The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls is beginning a “comprehensive update” to its website to improve its readability, structure and align it with “best practices of modern website design,” the agency said this week. DDTC will roll out the update in a phased approach over the “coming months,” starting with the highest-traffic pages first. Feedback or concerns can be sent to PM_DDTCProjectTeam@state.gov.

Michelle Schulz, a former member of the President's Export Council Subcommittee on Export Administration, rejoined the Braumiller Law Group as of counsel, the firm announced in an email. Schulz was one of the founders of the Braumiller Law Group, helping start the firm in 2003 when it was known as Braumiller Schulz. Schulz also served for a decade as a senior adviser to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative's Industry Trade Advisory Committee for Aerospace. Her practice deals with export controls, including matters under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations and Export Administration Regulations, along with Foreign Corrupt Practices Act cases and Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. regulations, the firm said.

The State Department is seeking public comments on an information collection related to Part 130 of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, which deals with political contributions, fees and commissions relating to sales of defense articles and defense services, the agency said in a March 10 notice. Under the ITAR, defense exporters shipping certain goods worth more than $500,000 to a foreign armed service must notify the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls about certain political contributions or fees associated with the sale, the agency said. Comments are due May 9. The State Department last year saw an uptick in Part 130 violations (see 2109290056).

Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with the top stories from last week in case you missed them. You can find any article by searching the title or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.

Joe Sery, former owner and CEO of San Diego-based Tungsten Heavy Powder & Parts, and his brother, Dror Sery, were arrested and charged with violating federal export laws by shipping defense products listed on the U.S. Munitions List without obtaining a proper export license, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California said March 4. The Sery brothers' alleged actions violated export laws under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. The brothers are charged with conspiracy to commit offenses against the U.S., exportation of defense articles without a license and criminal forfeiture. The latter charge has a maximum 20-year prison sentence and $1 million fine.

The State Department is accepting applications for its Defense Export Controls and Compliance System 2022 User Group, which will provide feedback to the agency on DECCS functionality and suggest potential improvements. The agency’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls will appoint 50 industry volunteers to the user group, all of whom must be enrolled with DECCS and represent companies, government agencies or third-party organizations involved in defense trade. Member terms will last one year. Applicants should email PM_DDTCProjectTeam@state.gov by close of business March 10 with name and company or government affiliation. DDTC will make its selections by March 31.

As part of the U.S.’s new Russian export controls (see 2202240069), the State Department will deny licenses or approvals for a range of defense-related exports and brokering activities associated with sales to Ukraine's Donetsk or Luhansk regions. The measures, outlined by the agency’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls Feb. 25, will place new restrictions on exports, reexports, retransfers or temporary imports of defense articles or defense services listed on the U.S. Munitions List. Certain exemptions will apply to exports and transfers related to the “official business” of the U.S. government, DDTC said, including some activities by government employees, grantees or contractors. The agency urged exporters, “particularly those conducting business in the region,” to continue to monitor its website for policy updates or changes.

Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with the top stories from last week in case you missed them. You can find any article by searching the title or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.

Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with the top stories from last week in case you missed them. You can find any article by searching the title or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.

The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls this week released an updated version of its guidelines for preparing agreements and several other newly issued or updated guidance documents. The updated agreement guidelines, which were previewed by DDTC’s licensing director last week (see 2202100020), revises and restructures the guidance “in a more logical and orderly fashion,” the agency said Feb. 14.