89–006 

111TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 2d Session 111–571 

TRUTH IN FUR LABELING ACT OF 2010 

JULY 27, 2010.—Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of 

the Union and ordered to be printed 

Mr. WAXMAN, from the Committee on Energy and Commerce, 

submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany H.R. 2480] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Energy and Commerce, to whom was referred 

the bill (H.R. 2480) to improve the accuracy of fur product labeling, 

and for other purposes, having considered the same, report favorably thereon with an amendment and recommend that the bill as 

amended do pass. 

CONTENTS 

Page 

Amendment .............................................................................................................. 1 

Purpose and Summary ............................................................................................ 2 

Background and Need for Legislation .................................................................... 2 

Legislative History .................................................................................................. 3 

Committee Consideration ........................................................................................ 3 

Committee Votes ...................................................................................................... 3 

Committee Oversight Findings and Recommendations ........................................ 4 

New Budget Authority, Entitlement Authority, and Tax Expenditures ............. 4 

Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives .................................... 4 

Constitutional Authority Statement ...................................................................... 4 

Earmarks and Tax and Tariff Benefits .................................................................. 4 

Federal Advisory Committee Statement ................................................................ 4 

Applicability of Law to Legislative Branch ........................................................... 4 

Federal Mandates Statement ................................................................................. 4 

Committee Cost Estimate ....................................................................................... 5 

Budget Authority and Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate .................... 5 

Section-by-Section Analysis of the Legislation ...................................................... 6 

Explanation of Amendment .................................................................................... 7 

Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported ..................................... 7 

AMENDMENT

The amendment is as follows: 


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1 15 U.S.C. §§ 69–69j. The law also requires labeling of the manufacturer name, whether the 

fur is natural or dyed, and whether the fur is used or damaged. 2 16 CFR § 301.39. 

3The Humane Society of the United States, Congress Calls for Truth in Fur Labeling In Response to Ongoing Misrepresentation (May 20, 2009) (online at www.hsus.org/pressl 

andlpublications/presslreleases/congresslcallslforltruthlinlfurllabelingl 

052009.html). 4 Id. 

Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the following: 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Truth in Fur Labeling Act of 2010’’. 

SEC. 2. ELIMINATION OF EXEMPTION TO FUR PRODUCT LABELING REQUIREMENTS FOR 

PRODUCTS CONTAINING RELATIVELY SMALL QUANTITIES OR VALUES OF FUR. 

(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 2(d) of the Fur Products Labeling Act (15 U.S.C. 69(d)) 

is amended by striking ‘‘; except that’’ and all that follows through ‘‘contained therein’’. 

(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by subsection (a) shall take effect on 

the date that is 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

SEC. 3. EXEMPTION FOR DISCRETE SALES BY NON-RETAILERS. 

Section 3 of the Fur Products Labeling Act (15 U.S.C. 69a) is amended by adding 

at the end the following: 

‘‘(g) No provision of this Act shall apply to a fur product— 

‘‘(1) the fur of which was obtained from an animal through trapping or hunting; and 

‘‘(2) when sold in a face to face transaction at a place such as a residence, 

craft fair, or other location used on a temporary or short term basis, by the person who trapped or hunted the animal, where the revenue from the sale of apparel or fur products is not the primary source of income of such person.’’. 

SEC. 4. FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION REVIEW OF FUR PRODUCTS NAME GUIDE. 

Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Federal 

Trade Commission shall publish in the Federal Register notice of, and an opportunity to comment on, a review of the Fur Products Name Guide (16 C.F.R. 301.0). 

PURPOSE AND SUMMARY

H.R. 2480, the ‘‘Truth in Fur Labeling Act of 2009’’, was introduced on May 19, 2009, by Rep. James P. Moran (D–VA), Rep. 

