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Committee backs Remote Access Security Act to close export-control loophole for cloud access
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Summary
HR 2683 was ordered favorably reported; sponsors said the bill amends the Export Control Reform Act to define and control 'remote access' to sensitive technologies to prevent adversaries from exploiting cloud-based access to U.S. tech.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee on May 20 ordered HR 2683, the Remote Access Security Act, favorably reported after bipartisan discussion. Representative Mike Lawler, the bill sponsor, said the measure closes a gap in the Export Control Reform Act of 2018 by adding a statutory definition of "remote access" and authorizing the Bureau of Industry and Security to extend controls to cloud- and remote-accessed technologies.
Representative Gregory Meeks and other members supported the amendment in the nature of a substitute after negotiating language to require national-security justification for regulations and to add a congressional consultation provision, Meeks said. The ranking member noted the bill matches prior bipartisan language and added oversight safeguards to inform the committee of anticipated regulations.
Supporters described the bill as a necessary update to account for rapid changes in technology and to prevent adversarial actors, including companies aligned with the Chinese Communist Party, from accessing high-end U.S. chips and other capabilities via cloud services. The committee approved the amendment in the nature of a substitute by voice vote and ordered the measure favorably reported; the sponsor and ranking member emphasized protections for bona fide companies (for example, liability protections if a company is hacked) and added congressional consultation language.
The committee record shows the amendment in the nature of a substitute was agreed to and no roll-call vote was recorded during markup; staff will prepare a committee report and technical edits.
