I
106TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1621
To prohibit the use of the ‘‘Made in USA’’ label on products of the Common-
wealth 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 de-
termined 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 treat-
ment.
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 ‘‘Made in USA Label
Defense Act of 1999’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds that—
(1) manufacturing facilities in the Common-
wealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (hereafter
in this Act referred to as the ‘‘CNMI’’) are mis-
leading consumers in the United States by pro-
moting their products as ‘‘made in the USA’’ when
these products are in fact made in the CNMI by for-
eign workers using foreign materials under foreign
supervision;
(2) the misuse of United States-origin claims on
these products is a fraud and deception on patriotic
consumers in the United States, who rely on the
truth of these claims and who look for this label in
order to support the United States and jobs in this
country;
(3) these goods, which receive duty-free treat-
ment and which unfairly compete against products
actually made in the United States, thereby destroy-
ing the jobs of tens of thousands of workers
throughout the United States, are currently being
exported by the CNMI to the United States in
amounts valued at more than $1,000,000,000;
(4) United States taxpayers are being forced to
unfairly subsidize these foreign-produced goods in
the amount of at least $200,000,000 annually as a
result of the unfair duty-free treatment they now
enjoy, unlike other goods produced in Asia;
(5) the CNMI has not only refused to control
foreign immigration into its territory, but has ag-
gressively encouraged the importation of low-wage
foreign workers to the extent that these workers now
comprise a majority of CNMI’s population and over
90 percent of its private sector work force;
(6) in the CNMI, many foreign workers have
been required to sign contracts with representatives
of the People’s Republic of China which forbid par-
ticipation in religious and political activities and
which prohibit workers from dating or marrying
while in United States territory; and
(7) the CNMI has consistently ignored repeated
warnings from the United States Government re-
garding the importation and exploitation of these
workers.
SEC. 
3. 
RESTRICTIONS 
ON 
GOODS 
IMPORTED 
FROM
NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS.
The joint resolution entitled ‘‘Joint Resolution to ap-
prove the ‘Covenant To Establish a Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the
United States of America’, and for other purposes’’, ap-
proved March 24, 1976 (48 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), is
amended by adding at the end the following new sections:
‘‘SEC. 7. HONESTY IN UNITED STATES-ORIGIN CLAIMS.
‘‘Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no
product that is made in the Northern Mariana Islands
shall have a stamp, tag, label, or other means of identifica-
tion or substitute therefor on or affixed to the product
stating ‘Made in the USA’ or otherwise stating or imply-
ing that the product was made or assembled in the United
States.
‘‘SEC. 8. DUTY-FREE TREATMENT OF PRODUCTS PRODUCED
BY UNITED STATES CITIZENS.
‘‘Notwithstanding General Note 3(a)(iv) of the Har-
monized Tariff Schedule of the United States, any provi-
sion of the covenant set forth in the first section of this
joint resolution, or any other provision of law, no product
that is made in the Northern Mariana Islands shall be
admitted free of duty or quotas into the customs territory
of the United States as the product of a United States
insular possession.’’.
SEC. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE.
The amendments made by this Act shall apply to
goods entered, or withdrawn from warehouse for consump-
tion, on or after the 15th day after the date of enactment
of this Act.
Æ