Title 50 › CHAPTER 58 — EXPORT CONTROL REFORM › SUBCHAPTER I — AUTHORITY AND ADMINISTRATION OF CONTROLS › § 4813
Gives the Secretary, working with the Secretaries of State, Defense, Energy, and other agencies as needed, broad power to control exports and transfers of certain items for the President. The Secretary must keep lists of controlled items and of foreign people or end-uses that threaten U.S. security or foreign policy. The Secretary can ban or limit exports, reexports, and in-country transfers (including to foreign people in the U.S. or abroad), require licenses and set conditions or revoke them, inspect and seize shipments, monitor transfers, require information and compliance, identify controlled items, create limited exceptions, appoint technical advisers, tell the public about rules, and take other needed actions not barred by law. The law cannot be used to control things that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (section 203(b)) forbids, unless the President makes one of that Act’s special findings. A license is required to send controlled items to a country that the Secretary of State has found repeatedly supports international terrorism if the transfer could strengthen that country’s military or its ability to support terrorism. The Secretary and Secretary of State must notify certain congressional committees at least 30 days before such a license is issued and provide details about the items, purpose, uses, national interest, military impact, regional balance, and effects on U.S. relations. Such State determinations must be published in the Federal Register (with confidential info withheld). To remove that terrorism finding, the President must send specific certification reports either before the rescission takes effect or at least 45 days before, including a statement that the country gave no support in the preceding 6-month period and provided assurances it will not support terrorism. The President may also require Commerce licenses for U.S. persons everywhere for activities related to especially dangerous items (nuclear explosives, missiles, chemical or biological weapons, whole chemical-weapons plants, and risky foreign maritime nuclear projects), and the Secretary must deny any license that would materially help make those items.
Full Legal Text
War and National Defense, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Legislative History
Reference
Citation
50 U.S.C. § 4813
Title 50, War and National Defense
Last Updated
Sep 22, 2026
Release point: 119-110