As Thompson Hine lawyers on a webinar discussed exemptions to the Federal Emergency Management Agency restrictions on exports of personal protective equipment, they noted that goods held in bonded warehouses or in foreign-trade zones aren't subject to the controls. As a result, they expect the two to become more widely used over the next year.

The Commerce Department Bureau of Industry and Security is still planning to hold its annual conference in Washington, D.C., this summer, and officially opened registration for the event on April 30. BIS said it is “closely monitoring” COVID-19 updates and will notify industry of any changes to the June 29-July 1 conference. The conference's agenda includes sessions on license exceptions, semiconductors, end-use checks, updates on export controls, export enforcement and more.

The State Department issued a notice to inform industry of a series of compliance, licensing and management measures to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The notice includes measures announced by the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls on April 23 (see 2004240017). The measures allow for temporary “suspensions, modifications, and exceptions” of certain International Traffic in Arms Regulations requirements, including registration renewals, time limits on licenses and agreements, and remote working measures.

The National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America said that CBP told members of the trade community that very little of the personal protective equipment subject to export oversight is being slowed on its way out of the country. The CBP official said that out of 1,000 shipments, it is reviewing 100 and holding 10.

The Directorate of Defense Trade Controls scheduled an April 30 update of its Defense Export Control and Compliance System to allow license drafters to select the empowered official to sign and submit a license, the DDTC said April 29. The update will return all licenses in “awaiting signature” status to “draft” status. License drafters should open the license and select empowered official “to return the license to the 'Awaiting Signature' status,” the DDTC said. Due to the update, the agency said it expected DECCS to be unavailable to industry from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. EDT April 30.

The Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference (RevCon), which was expected to include a discussion on export controls on weapons proliferation (see 2003030058), was postponed due to the measures involved in battling the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an April 27 notice from the State Department. The agency said it supports the decision to postpone the conference and will “work constructively with other NPT Parties to maintain and strengthen the Treaty, including at the RevCon when conditions allow it to be held.”

The State Department asked for comments on an information collection related to requests to change end-user, end-use or destination of hardware information for exports, according to a notice. The requests, using Form DS-6004, are submitted to the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls before the sale is made. The Office of Management and Budget requested “emergency review and approval” of the collection, the State Department said, adding that comments “must be received” by April 29.

The Directorate of Defense Controls on April 23 released its report to Congress on defense exports licensed under the Arms Export Control Act during 2019. The report, which includes an introduction and a memo to Congress, details the value and quantity of the licensed exports for each country destination and the “data on the actual shipments of those licensed transactions,” the DDTC said.

The Commerce Department changed some details for its inaugural Emerging Technology Technical Advisory Committee meeting in May (see 2003050004), in a notice. Commerce clarified that the meeting will be held only through a remote teleconference and will take place from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. EDT on May 19. The meeting was previously scheduled for 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The State Department approved a potential $150 million military sale to the United Arab Emirates, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said April 23. The sale includes “blanket order requisitions” for certain aircraft parts, the DSCA said. The sale will allow the UAE to continue to buy “needed spare/repair parts” to maintain its aircraft fleet. The DSCA said there are no principal contractors involved with this potential sale.