I
104TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 3843
To amend title 10, United States Code, to prohibit the Defense Commissary
Agency and nonappropriated fund instrumentalities of the Department
of Defense from purchasing imported consumer items to be sold in
commissary or exchange stores when such consumer items are not pro-
duced in conformity with minimum labor standards.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JULY 17, 1996
Mr. UNDERWOOD
(for himself, Mr. GEPHARDT, Mr. BONIOR, Mr.
FUNDERBURK, Mr. LANTOS, Mr. BERMAN, Mr. RICHARDSON, Mr. ACK-
ERMAN, Mr. EVANS, Mr. ABERCROMBIE, Mr. MORAN, Mr. MANTON, Mr.
TORRES, Ms. LOFGREN, Mr. TRAFICANT, Mr. HILLIARD, Mr. FRAZER,
Mr. KENNEDY of Massachusetts, Mr. SCHUMER, Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA,
Mr. TOWNS, Mr. SPRATT, Mr. ROMERO-BARCELO´, Mr. FILNER, Mr.
YATES, Mr. DEFAZIO, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. SANDERS, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr.
FATTAH, Mr. LIPINSKI, Mr. WATT of North Carolina, Mr. MEEHAN, Ms.
VELA´ZQUEZ, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, and Mr. HOLDEN) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on National Security
A BILL
To amend title 10, United States Code, to prohibit the De-
fense Commissary Agency and nonappropriated fund in-
strumentalities of the Department of Defense from pur-
chasing imported consumer items to be sold in com-
missary or exchange stores when such consumer items
are not produced in conformity with minimum labor
standards.
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 ‘‘Sweatshop Product
Ban Act of 1996’’.
SEC. 2. CONDITION ON SALE OF IMPORTED CONSUMER
ITEMS 
IN 
COMMISSARY 
AND 
EXCHANGE
STORES.
(a) COMPLIANCE WITH MINIMUM LABOR STAND-
ARDS REQUIRED.—(1) Chapter 147 of title 10, United
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the follow-
ing new section:
‘‘§ 2490b. Commissary and exchange stores: condition
on sale of imported consumer items
‘‘(a) COMPLIANCE WITH MINIMUM LABOR STAND-
ARDS.—The Defense Commissary Agency and any non-
appropriated fund instrumentality operating a military ex-
change store may not purchase for resale in a commissary
or exchange store any consumer item imported into the
United States if the Defense Commissary Agency or non-
appropriated fund instrumentality has reason to believe
that the consumer item was not produced in conformity
with minimum labor standards.
‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT
OF STANDARDS.—The Sec-
retary of Labor shall develop the minimum labor stand-
ards to be applied for purposes of this section, in particu-
lar standards regarding the use of child or prison labor
and the production of consumer items under other inhu-
mane conditions.
‘‘(c) PROCESS TO DETERMINE COMPLIANCE.—The
Secretary of Labor shall annually develop and submit to
the Secretary of Defense a list of companies and manufac-
turers that are not in compliance with the minimum labor
standards developed under subsection (b). The Secretary
of Defense shall annually certify to Congress that the De-
fense Commissary Agency and nonappropriated fund in-
strumentalities have not purchased any consumer items
from the companies and manufacturers identified by the
Secretary of Labor.
‘‘(d) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘non-
appropriated fund instrumentality’ means the Army and
Air Force Exchange Service, Navy Exchange Service Com-
mand, Marine Corps exchanges, or any other instrumen-
tality of the United States under the jurisdiction of the
Armed Forces which is conducted for the comfort, pleas-
ure, contentment, or physical or mental improvement of
members of the Armed Forces.’’.
(2) The table of sections at the beginning of such
chapter is amended by adding at the end the following
new item:
‘‘2490b. Commissary and exchange stores: condition on sale of imported
consumer items.’’.
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—Section 2490b of title 10,
United States Code, as added by subsection (a), shall
apply with respect to contracts entered into or extended
after the date of the enactment of this Act for the pur-
chase of imported consumer items for sale in military com-
missary or exchange stores.
Æ