Federal law lets the Commerce Department restrict exports of American technology for national security reasons, but Congress has had limited visibility into how those decisions are made. This bill requires the Secretary of Commerce to submit a yearly report to key House and Senate committees detailing every export license application filed for companies on the national security watchlist — including who applied, what items were requested, where they would go, and whether approval was granted. The report also covers results of end-use checks, the government's process of verifying that approved exports are actually used as described. The information will be confidential and not released to the public, keeping sensitive details protected while still giving Congress an oversight role.
Transparency & Accountability
- Congressional oversight of export control licensing — Annual report required on all license applications and end-use check results for entities on national security watchlists
Congressional Summary
Maintaining American Superiority by Improving Export Control Transparency ActThis act requires the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) to annually report to Congress on export control licensing.Under current law, BIS administers and enforces controls on the export of dual-use goods (e.g., items with both civilian and military uses) and certain military parts and components. These export controls are implemented primarily under the Export Control Reform Act of 2018 (ECRA) through the Export Administration Regulations (EAR).Under this act, BIS must annually report to Congress on license applications, other requests for authorization, and end-use checks (on-site verifications conducted by BIS) for the export, reexport, release, and in-country transfer of items subject to the EAR to covered entities. A covered entity is any entity that (1) is located in a country listed in Country Group D:5 (countries that are identified by the Department of State as subject to U.S. arms embargoes), and (2) is included on the Entity List or the Military End-User List (two of the lists published by BIS containing information on the individuals, organizations, and addresses subject to restrictions involving items subject to the EAR).The act requires this report to include specified information, such as the name of the entity submitting the application, where the item is being exported, the decision with respect to the license application or authorization, and information on any end-use checks to ensure compliance with U.S. export controls. The information shall be exempt from public disclosure (except for aggregate statistics). Additionally, BIS must exclude from the report any information that could jeopardize an ongoing investigation.
Legislative Subjects
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Public Law
- Action Date
- 2025-08-19
- Date Added
- 2026-06-19
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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