Congressman Keith Self Introduces Bill to Strengthen Enforcement of U.S. Export Control Laws

Congressman Keith Self introduced the ECRA Penalty Increase Act, legislation to significantly strengthen enforcement under the Export Control Reform Act of 2018 (ECRA) by raising the financial penalties for violations involving the illegal export of sensitive U.S. technology.

The bill increases the maximum civil penalty under ECRA from $300,000 to $1.2 million per violation and raises the transaction-based penalty from twice to four times the value of the violation. These changes modernize penalty levels to match the scale of today's export control threats and ensure that violators face real, not symbolic, consequences.

"Export control violations are not minor paperwork errors, they are national security breaches," said Congressman Self. "When companies or individuals illegally transfer American technology to adversarial nations, they undermine our defense, our economy, and our credibility. This bill ensures the penalties reflect the seriousness of that offense."

ECRA governs the licensing and enforcement of dual-use export technologies with both civilian and military applications. By updating the penalty structure, the ECRA Penalty Increase Act strengthens deterrence against unlawful exports and brings the law in line with the rapidly evolving global technology landscape.

"This bill is about restoring deterrence and accountability. If you break U.S. export control laws, you should pay a price that actually hurts."

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