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GAO-07-197R 1 (2006-11-13)

handle is hein.gao/gaobaamzh0001 and id is 1 raw text is: i G Accountability * Integrity * Reliability United States Government Accountability Office Washington, DC 20548 November 13, 2006 The Honorable Henry J. Hyde Chairman Committee on International Relations House of Representatives Subject: Analysis of Data for Exports Regulated by the Department of Commerce In light of the September 2001 terror attacks, you had asked us to examine the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security's (BIS) dual-use export control system. We reported our findings in a June 26, 2006, report,' saying that BIS has not systematically evaluated the overall effectiveness and efficiency of the dual-use export control system. Specifically, we reported that BIS has not conducted comprehensive analyses of available data about items that have actually been exported from the United States. We made several recommendations in that report, including that Commerce should use the available data to evaluate the system's effectiveness. Because we had difficulty obtaining data on actual exports from Commerce, we were unable to provide you with specific details about these data in time for our June 2006 report. We have since obtained the data and are now transmitting to you our analysis of the data for 2004 and 2005. In assessing what dual-use items were exported in 2004 and 2005, we analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau, which is part of the Department of Commerce and is responsible for collecting and maintaining data provided by exporters through the Automated Export System. The data comprise items that Commerce regulates under the Export Administration Regulations (EAR).2 Because electronic filing of export documentation has greatly increased in the past few years-previously, paper filings were more common-the data we analyzed were for 2004 and 2005 and represent the most complete data from the Automated Export System. We examined selected fields of data, such as license codes, country of destination, commodity type, and dollar value of items. The data we present do not include exports to Canada because Census relies on Canada's data on what it imported from the United States to represent U.S. exports to Canada. The data also do not include exports filed on paper; in 2005, paper filings represented only 4 percent of the value of all exports. We excluded Census data for U.S. territories and possessions because shipments to these locations are not covered under the EAR. We assessed data reliability by performing electronic testing of the data, obtaining and reviewing system documentation, and interviewing Census officials and found the data to be sufficiently reliable for the purpose of this analysis. We also interviewed BIS officials to determine how they use these data. The following analyses focus on 2005 data, as data for 2004 are not substantially different. Detailed data for 2004 and 2005 are contained in enclosure 1. We conducted our review between July and November 2006 in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. 'GAO, Export Controls: Improvements to Commerce's Dual-Use System Needed to Ensure Protection of U.S. Interests in the Post-9/11 Environment, GAO-06-638 (Washington, D.C., June 26, 2006). 2 15 C.F.R. §§ 730-774. 3 Electronic filings became mandatory for all items on the Commerce Control List in October 2003. GAO-07-197R Export Controls

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