I
104TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 4125
To inform and empower consumers in the United States through a voluntary
labeling system for wearing apparel and sporting goods made without
abusive and exploitative child labor, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SEPTEMBER 19, 1996
Mr. MILLER of California (for himself, Mr. ANDREWS, Mr. BALDACCI, Mr.
BARRETT of Wisconsin, Mr. BERMAN, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. BONIOR,
Mr. BORSKI, Mr. BROWN of California, Mrs. CLAYTON, Mr. CONYERS,
Mr. DEFAZIO, Mr. DELLUMS, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. EVANS, Mr.
FALEOMAVAEGA, Mr. FARR of California, Mr. FATTAH, Mr. FILNER, Mr.
FOGLIETTA, Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts, Mr. FROST, Mr. GEJDENSON,
Mr. GEPHARDT, Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas, Mr. GUTIERREZ, Mr. HEF-
NER, Mr. HILLIARD, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Ms. KAP-
TUR, Mr. KENNEDY of Massachusetts, Mr. LAFALCE, Mr. LANTOS, Mr.
LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. LIPINSKI, Ms. LOFGREN, Mr. MANTON, Mr. MAR-
KEY, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Ms. MCKINNEY, Mrs. MINK of Hawaii, Mr.
MOAKLEY, Mr. MORAN, Mr. MURTHA, Mr. OBEY, Mr. OLVER, Mr.
OWENS, Mr. PAYNE of New Jersey, Ms. PELOSI, Mr. RANGEL, Ms. RIV-
ERS, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr. SAWYER, Mrs. SCHROEDER, Mr. SCHU-
MER, Mr. SERRANO, Ms. SLAUGHTER, Mr. SPRATT, Mr. TORRICELLI, Mr.
UNDERWOOD, Mr. VENTO, Mr. WATT of North Carolina, Ms. WOOLSEY,
and Mr. YATES) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Commerce
A BILL
To inform and empower consumers in the United States
through a voluntary labeling system for wearing apparel
and sporting goods made without abusive and exploitative
child 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 ‘‘Child Labor Free
Consumer Information Act of 1996’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds that—
(1) the Secretary of Labor has conducted 2 de-
tailed studies that document the fact that abusive
and exploitative child labor exists worldwide;
(2) the Secretary of Labor has also determined,
through the studies referred to in paragraph (1),
that child laborers are often forced to work beyond
their physical capacities and under conditions that
threaten their health, safety, and development, and
are denied basic educational opportunities;
(3) in most instances, countries that have abu-
sive and exploitative child labor also experience a
high adult unemployment rate;
(4) the International Labor Organization (com-
monly known as the ‘‘ILO’’) estimates that hun-
dreds of millions of children are full-time workers,
and many of those children manufacture wearing ap-
parel and sporting goods that are offered for sale in
the United States;
(5) consumers in the United States spend bil-
lions of dollars each year on wearing apparel and
sporting goods made by abusive and exploitative
child labor;
(6) consumers in the United States have the
right to information on whether the items of wearing
apparel and sporting goods that they purchase are
made without abusive and exploitative child labor;
(7) the labeling of wearing apparel and sporting
goods would provide the information referred to in
paragraph (5) to consumers; and
(8) it is important to recognize United States
businesses that have effective programs to ensure
that products sold in the United States are not
made with abusive and exploitative child labor.
TITLE I—CHILD LABOR FREE
LABELING STANDARDS
SEC. 101. LABELING STANDARDS.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF LABELING STANDARDS.—
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary of Labor, in consultation with the Child
Labor Free Commission established under section
201 shall issue regulations to ensure that a label
using the terms ‘‘Not Made With Child Labor’’,
‘‘Child Labor Free’’, or any other term or symbol re-
ferring to child labor does not make a false state-
ment or suggestion that the article or section of
wearing apparel or sporting good was not made with
child labor. The regulations developed under this
section shall encourage the use of an easily identifi-
able symbol or term indicating that the article or
section of wearing apparel or sporting good was not
made with child labor.
(2) NOTIFICATION ON USE.—A producer, im-
porter, exporter, distributor, or other person intend-
ing to use any label referred to in paragraph (4)
shall notify the Commission not later than 60 days
after the product bearing that label becomes avail-
able to the public for purchase. Upon receipt of the
notification, the Commission shall review the notifi-
cation. A response from the Commission shall not be
required for use of the label.
(3) FEE.—The Secretary is authorized to
charge a fee to cover the expenses of the Commis-
sion in reviewing a notification under paragraph (2).
The level of fees charged under this subparagraph
shall not exceed the administrative costs incurred in
reviewing a notification. Fees collected under this
paragraph shall be available to the Secretary of