105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2195
AN ACT
To provide for certain measures to increase mon-
itoring of products that are made with forced
labor.
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2195
AN ACT
To provide for certain measures to increase monitoring of
products that are made with forced labor.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
The Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The United States Customs Service has
identified goods, wares, articles, and merchandise
mined, produced, or manufactured under conditions
of convict labor, forced labor, and indentured labor
in several countries.
(2) The United States Customs Service has ac-
tively pursued attempts to import products made
with forced labor, resulting in seizures, detention or-
ders, fines, and criminal prosecutions.
(3) The United States Customs Service has
taken 21 formal administrative actions in the form
of detention orders against different products des-
tined for the United States market, found to have
been made with forced labor, including products
from the People’s Republic of China.
(4) The United States Customs Service does
not currently have the tools to obtain the timely and
in-depth verification necessary to identify and inter-
dict products made with forced labor that are des-
tined for the United States market.
SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION FOR ADDITIONAL CUSTOMS PER-
SONNEL TO MONITOR THE IMPORTATION OF
PRODUCTS MADE WITH FORCED LABOR.
There are authorized to be appropriated for monitor-
ing by the United States Customs Service of the importa-
tion into the United States of products made with forced
labor, the importation of which violates section 307 of the
Tariff Act of 1930 or section 1761 of title 18, United
States Code, $2,000,000 for fiscal year 1999.
SEC. 3. REPORTING REQUIREMENT ON FORCED LABOR
PRODUCTS 
DESTINED 
FOR 
THE 
UNITED
STATES MARKET.
(a) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 1 year
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Commis-
sioner of Customs shall prepare and transmit to the Con-
gress a report on products made with forced labor that
are destined for the United States market.
(b) CONTENTS OF REPORT.—The report under sub-
section (a) shall include information concerning the follow-
ing:
(1) The extent of the use of forced labor in
manufacturing products destined for the United
States market.
(2) The volume of products made with forced
labor, destined for the United States market, that is
in violation of section 307 of the Tariff Act of 1930
or section 1761 of the title 18, United States Code,
and is seized by the United States Customs Service.
(3) The progress of the United States Customs
Service in identifying and interdicting products
made with forced labor that are destined for the
United States market.
SEC. 4. RENEGOTIATING MEMORANDA OF UNDERSTAND-
ING ON FORCED LABOR.
It is the sense of the Congress that the President
should determine whether any country with which the
United States has a memorandum of understanding with
respect to reciprocal trade which involves goods made with
forced labor is frustrating implementation of the memo-
randum. Should an affirmative determination be made,
the President should immediately commence negotiations
to replace the current memorandum of understanding with
one providing for effective procedures for the monitoring
of forced labor, including improved procedures to request
investigations of suspected prison labor facilities by inter-
national monitors.
SEC. 5. DEFINITION OF FORCED LABOR.
As used in this Act, the term ‘‘forced labor’’ means
convict labor, forced labor, or indentured labor, as such
terms are used in section 307 of the Tariff Act of 1930.
Passed the House of Representatives November 5,
1997.
Attest:
Clerk.