Mary Bono Mack (R–CA), and 13 other members. H.R. 2480 

amends the Fur Products Labeling Act to require all fur products 

to be labeled. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

The labeling of fur products is currently regulated by the Fur 

Products Labeling Act of 1951, which requires that fur manufactured for use as attire have labels indicating the animal name and 

the country of origin.1 Apparel with less than $150 worth of fur is 

exempted from these requirements by the Rules and Regulations of 

the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) under the Fur Products Labeling Act.2

In today’s manufacturing of fur apparel, roughly 14% of products 

trimmed with animal fur go unlabeled because they fall below the 

$150 threshold set by current federal law.3 In addition, an investigation by the Humane Society found real fur that was labeled as 

faux fur and other furs that were mislabeled.4

The FTC, as instructed by the Fur Products Labeling Act, produces the Fur Products Name Guide that defines how fur products 


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5 16 C.F.R. § 301. 

6 Humane Society Legislative Fund, Fact Sheet: Support the Truth in Fur Labeling Act 

S. 1076/H.R. 2480 (online at www.hslf.org/pdfs/fur-labeling-fact-sheet-tafa.pdf) (accessed May 

10, 2010). 

may be listed on the label.5 This guide, which was last updated by 

the FTC in 1967, has been criticized as outdated and inaccurate.6

H.R. 2480 amends the Fur Products Labeling Act by removing 

the FTC’s authority to exempt apparel valued under a certain 

amount. As a result, all articles of apparel containing fur will be 

required to be labeled. The legislation also instructs the FTC to review the Fur Products Name Guide. 

A companion bill, S. 1076, was introduced by Senator Robert 

Menendez (D–NJ) on May 19, 2009. 

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

H.R. 2480, the ‘‘Truth in Fur Labeling Act of 2009,’’ was introduced on May 19, 2009, by Rep. James P. Moran (D–VA), with cosponsors Reps. Mary Bono Mack (R–CA), Dennis Moore (D–KS), 

Henry Brown (R–SC), Lynn Woolsey (D–CA), Steve Cohen (D–TN), 

George Miller (D–CA), Earl Blumenauer (D–OR), Sam Farr (D– 

CA), Thaddeus McCotter (R–MI), Maurice Hinchey (D–NY), Dennis 

Kucinich (D–OH), Brad Sherman (D–CA), Pete King (R–NY), and 

Todd Russell Platts (R–PA). 

The bill was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

and on May 20, 2009, H.R. 2480 was referred to the Subcommittee 

on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection. A legislative hearing was held by Subcommittee on May 13, 2010. At the hearing, 

witnesses representing the FTC, animal rights advocates, and the 

industry association expressed support for the legislation. 

COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION

On June 30, 2010, the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and 

Consumer Protection met in open markup session to consider H.R. 

2480. During that consideration a manager’s amendment offered by 

Subcommittee Chairman Rush was adopted by a voice vote. Subsequently, the Subcommittee forwarded H.R. 2480 favorably to the 

full Committee, amended, by a voice vote. 

On July 15, 2010, the Committee on Energy and Commerce met 

in open markup session and considered H.R. 2480 as approved by 

Subcommittee. The Committee agreed by a voice vote to adopt an 

amendment by Mr. Latta. Subsequently, the full Committee ordered H.R. 2480, favorably reported to the House, amended, by a 

voice vote. 

COMMITTEE VOTES

Clause 3(b) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives requires the Committee to list each record vote on the motion 

to report legislation and amendments thereto. A motion by Mr. 

Stupak ordering H.R. 2480 reported to the House, amended, was 

approved by a voice vote. There were no record votes taken during 

consideration of this bill. 


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COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

In compliance with clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII and clause 2(b)(1) 

of rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the Committee’s oversight findings and recommendations are reflected in the 

descriptive portions of this report, including the finding that all fur 

products should be labeled. 

NEW BUDGET AUTHORITY, ENTITLEMENT AUTHORITY, AND TAX

EXPENDITURES

Regarding compliance with clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules 

of the House of Representatives, the Committee adopts as its own 

the estimate regarding H.R. 2480 prepared by the Director of the 

Congressional Budget Office pursuant to section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974. 

