by U.S. export rules. The committee would still be able to approve a different policy by majority vote.
In Washington, companies added to the Commerce Department’s Entity List would face a tighter review before getting items covered by the Export Administration Regulations. If a listed entity is, or would be, part of the transaction, the default licensing policy for that item would not automatically apply.
The point is to make the exception narrower and less dependent on one person’s judgment. The End-User Review Committee chairperson would not be able to make determinations or override the vote on those matters.
The exception stays on a short leash
The amendment does leave room for a different result, but only if the committee members agree by majority vote. They could apply another policy to that entity for all covered items, or only for specific types of goods, if they decide it serves U.S. national security and foreign policy interests.
The chair could suspend the 30-day voting period, but only if every member agreed to postpone the vote. After that, the chair would notify the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration, who would carry out the committee’s decision.