I 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8706 

To amend the Act of March 4, 1913 to establish the Bureau of International 

Labor Affairs within the Department of Labor, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 30, 2020 

Mr. DESAULNIER (for himself and Mr. WALBERG) introduced the following 

bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on Education and Labor, and Ways and Means, 

for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 

for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 

committee concerned 

A BILL 

To amend the Act of March 4, 1913 to establish the Bureau 

of International Labor Affairs within the Department 

of Labor, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Bureau of Inter5 national Labor Affairs Authorization Act of 2020’’. 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 8706 IH

1 SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT. 

2 The Act of March 4, 1913 (37 Stat. 736, chapter 

3 141; 29 U.S.C. 551 et seq.), is amended by adding at the 

4 end the following: 

5 ‘‘SEC. 12. BUREAU OF INTERNATIONAL LABOR AFFAIRS. 

6 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF THE BUREAU OF INTER7 NATIONAL LABOR AFFAIRS.— 

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There is established within 

9 the Department of Labor a Bureau of International 

10 Labor Affairs (referred to in this section as the ‘Bu11 reau’). The Bureau shall include offices to carry out 

12 functions related to— 

13 ‘‘(A) trade and labor affairs; 

14 ‘‘(B) child labor, forced labor, and human 

15 trafficking; 

16 ‘‘(C) international relations and economic 

17 affairs; and 

18 ‘‘(D) other functions and activities as des19 ignated by the Secretary of Labor. 

20 ‘‘(2) DEPUTY UNDERSECRETARY.—The Sec21 retary of Labor shall appoint a Deputy Undersecre22 tary for International Affairs to head the Bureau. 

23 The Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs 

24 shall continue to carry out all duties assigned to the 

25 Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs as 

26 of the day before the date of enactment of the BuVerDate Sep 11 2014 19:40 Nov 05, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8706.IH H8706

pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 8706 IH

1 reau of International Labor Affairs Authorization 

2 Act of 2020 and other duties and functions, as ap3 propriate, to fulfill the mission of the Bureau. 

4 ‘‘(3) FUNCTIONS.—The functions of the Bureau 

5 on and after the date of enactment of the Bureau 

6 of International Labor Affairs Authorization Act of 

7 2020 shall include the responsibilities and functions 

8 of the Bureau on the day before the date of enact9 ment of the Bureau of International Labor Affairs 

10 Authorization Act of 2020, and include all of its per11 sonnel, assets, authorities, liabilities, and other re12 sources, including representational funds, required 

13 to support such functions. 

14 ‘‘(4) MISSION.—The mission of the Bureau 

15 shall be to— 

16 ‘‘(A) promote a fair global playing field for 

17 workers and businesses in the United States 

18 and around the world by enforcing trade com19 mitments, strengthening international labor 

20 standards, and combating international child 

21 labor, forced labor, and human trafficking; 

22 ‘‘(B) assist trading partners, through tech23 nical assistance and capacity building, in im24 proving working conditions, combating child 

25 labor, forced labor, and human trafficking, raisVerDate Sep 11 2014 19:40 Nov 05, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8706.IH H8706

pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 8706 IH

1 ing living standards, and protecting the ability 

2 of workers to exercise their internationally rec3 ognized labor rights to promote a fair global 

4 playing field for workers and businesses in the 

5 United States and trade partner countries; 

6 ‘‘(C) support negotiations, conduct moni7 toring, and administer, and engage in enforce8 ment of, labor commitments in trade agree9 ments and preference programs; 

10 ‘‘(D) hire and designate labor attaches to 

11 serve at United States diplomatic and consular 

12 posts to assess working conditions, advance 

13 worker rights, address the workplace exploi14 tation of children and other vulnerable popu15 lations, and serve as authoritative experts on 

16 labor policies and practices; 

17 ‘‘(E) carry out representational activities, 

18 research, and other functions as designated by 

19 the Secretary of Labor; and 

20 ‘‘(F) implement the duties and responsibil21 ities assigned to the Department of Labor 

22 under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 

23 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.), the Trade and 

24 Development Act of 2000 (19 U.S.C. 3701 et 

25 seq.), the United States-Mexico-Canada AgreeVerDate Sep 11 2014 19:40 Nov 05, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8706.IH H8706

pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 8706 IH

1 ment Implementation Act (Public Law 116– 

2 113), and other Acts, and Executive orders, as 

3 appropriate. 

4 ‘‘(b) GRANTS, CONTRACTS, AND COOPERATIVE

5 AGREEMENTS.—The Secretary of Labor may utilize funds 

6 made available to the Bureau to administer or operate 

7 international labor activities and provide bilateral and 

8 multilateral technical assistance by or through contracts, 

9 grants, cooperative agreements, and other arrangements 

10 to carry out the mission and functions set forth in this 

11 section. 

12 ‘‘(c) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—The Secretary shall 

13 submit to Congress on an annual basis a report on the 

14 activities of the Bureau during the previous year, includ15 ing— 

16 ‘‘(1) activities to prevent forced and child labor; 

17 ‘‘(2) support for trade agreement monitoring 

18 and enforcement activities; 

19 ‘‘(3) the location and activities of labor at20 taches; and 

21 ‘‘(4) the use of funds for contracts, grants, co22 operative agreements and other funding arrange23 ments.’’. 

Æ 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS