Senators Propose Major Update to BIS IT Systems

Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., introduced legislation last week aimed at modernizing the Bureau of Industry and Security’s aging information technology systems.

The measure, which is co-sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., would authorize $100 million over four years for the upgrade.

The update effort would include replacing the main IT systems of BIS with a “unified environment” to promote “seamless” case and customer relationship management. It also would 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 expedite the bureau's operations and enhance its export control capabilities.

Data-sharing with industry, other federal agencies and international partners would also be improved. BIS would be asked to assess whether it needs additional or fewer people after the modernization.

Heinrich and Schumer are both members of the bipartisan Senate AI Working Group, which released a report in May calling for, among other things, updating the agency's IT systems.

BIS has sought more money to handle its growing workload and replace its IT systems, but House Republicans have resisted, saying the agency first needs to do a better job with its existing resources. The House version of the pending FY 2025 Commerce-Justice-Science (CJS) Appropriations Bill would give BIS $186.7 million, $4.3 million below the FY 2024 enacted level and $36.7 million below the Biden administration's request (see 2406250035). The Democrat-led Senate Appropriations Committee plans to mark up its version of the CJS bill July 25.

BIS Undersecretary Alan Estevez told a House panel in March that his agency is “using antiquated systems fielded in the mid-2000s using 1990s technology” (see 2403210068). To answer pending congressional information requests, he said, “we are doing manual pulls of that data right now because I do not have [a Google-like search system] for answering the questions that I need answered and that I’d like to support the committee with. And I have an enforcement function that also needs to be able to track who's doing what, where, [and] that’s really antiquated."

Heinrich is offering his legislation as an amendment to the FY 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, which awaits debate in the full Senate (see 2407110007). It is unclear if or when the Senate will take up his proposal, which is among hundreds of amendments senators have submitted for consideration.

The other amendments address a wide range of topics. For example, Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., wants to prohibit China, Iran, North Korea and Russia from buying or leasing American farmland. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., would require the State Department to negotiate with Ukraine's government to set up a mechanism to screen foreign investment in the country, particularly investment from China.