[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4505 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4505
To strengthen enforcement of United States export controls by
increasing the number of export control officers of the Bureau of
Industry and Security of the Department of Commerce who are stationed
in foreign regions.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 17, 2025
Ms. Kamlager-Dove (for herself, Mr. Huizenga, Mr. Meeks, and Mr.
Shreve) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To strengthen enforcement of United States export controls by
increasing the number of export control officers of the Bureau of
Industry and Security of the Department of Commerce who are stationed
in foreign regions.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Export Controls Enforcement Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND SENSE OF CONGRESS.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) The Bureau of Industry and Security of the Department
of Commerce (hereinafter the ``Bureau'') uses end-use checks to
verify that controlled items exported from the United States
are used in accordance with United States license requirements
and the Export Administration Regulations (parts 730-774 of
title 15, Code of Federal Regulations) and each other export
control policy under the administrative jurisdiction of the
Bureau.
(2) The Bureau's export control officers conduct end-use
checks in foreign regions to ensure that persons to a
transaction comply with such requirements and regulations and
do not divert controlled items to unauthorized users.
(3) The Bureau's export control officers are also
responsible for liaising with governments and the private
sector on the export controls policies under the administrative
jurisdiction of the Bureau.
(4) Inconclusive or failed end-use checks can lead the
Bureau to inaccurately added persons to watch lists, deny
export privileges, or take enforcement or criminal action.
(5) In 2024, the Bureau processed over 45,000 license
applications valued at over $500,000,000,000.
(6) In fiscal year 2024, the Bureau's export control
officers conducted over 1,400 end-use checks in 60 countries.
(7) As of 2025, the Bureau has only 11 export control
officers in foreign regions, with individual officers often
covering multiple countries, and dozens of countries where no
officer is assigned to them.
(b) Senses of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) end-use checks are critical for verifying the persons
to a transaction, assessing the risk of unauthorized use or
diversion of controlled items, and determining whether such
items are being used according to United States regulations and
licenses; and
(2) the United States needs more export control officers
stationed in foreign regions to effectively prevent and catch
illegal diversion of United States technologies and adequately
enforce the export controls policies under the administrative
jurisdiction of the Bureau.
SEC. 3. EXPORT CONTROL OFFICER PROGRAM.
(a) Establishment.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce, acting
through the Under Secretary for Industry and Security, shall
establish for a period of 5 years an Export Control Officer
Program (hereinafter the ``Program'') to station not less than
20 export control officers at United States diplomatic or
consular posts.
(2) Program director.--
(A) Appointment.--Not later than 90 days after the
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of
Commerce shall appoint, from among the full-time
equivalent employees of the Department of Commerce, a
Director to lead the Program.
(B) Responsibilities.--The Director shall be
responsible for overseeing the hiring of the export
control officers in the Program and coordinating with
the Secretary of State to strategically station the
officers in a manner that ensures geographic coverage
for every region of the world.
(b) Duties.--Each export control officer within the Program shall
fulfill, within the geographic region the officer is stationed, the
following duties:
(1) Managing and conducting end-use checks with persons
involved in transactions of items subject to the export
controls policies under the administrative jurisdiction of the
Bureau, to improve the scope and effectiveness of such checks.
(2) Informing and advising United States diplomatic or
consular posts on the export controls policies under the
administrative jurisdiction of the Bureau.
(3) Performing industry outreach to enhance compliance with
the export controls policies under the administrative
jurisdiction of the Bureau.
(4) Liaising with foreign governments to enhance
cooperation and coordination with the United States with
respect to the export control policies under the administrative
jurisdiction of the Bureau and the enforcement practices of the
Bureau.
(5) Sharing information with the Bureau's officials
regarding the enforcement challenges, trends, and priorities of
the Bureau.
(6) Identifying the best targets with respect to who the
Bureau should conduct end-use checks on.
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