Title: Trade Preference Reform and Worker Protection Act of 2020
Policy area: Foreign Trade and International Finance

Summary:
Trade Preference Reform and Worker Protection Act of 2020
This bill prohibits the President from providing duty-free treatment under the Generalized System of Preferences when the U.S. unemployment rate has been less than 4%, on average, during the preceding six-month period, and it makes countries that use forced labor or child labor ineligible for duty-free treatment.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4976 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4976

  To amend the Trade Act of 1974 to reform the Generalized System of 
          Preferences to better protect United States workers.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            December 8, 2020

  Mr. Hawley introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
                  referred to the Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Trade Act of 1974 to reform the Generalized System of 
          Preferences to better protect United States workers.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Trade Preference Reform and Worker 
Protection Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. PROVISION OF DUTY-FREE TREATMENT UNDER GENERALIZED SYSTEM OF 
              PREFERENCES ONLY DURING PERIODS OF LOW UNEMPLOYMENT IN 
              THE UNITED STATES.

    (a) In General.--Section 505 of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 
2465) is amended to read as follows:

``SEC. 505. DUTY-FREE TREATMENT PROVIDED ONLY DURING PERIODS OF LOW 
              UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE UNITED STATES.

    ``(a) In General.--The President may provide duty-free treatment 
under this title only if the monthly seasonally adjusted unemployment 
rate in the United States, as determined by the Bureau of Labor 
Statistics of the Department of Labor, has been less than 4 percent, on 
average, during the preceding 6-month period.
    ``(b) Suspension.--Not later than 30 days after the unemployment 
rate increases to a level higher than the level described in subsection 
(a), the President shall suspend the provision of duty-free treatment 
under this title until the unemployment rate decreases to the level 
described in subsection (a).''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents for the Trade Act of 
1974 is amended by striking the item relating to section 505 and 
inserting the following:

``Sec. 505. Duty-free treatment provided only during periods of low 
                            unemployment in the United States.''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section take 
effect on the date that is 30 days after the date of the enactment of 
this Act.

SEC. 3. INELIGIBILITY OF COUNTRIES THAT USE FORCED LABOR FOR 
              GENERALIZED SYSTEM OF PREFERENCES.

    (a) In General.--Section 502(b)(2) of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 
U.S.C. 2462(b)(2)) is amended--
            (1) by inserting after subparagraph (H) the following:
                    ``(I) Such country is identified by the Bureau of 
                International Labor Affairs of the Department of Labor 
                pursuant to section 105(b)(2)(C) of the Trafficking 
                Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005 (22 
                U.S.C. 7112(b)(2)(C)) as a source country of goods that 
                are believed to be produced by forced labor or child 
                labor in violation of international standards.''; and
            (2) in the flush text at the end, by striking ``(F), (G), 
        and (H)'' and inserting ``and (F)''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) apply 
with respect to articles entered on or after the date that is 30 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act.
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