50 U.S.C. § 4815 (WAR AND NATIONAL DEFENSE)
§ 4815. Licensing
(a) In general
The Secretary shall, consistent with delegations as described in section 4814 of this title, establish a procedure to license or otherwise authorize the export, reexport, and in-country transfer of items controlled under this subchapter in order to carry out the policy set forth in section 4811 of this title and the requirements set forth in section 4812(b) of this title. The procedure shall ensure that—
(1) license applications and other requests for authorization are considered and decisions made with the participation of appropriate Federal agencies, as appropriate; and
(2) licensing decisions are made in an expeditious manner, with transparency to applicants on the status of license and other authorization processing and the reason for denying any license or request for authorization.
(b) Sense of Congress
It is the sense of Congress that the Secretary should make best efforts to ensure that an accurate, consistent, and timely evaluation and processing of licenses or other requests for authorization to export, reexport, or in-country transfer items controlled under this subchapter is generally accomplished within 30 days from the date of such license request.
(c) Fees
No fee may be charged in connection with the submission, processing, or consideration of any application for a license or other authorization or other request made in connection with any regulation in effect under the authority of this subchapter.
(d) Additional procedural requirements
(1) In general
The procedure required under subsection (a) shall provide for the assessment of the impact of a proposed export of an item on the United States defense industrial base and the denial of an application for a license or a request for an authorization of any export that would have a significant negative impact on such defense industrial base, as described in paragraph (3).
(2) Information from applicant
The procedure required under subsection (a) shall also require an applicant for a license to provide the information necessary to make the assessment provided under paragraph (1), including whether the purpose or effect of the export is to allow for the significant production of items relevant for the defense industrial base outside the United States.
(3) Significantly negative impact defined
A significant negative impact on the United States defense industrial base is the following:
(A) A reduction in the availability of an item produced in the United States that is likely to be acquired by the Department of Defense or other Federal department or agency for the advancement of the national security of the United States, or for the production of an item in the United States for the Department of Defense or other agency for the advancement of the national security of the United States.
(B) A reduction in the production in the United States of an item that is the result of research and development carried out, or funded by, the Department of Defense or other Federal department or agency to advance the national security of the United States, or a federally funded research and development center.
(C) A reduction in the employment of United States persons whose knowledge and skills are necessary for the continued production in the United States of an item that is likely to be acquired by the Department of Defense or other Federal department or agency for the advancement of the national security of the United States.
(e) Report
(1) In general
Not later than one year after August 19, 2025, and not less frequently than annually thereafter, the Secretary,1 shall, subject to the availability of appropriations, submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on end-use checks related to, as well as license applications and other requests for authorization for the export, reexport, release, and in-country transfer of items controlled under this subchapter to covered entities.
(2) Elements
The report required by paragraph (1) shall include, with respect to the preceding one year-period, the following:
(A) For each license application or other request for authorization, the name of the entity submitting the application, a brief description of the item (including the Export Control Classification Number (ECCN) and reason for control, if applicable), the name of the end-user, the end-user’s location, a value estimate, decision with respect to the license application or authorization, and the date of submission.
(B) The date, location, and result of any end-use checks, to ensure compliance with United States export controls.
(C) Aggregate statistics on all license applications and other requests for authorization as described in subparagraph (A).
(3) Confidentiality of information
The information required to be provided in the reports required by this subsection (other than the information required by paragraph (2)(C)) shall be exempt from public disclosure pursuant to section 4820(h)(1) of this title.
(4) Protecting enforcement information
In preparing and submitting a report under subsection (e),2 the Secretary shall ensure that information that may jeopardize an ongoing investigation shall not be included in the contents of the report.
(5) Definitions
In this subsection—
(A) the term “appropriate congressional committees” means—
(i) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives; and
(ii) the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate; and
(B) the term “covered entity” means any entity that—
(i) is located in a country listed in Country Group D:5 under Supplement No. 1 to part 740 of title 15, Code of Federal Regulations; and
(ii) is included on—
(I) the list maintained and set forth in Supplement No. 4 to part 744 of the Export Administration Regulations; or
(II) the list maintained and set forth in Supplement No. 7 to part 744 of the Export Administration Regulations.
(Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title XVII, § 1756, Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 2217; Pub. L. 119–34, § 2, Aug. 19, 2025, 139 Stat. 488.)
heading: Editorial Notes
heading: References in Text
text: This subchapter, referred to in subsecs. (a) to (c) and (e)(1), was in the original “this part”, meaning part I (§§ 1751–1768) of subtitle B of title XVII of div. A of Pub. L. 115–232, known as the Export Controls Act of 2018, which is classified principally to this subchapter. For complete classification of part I to the Code, see section 1751 of Pub. L. 115–232, set out as a Short Title note under section 4801 of this title and Tables.
heading: Amendments
text: 2025—Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 119–34 added subsec. (e).