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HR-8202House2026-04-06Foreign Trade and International Finance

To amend the Export Control Reform Act of 2018 to provide for a ten-year statute of limitations for export control violations.

YourVoice.Now Summary

Criminal Justice & Due ProcessCorporate Benefits

The government would get 10 years, not about 5, to fine or charge exporters.

Criminal Justice & Due Process

Deadline to charge export crimes — 10 years, up from 5

Federal prosecutors usually have five years to bring charges for a crime like this. The bill would give them 10 years, counted from the last violation in a series.

Government's power to stop the clock — a letter, not a lawsuit

A charging letter is a formal notice from the agency that enforces export rules. Sending one would count as starting the case, so no court filing would be needed to meet the deadline.

Corporate Benefits

Exporters' protection from old fines — deadline doubles to 10 years

Federal law now gives the government about five years to seek a fine over an export violation. The bill would make it 10 years. Companies would stay open to claims twice as long.

More about this bill

Most people would see no change in daily life. This would matter to companies and people who ship controlled goods or technology out of the country. Right now the government has about five years to bring a case over an export violation. That is the default deadline in federal law. The deadline would double to 10 years, for both fines and criminal charges. The clock would run from the date of the violation. For criminal cases, it would run from the last violation in a series. An agency letter would also count as starting a case. The government would not have to go to court to meet the deadline.

Congressional Summary

This bill extends from 5 to 10 years the statute of limitations for civil and criminal violations of U.S. export control laws. The bill also specifies that the commencement of an action, suit, or proceeding includes the issuance of a charging letter. (A charging letter is a formal notification by the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security that a company or individual is under investigation for an apparent violation of export administration laws or regulations.)

Legislative Subjects

Civil actions and liabilityTrade restrictions

Details

Congress
119th
Chamber
House
Status
summarized
Action
Introduced in House
Action Date
2026-04-06
Date Added
2026-07-21
Source
Congress.gov →

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