I 
109TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5635 
To amend the Tariff Act of 1930 to prohibit the import, export, and sale 
of goods made with sweatshop labor, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 16, 2006 
Mr. BROWN of Ohio (for himself, Mr. RYAN of Ohio, Mr. STRICKLAND, Ms. 
KAPTUR, and Mrs. JONES of Ohio) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to 
the Committees on Armed Services, Government Reform, Rules, Energy 
and Commerce, and International Relations, for a period to be subse-
quently 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 Tariff Act of 1930 to prohibit the import, 
export, and sale of goods made with sweatshop labor, 
and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Decent Working Con-
ditions and Fair Competition Act’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find-
ings: 
(1) The violation of core labor standards, as de-
fined under the laws of the United States and the 
International Labor Organization, is widespread in 
factories that produce goods for sale in the United 
States. 
(2) Factories that violate core labor standards 
are commonly referred to as sweatshops. 
(3) Subjecting factory workers to sweatshop 
conditions that violate core labor standards is mor-
ally offensive to the American people both in their 
roles as consumers and as investors, and is degrad-
ing to workers forced to labor under these condi-
tions. 
(4) Workers have a right to be free of sweat-
shop working conditions. 
(5) Consumers have a right to know that the 
goods they purchase are not produced in sweatshops. 
(6) Businesses have a right to be free from 
competition with companies that use sweatshop 
labor. 
(7) Shareholders have a right to know that 
their investments are not supporting sweatshop 
labor.
(8) It is a deceptive trade practice and a form 
of unfair competition for a business to sell sweat-
shop goods. 
(9) Prohibiting the sale, manufacture, offer for 
sale, transportation, and distribution of sweatshop 
goods, regardless of the source of the goods, is con-
sistent with the international obligations of the 
United States because the prohibition applies equally 
to domestic and foreign products and avoids any dis-
crimination among foreign sources of competing 
products. 
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are to— 
(1) prohibit the import, export, or sale of goods 
made in factories or workshops that violate core 
labor standards; and 
(2) prohibit the procurement of sweatshop 
goods by the United States Government. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITION OF CORE LABOR STANDARDS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—In this Act, the term ‘‘core labor 
standards’’, means— 
(1) the right of association; 
(2) the right to organize and bargain collec-
tively; 
(3) a prohibition on the use of any form of 
forced or compulsory labor;
(4) a minimum age for the employment of chil-
dren; and 
(5) acceptable conditions of work with respect 
to minimum wages, hours of work, and occupational 
safety and health. 
(b) ACCEPTABLE CONDITIONS.—For purposes of 
subsection (a)(5), acceptable conditions of work shall be 
determined by the laws, regulations, or competent author-
ity of the country where the labor is performed. 
TITLE I—TARIFF ACT OF 1930 
SEC. 101. IMPORTATION AND SALE OF SWEATSHOP GOODS 
PROHIBITED. 
Section 307 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 
1307) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘SEC. 307. PROHIBITION OF IMPORT AND SALE OF CON-
VICT-MADE GOODS AND SWEATSHOP GOODS. 
‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) CONVICT-MADE GOOD.—The term ‘convict- 
made good’ means any good, ware, article, or mer-
chandise mined, produced, or manufactured wholly 
or in part in any foreign country by convict labor. 
‘‘(2) SWEATSHOP GOOD.—The term ‘sweatshop 
good’ means any good, ware, article, or merchandise 
mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part 
in violation of core labor standards as defined in sec-
tion 3 of the Decent Working Conditions and Fair 
Competition Act. 
‘‘(b) PROHIBITIONS.—It is unlawful for any person 
to— 
‘‘(1) import into the United States any convict- 
made good; 
‘‘(2) import into, or export from, the United 
States any sweatshop good; 
‘‘(3) introduce into commerce, sell, trade, or ad-
vertise in commerce, offer to sell, or transport or 
distribute in commerce in the United States, any 
sweatshop good.’’. 
SEC. 102. WAIVER AUTHORITY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The President, for reasons of na-
tional interest, may recommend that the application of 
section 201 of this Act or section 307(b) (2) and (3) of 
the Tariff Act of 1930 be waived in connection with the 
goods of any country with respect to 1 or more of the 
principles and rights defined as a core labor standard in 
section 3 of this Act. Any such recommendation shall— 
(1) be transmitted to the House of Representa-
tives and the Senate setting forth the President’s 
reasons for the waiver;