The Commerce Department is extending by 30 days, until July 6, the due date for comments on an information collection related to the five-year record retention requirement for export transactions and boycott actions, it said in a notice. Comments were previously due June 5 (see 2004030026).

The State Department renewed the charter for the Defense Trade Advisory Group, the agency said June 8. DTAG, the only State Department advisory board that addresses defense trade topics, will remain active for two more years unless it is terminated sooner, the agency said. The Directorate of Defense Trade Controls issued an updated DTAG members list and presentations from September's DTAG plenary meeting.

The Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security is working with the Department of Defense to survey the industrial base involved with Air Force systems supply chains, BIS said in a June 8 notice. The survey data will provide both agencies with a clearer picture of the “structure and interdependencies” of companies that supply Air Force products, including “maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) related activities,” the notice said. The survey aims to help DoD’s Air Force Sustainment Center better “identify and resolve supply chain deficiencies, foreign dependencies, and other challenges in the industrial base.” The survey will also record “difficulties” faced by suppliers throughout the supply chain, including impacts from the coronavirus.

The State Department is seeking comments on recent measures that allowed for temporary suspensions and exceptions to provisions in the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (see 2004240017), it said in a notice. The agency seeks feedback on the “efficacy” and impact of the measures on industry and whether it should extend the measures' expiration dates. The agency is also accepting comments on additional ITAR measures it can take to mitigate burdens caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. A State Department official recently said the agency is considering extending some measures, including allowing employees involved in ITAR-related activities to work remotely (see 2005080038). Comments are due June 25.

An interim final rule explaining how the Department of Labor will certify how much of a vehicle's production came from workers making at least $16 an hour has been sent to the Office and Management and Budget for review, the final step before issuance. The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at OMB received the rule on June 1.

The Directorate of Defense Trade Controls will hold its semi-annual in-house seminar as a “virtual event” on July 1 due to restrictions implemented to curb the spread of COVID-19, the agency said in a June 4 notice. Attendees can register by emailing DDTCInHouseSeminars@state.gov before June 24.

The Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security corrected the formatting for an April final rule that expanded licensing requirements for certain military-related exports to China, Russia and Venezuela, according to a notice. The corrected format “publishes the full text of each revised Export Control Classification Number on the Commerce Control List,” the notice said. BIS issued the correction because the agency “felt it was easier for compliance purposes,” said Hillary Hess, BIS’s regulatory policy director, speaking during a June 2 Regulations and Procedures Technical Advisory Committee meeting. “It does not change the substance of the rule at all.”

The Directorate of Defense Trade Controls will hold another Defense Export Control and Compliance System webinar on June 10, DDTC said in a notice this week. The webinar will cover updates to DECCS that took effect since the last webinar (see 2004080022), the State Department’s response to COVID-19, frequently asked questions, best practices and a question-and-answer session. The webinar will take place 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. EDT; login information is provided in the notice.

The U.S. semiconductor industry is preparing to lobby for billions of dollars in federal funding amid growing U.S. technology competition with China, according to a May 31 report in The Wall Street Journal. The lobbying efforts, outlined in a $37 billion draft proposal by the Semiconductor Industry Association, includes funding for a new U.S. chip factory and increased research subsidies, the report said. The SIA declined to comment.

The State Department approved three potential military sales to Kuwait worth a combined $1.425 billion, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said May 28. The first sale includes $425 million worth of weapons technical assistance and support, and the second sale includes a “Patriot missile Repair and Return program” worth $200 million. The principal contractors for both sales are Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Liedos (formerly SAIC) and KBR. The third sale includes 84 “Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC-3) Missile Segment Enhancements” and related equipment for $800 million. The principal contactor for this sale is Lockheed Martin.