BIS chief keeps ambitious agenda until end of administration

Mario Mancuso, the U.S. Commerce Department's undersecretary in charge of the Bureau of Industry and Secretary, has no plans of abandoning national security-related export control programs in the waning days of the Bush administration.

He told attendees at the Washington International Trade Association's meeting Wednesday that BIS has an ambitious agenda to complete in the next six months. 

We fully intend to sprint to the finish with a focus on those policy and management issues that matter most to the nation, Mancuso said.

One of the top focuses for BIS will be tracking illicit transshipments, proliferators of weapons of mass destruction, and terrorists. BIS enforces the country's export control rules as they pertain to dual-use items, or U.S.-made commercial products and technologies that could have military applications.

BIS will be particularly focused on Iran. In fact, the Iranian challenge exemplifies why BIS special agents need enhanced enforcement authorities, and why this administration strongly supports the reauthorization of the EAA (Export Administration Act), Mancuso said.

Today, BIS special agents -- our nation's only dual-use enforcement specialists -- are unable to work directly with their foreign law enforcement counterparts. In fact, they do not even have the authority to conduct undercover operations -- or even make a simple arrest -- in the United States without undergoing a cumbersome process, he said. A new EAA would strengthen the system and enhance our security by enabling domestic and international investigations and enforcement actions to proceed more quickly, efficiently, and effectively.

Mancuso also noted that a renewed EAA would strengthen BIS's diplomatic efforts worldwide and encourage other countries to adopt their own export control laws.

It is more difficult to make a credible and persuasive case to other nations to enact effective export controls when our own country does not have a permanent dual-use export control law on the books, he said. President Bush has used his authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to continue the long expired EAA.

Mancuso praised Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., for introducing legislation to jumpstart the EAA reauthorization. The administration strongly supports this legislation, and I urge Congress to quickly pass it, he said.

Mancuso said BIS will continue its review of the Commerce Control List, including aspects involving the intra-company transfer of license exceptions, deemed exports, encryption, thermal imaging and foreign availability, and started a review of the agency's global crime control regulations as they pertain to human rights and civil liberties.

BIS will also focus on international engagement with the most significant technology markets in the world. In early September, BIS will host the inaugural U.S.-Israel High Technology Forum in Washington, the most senior bilateral dialogue dedicated to high technology trade and investment issues. Later this fall, the agency will host formal bilateral talks with China, Hong Kong and India.

In addition, Mancuso said BIS will "execute an important management agenda, which will support our work, contribute to a smooth transition to the next administration, and better position BIS for the future.

We are committed to doing our best to attract the best and brightest to public service and then giving them the opportunity to meaningfully contribute, better integrating our law enforcement and policy functions, improving our interagency engagement, upgrading our technology infrastructure and business processes over time, and better aligning our entire workforce to address BIS's highest priorities, Mancuso said.

Source: American Shipper