Trade Preference Reform and Worker Protection Act of 2020

Bill: 116-s-4976
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Hawley, Josh [R-MO]
Introduced: 2020-12-08
Policy area: Foreign Trade and International Finance
Latest action: action_date: 2020-12-08
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

Summaries:
action_date: 2020-12-08
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><b>Trade Preference Reform and Worker Protection Act of 2020</b></p> <p>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.</p>

tv_txt: II 116th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 4976 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.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Trade Preference Reform and Worker Protection Act of 2020 . 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: 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. 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.