[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 115 (Thursday, July 11, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S4951]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 2614. Mr. HEINRICH (for himself and Mr. Schumer) submitted an
amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 4638, to
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2025 for military activities
of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for
defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military
personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which
was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
At the appropriate place, insert the following:
SEC. __. MODERNIZATION OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS AND
APPLICATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF INDUSTRY AND
SECURITY.
(a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that
the effective use of export controls requires that--
(1) the Bureau of Industry and Security of the Department
of Commerce adopt and deploy cutting-edge data fusion,
analytics, and decision-making capabilities, as well as
supply chain illumination tools, and additional commercial
data sets to streamline and standardize the export license
adjudication process, better assess global industrial
relationships, and identify evasive trade patterns and shell
companies being used by adversary militaries;
(2) the Bureau expand and scale up the adoption and use of
modern data sharing interfaces and capabilities to share data
safely and efficiently with industry, Federal agencies, and
international partners;
(3) Bureau information technology systems should overtime
enable the incorporation of artificial intelligence, machine
learning, and other advanced tools as technologies evolve;
(4) the Bureau expedite Entity List deliberations tied to
countries of concern and enforcement activities related to
tracking military end users and end uses in countries of
concern including the People's Republic of China, the Russian
Federation, and Iran;
(5) the Bureau work with relevant agencies to
comprehensively map the defense industrial base of the
People's Republic of China and its military-civil fusion
strategy; and
(6) the Bureau work with relevant agencies to
comprehensively map the commercial linkages between the
industrial bases of the People's Republic of China and the
Russian Federation.
(b) Modernization.--Subject to the availability of
appropriations, the Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry
and Security shall, on an ongoing basis through fiscal year
2029, modernize the information technology systems of the
Bureau of Industry and Security of the Department of
Commerce.
(c) Elements.--In carrying out subsection (b), the Under
Secretary should--
(1) replace the Bureau's primary information technology
systems with a unified environment that--
(A) allows for deployment of a seamless case and customer
relationship management information technology solution; and
(B) provides analysis of data obtained from external data
providers that is collected by trade transactions and other
sources as appropriate;
(2) adopt and deploy cutting-edge data fusion, analytics,
and decision-making capabilities, as well as supply chain
illumination tools, and additional commercial data sets to
streamline and standardize the export license adjudication
process, better assess global industrial relationships,
enhance Entity List deliberations, support enforcement
activities, including by tracking military end users and end
uses, and identify evasive trade patterns and shell
companies; and
(3) expand and scale up the adoption and use of modern
data-sharing interfaces and capabilities to share data safely
and efficiently with industry, Federal agencies, and
international partners.
(d) Objectives.--Before any technology solutions are
adopted with respect to the elements described in subsection
(c), such solutions should be analyzed based on their ability
to--
(1) enhance productivity and efficiency, including by
reducing the need for manual review and processing of data;
(2) reduce redundancies and manage costs;
(3) enhance the overall data and cyber security of Bureau
systems;
(4) facilitate seamless and safe sharing of appropriate
data with relevant stakeholders and partners;
(5) facilitate seamless data sharing with relevant agencies
and the intelligence community; and
(6) enhance the ease of access and user experience for
United States exporters that are utilizing Bureau systems.
(e) Personnel Assessment.--The Under Secretary should--
(1) reassess staffing and personnel needs across the Bureau
throughout the modernization process described in this
section; and
(2) consult with Congress on whether additional or less
personnel may be most effective for utilizing modern
applications and systems.
(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized
to be appropriated $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025
through 2028 to carry out this section.
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