YourVoice.Now Summary
Transparency & AccountabilityCorporate BenefitsCompanies waiting on an export license would get a 90-day goal — plus new reports to Congress.
Transparency & Accountability
If 120 days pass with no decision, the department must tell the applicant where the application stands and why it is late. It must also ask for any missing information.
Commerce would send Congress a report four times a year. It would show how many licenses got a yes or a no. It would also show how long the wait was in each country.
The GAO is the audit arm of Congress. It would start a review within 90 days, look for what slows licenses down, and post the report online.
Corporate Benefits
Companies that need an export license would have a 90-day target for a decision. The law would say the department should meet it, so nothing happens if it does not.
More about this bill
Most people would see no change in daily life. The change lands on companies that export goods the government restricts for security reasons. Those companies need a license from the Commerce Department first. A 90-day goal for those decisions would go into law, but as a goal, not a hard deadline. If 120 days pass with no decision, the department would have to explain the holdup. It would also have to ask for anything else it needs. Reviews would have to involve officers who know the products. Most of the rest is about visibility. Commerce would send Congress a report every three months on how licenses are moving. It would show how many were approved or denied. It would also show how long each one took. Wait times would be broken out by country and product type. The report would count applications stuck 90 days or longer. It would list the reasons for those delays. Separately, the Government Accountability Office (Congress's audit arm) would review how the department handles licenses. Its findings would be posted online.
Congressional Summary
BIS Licensing Efficiency Act of 2026 This bill establishes a timeline for the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) to make decisions on applications for export licenses and establishes certain reporting requirements. Specifically, the bill directs BIS to make a decision on whether to approve an application for an export license and notify the applicant of the decision within 90 days of receiving the application. If no licensing decision is made within 120 days of submission of the application, BIS must notify the applicant of the status of the application, the reason a decision has not been made, and request any additional information necessary to make a decision. BIS must submit quarterly reports to specified congressional committees on the processing of license applications and other requests for authorization for the export, reexport, release, and in-country transfer of controlled items. The bill also requires the Government Accountability Office to audit and report to specified congressional committees on the license review process of BIS.
Legislative Subjects
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in House
- Action Date
- 2026-04-15
- Date Added
- 2026-07-28
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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