WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Harry Reid (D-NV) and Robert Bennett (R-UT) introduced bipartisan legislation today to shorten the congressional review period for the sale of high performance computers by American high-tech companies.

Under current law, American exporters of high-performance computers are subject to a six-month (180 days) congressional review period. The Reid/Bennett bill will reduce the congressional review period to 30 days.

"This bill will help ensure that U.S. high tech firms can compete on a level playing field with their global counterparts. High performance computers are widely available in the world market, so it makes little sense to subject U.S. firms to a burdensome and discriminatory waiting period. We are offering this legislation as a stand alone bill because, unfortunately, the Export Administration Reauthorization bill has stalled on the Senate floor," said Senator Reid, Assistant Democratic Leader and Chairman of the Senate Democrats High Tech Working Group.

"Without a reduction in the waiting period on computer exports, the U.S. essentially cedes its competitive advantage to the rest of the world," said Senator Bennett, chairman of the Senate Republican High-Tech Task Force. "An F-16 makes it to market in one month, while a microprocessor in a computer is held up for six. In an industry growing at such a rapid rate, a 180-day wait means the loss of critical market share, often impossible to recapture." "We greatly appreciate the efforts of Senators Bennett and Reid, as well as the sponsors of the House bill, Reps. David Dreier (R-CA) and Zoe Lofgren (D-CA)," said Rhett Dawson, president of the Information Technology Industry Council and Co-chairman of the Computer Coalition for Responsible Exports. "Introducing the companion bill on the Senate side is a much needed step that we hope creates momentum in both houses of Congress." Saying they will continue to lobby their Senate colleagues to shorten the review period, Reid and Bennett point out that at the rate technology is advancing, many U.S. products become obsolete after the six month delay. This becomes a national security issue since U.S. companies that provide consumers with cutting edge technologies are being replaced by foreign computer companies in overseas markets. Changing the waiting period to 30 days will ensure U.S. companies keep their competitive edge around the world.