H.R. 8288

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8288 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8288

To amend the Export Control Reform Act of 2018 to provide assistance 
for compliance with that Act.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

April 15, 2026

Mr. Amo (for himself and Mr. Shreve) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To amend the Export Control Reform Act of 2018 to provide assistance 
for compliance with that Act.

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 ``Strengthening Export Controls 
Compliance Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds the following:
(1) The Export Control Reform Act of 2018 calls on the 
Secretary of Commerce ``to establish a system to provide United 
States persons with assistance in complying with'' United 
States export controls as well as ``keep the public 
appropriately apprised of changes in policy, regulations, and 
procedures'' established under that Act.
(2) The Export Control Reform Act of 2018 also calls on the 
Secretary of Commerce to report annually to Congress on 
``efforts to provide exporters with compliance assistance, 
including specific actions to assist small- and medium-sized 
businesses''.
(3) The Bureau of Industry and Security also generally 
holds an annual update conference on export controls to 
increase the public's and industry's understanding of United 
States export controls policies, as well as provide compliance 
guidance and regulatory updates.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) it is critical for the national security and 
technological leadership of the United States that the Bureau 
of Industry and Security of the Department of Commerce 
consistently inform and educate United States businesses on 
evolving export control regulations and their implementation; 
and
(2) seminars and trainings offered by the Bureau of 
Industry and Security can serve as a valuable resource for 
United States businesses, especially small- and medium-sized 
enterprises, that do not have large compliance departments.

SEC. 4. COMPLIANCE ASSISTANCE.

Section 1757 of the Export Control Reform Act of 2018 (50 U.S.C. 
4816) is amended by striking subsection (c) and inserting the 
following:
``(c) Assistance for U.S. Industry.--
``(1) Industry outreach plan.--Every two years, the 
President shall develop and submit to Congress a plan to assist 
United States persons, especially small- and medium-sized 
United States businesses, in export licensing and other 
processes under this part. The plan should include the 
following:
``(A) Arrangements for the Department of Commerce 
to provide counseling to United States persons on 
filing applications and related submissions, including 
identifying items controlled under this part.
``(B) Proposals for virtual and in-person 
trainings, seminars, and conferences to educate United 
States businesses on export controls, Bureau of 
Industry and Security licensing procedures, and related 
obligations.
``(C) Other activities to facilitate compliance by 
United States businesses, including review of company 
compliance plans, follow-up on license conditions, and 
company specific consultations on specific issues.
``(2) Annual conference.--The Secretary shall host an 
annual conference, to be known as the `Update Conference on 
Export Controls and Policy', to provide compliance assistance 
and policy updates to industry and other stakeholders. The 
conference should be listed on the Bureau of Industry and 
Security's website and open to anyone from the general public.
``(3) Compliance assistance for new rules.--Prior to the 
promulgation of major new rules to carry out this part, the 
Bureau of Industry and Security shall carry out dedicated 
public and industry outreach to share details with respect to 
the intent and implementation of the rule, with the goal of 
strengthening compliance.''.

SEC. 5. AMENDMENTS TO THE ANNUAL REPORT.

Section 1765(a) of the Export Control Reform Act of 2018 (50 U.S.C. 
4824(a)) is amended--
(1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking ``a 
review of'';
(2) in paragraph (4), insert ``a detailed list of'' before 
``efforts'';
(3) in paragraph (8), strike ``and'' at the end;
(4) in paragraph (9), by striking the period at the end and 
inserting ``; and''; and
(5) by adding at the end the following:
``(10) information on the number of Advisory Opinion and 
Commodity Classification requests, including--
``(A) the number of requests submitted;
``(B) the number of Advisory Opinion or Commodity 
Classifications issued as a result of the requests 
submitted under subparagraph (A);
``(C) the average processing times for each 
category of request; and
``(D) the number of redacted Advisory Opinions of 
general applicability posted.''.
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