On July 22, 2010, the Senate Appropriations Committee reported S. 3636, the fiscal year 20111 appropriations bill for the Departments of Commerce and Justice, and Science, and Related Agencies.
Forced Labor
CBP is the primary U.S. agency tasked with combating forced labor in international trade. It is the only agency with legal authority to take enforcement action and prevent entry into domestic commerce of goods produced with forced labor. CBP combats forced labor by issuing Withhold Release Orders (WROs) and Findings, and enforcement of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), and Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). Goods subject to WROs and Findings, UFLPA, and CAATSA status cannot be entered at any ports of the U.S.
On July 19, 2010, the Senate Appropriations Committee reported S. 3607, the fiscal year 20111 appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security (including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Transportation Security Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, etc.).
The Montreal Port Authority has issued a press release announcing that the Maritime Employers Association (MEA) and its longshore labor force have reached an agreement allowing work to resume at the Port of Montreal’s terminals. According to the Port Authority, following this back to work agreement, here is the situation at the Port of Montreal:
The Labor Department has issued a final updated the list of products, by country of origin, which the Departments of Labor, State, and Homeland Security have a reasonable basis to believe “might have” been mined, produced or manufactured by forced or indentured child labor.
The Port of Long Beach reports that all of its shipping terminals continue to be open and operating during the ongoing labor contract negotiations between marine terminal operators and the office clerks union, the ILWU Local 63A Office Clerical Unit. The clerical unit's contract with the Los Angeles/Long Beach Harbor Employers Association, which represents the terminal operators, ended June 30, 2010. The current negotiations do not involve truck drivers, dockworkers or others in the work force.
On May 28, 2010, the House passed H.R. 5136, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011 to authorize fiscal year 2011 appropriations for the Department of Defense, etc.
On June 16, 2010, the House Ways and Means Committee held a hearing on China’s trade and industrial policies.
The Congressional Research Service has issued a report entitled, “The Future of U.S. Trade Policy: An Analysis of Issues and Options for the 111th Congress.”
In remarks before the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on May 18, 2010, U.S. Trade Representative Kirk discussed the pending free trade agreements and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) talks, among other things.
The Labor Department’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs is seeking information by June 14, 2010 on the actions that firms, business associations, and other private sector groups are taking to reduce the likelihood of child labor and forced labor in the production of goods.