STATEMENT OF GENERAL PERFORMANCE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

In accordance with clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 

House of Representatives, the Committee’s performance goals and 

objectives are reflected in the descriptive portions of this report, including the requirement that all fur products be labeled. 

CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY STATEMENT

Under clause 3(d)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 

Representatives, the Committee must include a statement citing 

the specific powers granted to Congress to enact the law proposed 

by H.R. 2480. Article I, section 8, clauses 3 and 18 of the Constitution of the United States grants the Congress the power to enact 

this law. 

EARMARKS AND TAX AND TARIFF BENEFITS

H.R. 2480 does not contain any congressional earmarks, limited 

tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined in clause 9(d), 9(e), 

or 9(f) of rule XXI of the Rules of the House of Representatives. 

FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE STATEMENT

The Committee finds that the legislation does not establish or 

authorize the establishment of an advisory committee within the 

definition of 5 U.S.C. App., section 5(b) of the Federal Advisory 

Committee Act. 

APPLICABILITY OF LAW TO THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

Section 102(b)(3) of Public Law 104–1 requires a description of 

the application of this bill to the legislative branch where the bill 

relates to terms and conditions of employment or access to public 

services and accommodations. This bill does not relate to employment or access to public services and accommodations. 

FEDERAL MANDATES STATEMENT

Section 423 of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act (as amended by Section 101(a)(2) of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act, P.L. 104–4) requires a statement whether the 

provisions of the reported bill include unfunded mandates. In comVerDate Mar 15 2010 06:15 Jul 28, 2010 Jkt 089006 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\HR571.XXX HR571

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pliance with this requirement the Committee adopts as its own the 

estimates prepared by the Congressional Budget Office and included herein. 

COMMITTEE COST ESTIMATE

Clause 3(d)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives requires an estimate and a comparison by the Committee of the costs that would be incurred in carrying out H.R. 

2480. Clause 3(d)(3)(B) of that rule, however, provides that this requirement does not apply when the Committee adopts as its own 

the cost estimate of H.R. 2480 prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget Office under section 402 of the Congressional 

Budget Act. 

CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE

With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(3) of rule XIII of 

the Rules of the House of Representatives and section 402 of the 

Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee has received the 

following cost estimate for H.R. 2480 from the Director of the Congressional Budget Office: 

JULY 26, 2010. 

Hon. HENRY A. WAXMAN, 

Chairman, Committee on Energy and Commerce, 

House of Representatives, Washington, DC. 

DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: The Congressional Budget Office has prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 2480, the Truth in Fur 

Labeling Act of 2010. 

If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be pleased 

to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Susan Willie. 

Sincerely, 

DOUGLAS W. ELMENDORF. 

Enclosure. 

H.R. 2480—Truth in Fur Labeling Act of 2010 

H.R. 2480 would require products that contain a small quantity 

of fur to comply with provisions of current law that prohibit false 

or misleading branding, advertising, or invoicing of fur products. 

Currently, products containing a small quantity of fur, as defined 

by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), are exempt from the labeling requirements. The bill also would exempt products containing fur obtained by trapping or hunting and sold in a face-toface transaction from the labeling requirements. The FTC would be 

required to develop regulations to carry out those new requirements. 

Based on information from the FTC, CBO expects that developing and enforcing the new regulations would impose a minimal 

cost on the agency; therefore, CBO estimates that implementing 

H.R. 2480 would not significantly increase spending subject to appropriation. Enacting H.R. 2480 could increase civil and criminal 

penalties and thus would affect federal revenues and direct spending; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures would apply. However, 

CBO estimates that such effects would not be significant in any 

year. 


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H.R. 2480 contains no intergovernmental mandates as defined in 

the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) and would not affect 

the budgets of state, local, or tribal governments. 

