The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has issued a notice announcing that its Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) is conducting a child labor review in the production of certain hand-loomed or hand-hooked carpets and certain other textile floor coverings eligible for duty-free treatment under the Generalized System of Preferences.
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.
The Labor Department's Bureau of International Labor Affairs has issued its final procedural guidelines, effective December 27, 2007, for the development and maintenance of a list of goods from countries produced by child labor or forced labor in violation of international standards.
On June 15, 2007, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 2638, the fiscal year (FY) 2008 appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security, affecting U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Transportation Security Administration, etc.
On December 14, 2007, President Bush signed into law H.R. 3688, the U.S. - Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (PTPA1) Implementation Act.
The Senate passed the Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (PTPA1) implementing legislation (H.R. 3688) by a vote of 77 to 18 on December 4, 2007.
The Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) has issued a notice requesting information regarding the implementation of international commitments to eliminate the worst forms of child labor by countries seeking benefits under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), Caribbean Basin Trade and Partnership Act (CBTPA), the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), and the Andean Trade Preference Act as amended and expanded by the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act (ATPA/ATPDEA).
According to numerous government sources, on November 8, 2007, the House of Representatives approved the U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (PTPA, Peru FTA), which was revamped earlier this year to include new labor and environmental provisions pursuant to a May 10th bipartisan agreement.
The International Trade Commission has issued a press release announcing the release of its report entitled, "Certain Textile Articles: Travel Goods of Textile Materials" which covers the years 2005-2006.
The Labor Department's Bureau of International Labor Affairs has issued proposed procedural guidelines for the development and maintenance of a list of goods from countries produced by child labor or forced labor in violation of international standards.
American Shipper reports that the Coalition for Clean and Safe Ports has produced a report which says that the proposed Southern California trucking program offers sizable savings to the public in the form of lowered health care costs and increased wages for the 16,800 port truck drivers. (American Shipper, dated 08/31/07, www.americanshipper.com and the coalition's report, "The Road to Shared Prosperity," dated August 2007, available at http://www.laane.org/docs/research/The_Road_to_Shared_Prosperity.pdf)