(a) The Committee, acting through the Staff Chairperson, may:
(1) Reject any voluntary notice that does not comply with § 800.501 or § 800.502 and so inform the parties promptly in writing;
(2) Reject any voluntary notice at any time, and so inform the parties promptly in writing, if, after the notice has been submitted and before action by the Committee or the President has been concluded:
(i) There is a material change in the transaction as to which notification has been made; or
(ii) Information comes to light that contradicts material information provided in the notice by the parties;
(3) Reject any voluntary notice at any time upon determining that the filing fee paid by the parties was insufficient under subpart K of this part, subject to § 800.1108;
(4) Reject any voluntary notice at any time after the notice has been accepted, and so inform the parties promptly in writing, if the party or parties that have submitted the voluntary notice do not provide follow-up information requested by the Staff Chairperson within three business days of the request, or within a longer time frame if the parties so request in writing and the Staff Chairperson grants that request in writing;
(5) Reject any voluntary notice before the conclusion of a review or investigation, and so inform the parties promptly in writing, if one of the parties submitting the voluntary notice has not submitted the final certification required by § 800.502(m); or
(6) Reject any voluntary notice at any time after the notice has been accepted, and so inform the parties promptly in writing, if the Committee has proposed risk mitigation terms, including revisions to such terms, and if the Staff Chairperson has imposed a time frame for responding to such terms as set forth in paragraph (d) of this section, to the party or parties that submitted the notice, and the party or parties have failed to substantively respond to such terms within the time frame specified.
(b) Notwithstanding the authority of the Staff Chairperson under paragraph (a) of this section to reject an incomplete notice, the Staff Chairperson may defer acceptance of the notice, and the beginning of the review period specified by § 800.503, to obtain any information required under this section that has not been submitted by the notifying party or parties or other parties to the transaction. Where necessary to obtain such information, the Staff Chairperson may inform any non-notifying party or parties that notice has been filed with respect to a transaction involving the party, and request that certain information required under this section, as specified by the Staff Chairperson, be provided to the Committee within seven days after receipt of the Staff Chairperson's request.
(c) The Staff Chairperson shall notify the parties when the Committee has found that the transaction that is the subject of a voluntary notice is not a covered transaction.
(d) The Staff Chairperson may impose a time frame of no fewer than three business days for the party or parties to provide a substantive response to proposed risk mitigation terms, including revisions to such terms. The time frame may be extended if the parties so request in writing and the Staff Chairperson grants that request in writing. In determining whether to impose such a time frame, the Staff Chairperson may consider:
(1) The statutory deadline for completing an investigation under section 721(b)(2)(C)(i);
(2) The risk to the national security of the United States arising from the transaction;
(3) The party's or parties' responsiveness to the Committee;
(4) The nature of the transaction;
(5) The appropriateness of suspending, or imposing conditions on, the transaction under section 721(l); and
(6) Other such factors the Staff Chairperson may determine to be appropriate in connection with a specific transaction.
(e) Examples:
(1) Example 1. The Staff Chairperson receives a joint notice from Corporation A, a foreign person, and Corporation X, a company that is owned and controlled by U.S. nationals, with respect to Corporation A's intent to purchase all of the shares of Corporation X. The joint notice does not contain any information described under § 800.502 concerning classified materials and products or services supplied to the U.S. military services. The Staff Chairperson may reject the notice or defer the start of the review period until the parties have supplied the omitted information.
(2) Example 2. Same facts as the first sentence of Example 1 of this section, except that the joint notice indicates that Corporation A does not intend to purchase Corporation X's Division Y, which is engaged in classified work for a U.S. Government agency. Corporations A and X notify the Committee on the 40th day of the 45-day notice period that Division Y will also be acquired by Corporation A. This fact constitutes a material change with respect to the transaction as originally notified, and the Staff Chairperson may reject the notice.
(3) Example 3. The Staff Chairperson receives a joint notice by Corporation A, a foreign person, and Corporation X, a U.S. business, indicating that Corporation A intends to purchase five percent of the voting securities of Corporation X. Under the particular facts and circumstances presented, the Committee concludes that Corporation A's purchase of this interest in Corporation X could not result in a covered investment in or foreign control of Corporation X. The Staff Chairperson shall advise the parties in writing that the transaction as presented is not subject to section 721.
(4) Example 4. The Staff Chairperson receives a voluntary notice involving the acquisition by Company A, a foreign person, of the entire interest in Company X, a U.S. business. The notice mentions the involvement of a second foreign person in the transaction, Company B, but states that Company B is merely a passive investor in the transaction. During the course of the review, the parties provide information that clarifies that Company B has the right to appoint two members of Company X's board of directors. This information contradicts the material assertion in the notice that Company B is a passive investor. The Committee may reject this notice without concluding review under section 721.
[85 FR 3124, Jan. 17, 2020, as amended at 85 FR 23740, Apr. 29, 2020; 89 FR 93184, Nov. 26, 2024]