H.R. 2480 would impose private-sector mandates, as defined in 

UMRA, on manufacturers of fur products, fur-trimmed products, 

and fur accessories. The bill would expand existing labeling requirements for products containing animal fur to include items 

using relatively small amounts of animal fur. The labels include information about the name of the animal used, manufacturer, country of origin, and other information. According to information from 

the FTC, about 140,000 products—less than 14 percent of the market—would be affected by the mandate, and the incremental cost 

of compliance would be low. Therefore, CBO estimates that the aggregate cost of the mandates would fall well below the annual 

threshold for private-sector mandates ($141 million in 2010, adjusted annually for inflation). 

The CBO staff contacts for this estimate are Susan Willie (for 

federal costs) and Marin Randall (for the private-sector impact). 

The estimate was approved by Theresa Gullo, Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis. 

SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS OF THE LEGISLATION

Section 1. Short title 

Section 1 designates the short title of the Act as the ‘‘Truth in 

Fur Labeling Act of 2010.’’ 

Section 2. Elimination of exemption to fur product labeling requirements for products containing relatively small quantities or values of fur 

Section 2(a) of H.R. 2480 amends section 2(d) of the Fur Products 

Labeling Act (15 U.S.C. 69(d)) to remove the authority of the FTC 

to exempt articles of wearing apparel from the requirements of the 

Act by reason of the relatively small quantity or value of the fur 

or used fur contained in such articles. All ‘‘fur products’’ as defined 

in the Fur Products Labeling Act will therefore be subject to the 

requirements of that Act. 

Section 3. Exemption for discrete sales by non-retailers 

Section 3 exempts certain fur products sold by hunters or trappers from the requirements of the Fur Products Labeling Act. In 

order to qualify for the exemption, the fur product must have been 

obtained from an animal by trapping or hunting, must be sold by 

the person who trapped or hunted the animal, must be sold in a 

face-to-face transaction in a home or a location used on a temporary or short term basis, and the revenue from the sale of apparel or fur products must not be the primary source of income for 

the seller. This exemption would not apply to the resale of those 

same fur products by the original purchasers or any successor purchasers. 

Section 4. Federal Trade Commission review of Fur Products Name 

Guide 

Section 4 directs the FTC to review the Fur Products Name 

Guide (16 CFR 301.0). Notice of the review shall be published in 


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the Federal Register, and the public shall have an opportunity to 

comment on the review. 

EXPLANATION OF AMENDMENT

Mr. Latta offered an amendment to create a new section of the 

bill exempting certain fur products sold by trappers or hunters 

from the requirements of the Fur Products Labeling Act. The 

amendment became new section 3 of the Act and is explained in 

the section-by-section analysis. The full Committee agreed to the 

amendment by a voice vote. 

CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW MADE BY THE BILL, AS REPORTED

In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 

House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by the bill, 

as reported, are shown as follows (existing law proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new matter is printed in italic, 

existing law in which no change is proposed is shown in roman): 

FUR PRODUCTS LABELING ACT 

* * * * * * * 

SEC. 2. As used in this Act— 

(a) * * * 

* * * * * * * 

(d) The term ‘‘fur product’’ means any article of wearing apparel 

made in whole or in part of fur or used furø; except that such term 

shall not include such articles (other than any dog or cat fur product to which section 308 of the Tariff Act of 1930 applies) as the 

Commission shall exempt by reason of the relatively small quantity 

or value of the fur or used fur contained therein¿. 

* * * * * * * 

MISBRANDING, FALSE ADVERTISING, AND INVOICING DECLARED

UNLAWFUL

SEC. 3. (a) * * * 

* * * * * * * 

(g) No provision of this Act shall apply to a fur product— 

(1) the fur of which was obtained from an animal through 

trapping or hunting; and 

(2) when sold in a face to face transaction at a place such as 

a residence, craft fair, or other location used on a temporary or 

short term basis, by the person who trapped or hunted the animal, where the revenue from the sale of apparel or fur products 

is not the primary source of income of such person. 

* * * * * * * 

Æ 


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