Clean Diamond Trade Act

Bill: 108-s-760
Sponsor: Sen. Grassley, Chuck [R-IA]
Introduced: 2003-04-01 in the Senate
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Africa (Sub-Saharan)
Armed Forces and National Security
Business records
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Civil War
Commerce
Congress
Congress and foreign policy
Congressional investigations
Congressional oversight
Congressional reporting requirements
Corporation directors
Crime and Law Enforcement
Customs administration
Diamonds
Export controls
Federal advisory bodies
Fines (Penalties)
Foreign Trade and International Finance
Forfeiture
Free trade
Government Operations and Politics
Government paperwork
Government publicity
Government statistics
Human rights
Import restrictions
International agencies
Jewelry trade
Law
President and foreign policy
Public Lands and Natural Resources
Searches and seizures
Standards
Technical assistance
Trade agreements
Trade negotiations
United Nations
War

Summary:
action_date: 2003-04-01
text: Clean Diamond Trade Act -Directs the President to prohibit the importation into, or exportation from, the United States of any rough diamond, from whatever source, that has not been controlled through the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS). Prescribes criteria for waiver of such prohibition.
Directs the President to require the appropriate Government agency to conduct annual reviews of the standards, practices, and procedures of any entity in the United States that issues Kimberley Process Certificates for the exportation from the United States of rough diamonds to determine whether they accord with the KPCS.
Makes the importing authority under this Act the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection and the exporting authority the Bureau of the Census.
Declares that the Congress supports the policy that the President take appropriate steps to promote and facilitate the adoption of the KPCS by the international community.
Sets forth civil and criminal penalties for violation of this Act.
Authorizes the President to direct the appropriate Federal agencies to make available technical assistance to countries seeking to implement the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme.
Urges the President to work with Participants to strengthen the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme through the adoption of measures for: (1) sharing statistics on rough diamonds production and trade; and (2) monitoring the effectiveness of the KPCS in stemming trade in diamonds whose importation or exportation is not controlled through the KPCS.
Urges the executive branch to continue to: (1) keep and publish statistics on imports and exports of rough diamonds; (2) make them available for analysis by interested parties and by Participants; and (3) take a leadership role in negotiating a standardized methodology among Participants for reporting such statistics.
Declares the sense of Congress that the President should establish a Kimberley Process Implementation Coordinating Committee to coordinate the implementation of this Act.
action_date: 2003-04-09
text: Clean Diamond Trade Act - (Sec. 4) Directs the President to prohibit the importation into, or exportation from, the United States of any rough diamond, from whatever source, that has not been controlled through the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS). Prescribes criteria for waiver of such prohibition.
(Sec. 5) Directs the President to require the appropriate Government agency to conduct annual reviews of the standards, practices, and procedures of any entity in the United States that issues Kimberley Process Certificates for the exportation from the United States of rough diamonds to determine whether they accord with the KPCS.
(Sec. 6) Makes the importing authority under this Act the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (BCBP) and the exporting authority the Bureau of the Census.
(Sec. 7) Declares that the Congress supports the policy that the President take appropriate steps to promote and facilitate the adoption of the KPCS by the international community.
(Sec. 8) Sets forth civil and criminal penalties for violation of this Act.
(Sec. 9) Authorizes the President to direct the appropriate Federal agencies to make available technical assistance to countries seeking to implement the KPCS.
(Sec. 10) Urges the President to work with states, customs territories, or regional economic integration organizations identified by the Secretary of State (Participants) to strengthen the KPCS through the adoption of measures for: (1) sharing statistics on rough diamonds production and trade; and (2) monitoring the effectiveness of the KPCS in stemming trade in diamonds whose importation or exportation is not controlled through the KPCS.
Urges the executive branch continue to: (1) keep and publish statistics on imports and exports of rough diamonds; (2) make them available for analysis by interested parties and by Participants; and (3) take a leadership role in negotiating a standardized methodology among Participants for reporting such statistics.
(Sec. 11) Directs the President to establish a Kimberley Process Implementation Coordinating Committee to coordinate the implementation of this Act.
(Sec. 12) Prescribes annual reporting requirements.
(Sec. 13) Directs the Comptroller General to report to Congress within two years after enactment of this Act on the effectiveness of its provisions in preventing the prohibited importation or exportation of rough diamonds.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2003-04-30
text: Indefinitely postponed by Senate by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S5616)
action_date: 2003-04-09
text: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 62.
action_date: 2003-04-09
text: Committee on Finance. Reported by Senator Grassley with amendments. With written report No. 108-36.
action_date: 2003-04-09
text: Committee on Finance. Reported by Senator Grassley with amendments. With written report No. 108-36.
action_date: 2003-04-02
text: Committee on Finance. Ordered to be reported with an amendment favorably.
action_date: 2003-04-01
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2003-04-01
text: Introduced in Senate