Bipartisan Bill That Puts Burden of Proof Concerning Forced Labor on Importers Introduced
A bill introduced by House Rules Committee Chairman Jim McGovern, D-Mass., in the House and by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., in the Senate would create a rebuttable presumption about forced labor in Xinjiang, China, which would mean any companies that import goods made in that region “must demonstrate through 'clear and convincing' evidence that there was no forced labor in their supply chains,” according to a release announcing the bill's introduction.
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Both the House and the Senate bills have bipartisan sponsorship, and one of the co-sponsors in the House is Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., who has been tapped to be the next White House chief of staff. Six Democrats and six Republicans are on the House bill, and they cover the conservative, moderate and liberal spectrum. The Senate bill has six Republican co-sponsors and three Democratic co-sponsors, also across the ideological spectrum.
“Any U.S. or international company with operations in Xinjiang or working with the Xinjiang government to source labor to other parts of China should reconsider whether they want to be producing products in a region where there is evidence ‘crimes against humanity’ are being committed,” McGovern said in the release.
Fashion industry players have said they don't want to have forced labor in their supply chains, but they need help in detecting whether they do (see 2003110037).