I

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 1621

To prohibit the use of the ‘‘Made in USA’’ label on products of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and to deny such products

duty-free and quota-free treatment.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

APRIL 29, 1999

Mr. FRANKS of New Jersey (for himself, Mr. DINGELL, Mr. MCHUGH, Mr.

GEORGE MILLER of California, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Mr. KILDEE,

Mr. LATOURETTE, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. FORBES, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, Mr.

DEAL of Georgia, Ms. DANNER, Mr. BACHUS, Ms. DELAURO, Mr.

WEINER, Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania, Mrs. MINK of Hawaii, Mrs.

MALONEY of New York, Mr. LIPINSKI, Mr. GREEN of Texas, Mr.

SPRATT, Mr. CLYBURN, Mr. VISCLOSKY, Mr. GOODE, Mr. PASCRELL, Mr.

STARK, Mrs. THURMAN, and Mr. PALLONE) introduced the following bill;

which was referred to the Committee on Resources, and in addition to

the Committee on 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 prohibit the use of the ‘‘Made in USA’’ label on products

of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

and to deny such products duty-free and quota-free treatment.

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

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Made in USA Label

3 Defense Act of 1999’’.

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

5 The Congress finds that—

6 (1) manufacturing facilities in the Common7 wealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (hereafter

8 in this Act referred to as the ‘‘CNMI’’) are mis9 leading consumers in the United States by pro10 moting their products as ‘‘made in the USA’’ when

11 these products are in fact made in the CNMI by for12 eign workers using foreign materials under foreign

13 supervision;

14 (2) the misuse of United States-origin claims on

15 these products is a fraud and deception on patriotic

16 consumers in the United States, who rely on the

17 truth of these claims and who look for this label in

18 order to support the United States and jobs in this

19 country;

20 (3) these goods, which receive duty-free treat21 ment and which unfairly compete against products

22 actually made in the United States, thereby destroy23 ing the jobs of tens of thousands of workers

24 throughout the United States, are currently being

25 exported by the CNMI to the United States in

26 amounts valued at more than $1,000,000,000;
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1 (4) United States taxpayers are being forced to

2 unfairly subsidize these foreign-produced goods in

3 the amount of at least $200,000,000 annually as a

4 result of the unfair duty-free treatment they now

5 enjoy, unlike other goods produced in Asia;

6 (5) the CNMI has not only refused to control

7 foreign immigration into its territory, but has ag8 gressively encouraged the importation of low-wage

9 foreign workers to the extent that these workers now

10 comprise a majority of CNMI’s population and over

11 90 percent of its private sector work force;

12 (6) in the CNMI, many foreign workers have

13 been required to sign contracts with representatives

14 of the People’s Republic of China which forbid par15 ticipation in religious and political activities and

16 which prohibit workers from dating or marrying

17 while in United States territory; and

18 (7) the CNMI has consistently ignored repeated

19 warnings from the United States Government re20 garding the importation and exploitation of these

21 workers.

22 SEC. 3. RESTRICTIONS ON GOODS IMPORTED FROM

23 NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS.

24 The joint resolution entitled ‘‘Joint Resolution to ap25 prove the ‘Covenant To Establish a Commonwealth of the
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1 Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the

2 United States of America’, and for other purposes’’, ap3 proved March 24, 1976 (48 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), is

4 amended by adding at the end the following new sections:

5 ‘‘SEC. 7. HONESTY IN UNITED STATES-ORIGIN CLAIMS.

6 ‘‘Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no

7 product that is made in the Northern Mariana Islands

8 shall have a stamp, tag, label, or other means of identifica9 tion or substitute therefor on or affixed to the product

10 stating ‘Made in the USA’ or otherwise stating or imply11 ing that the product was made or assembled in the United

12 States.

13 ‘‘SEC. 8. DUTY-FREE TREATMENT OF PRODUCTS PRODUCED

14 BY UNITED STATES CITIZENS.

15 ‘‘Notwithstanding General Note 3(a)(iv) of the Har16 monized Tariff Schedule of the United States, any provi17 sion of the covenant set forth in the first section of this

18 joint resolution, or any other provision of law, no product

19 that is made in the Northern Mariana Islands shall be

20 admitted free of duty or quotas into the customs territory

21 of the United States as the product of a United States

22 insular possession.’’.

23 SEC. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE.

24 The amendments made by this Act shall apply to

25 goods entered, or withdrawn from warehouse for consump-
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1 tion, on or after the 15th day after the date of enactment

2 of this Act.

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