For more information on pursuing trade policy interests through the legislative process, please contact Nicole Bivens Collinson at (202) 730-4956 or via email.
The Countering China’s Exploitation of Strategic Metals and Minerals and Child and Forced Labor in the Democratic Republic of Congo Act (H.R. 4443, introduced June 30 by Rep. Smith, R-N.J.) would prohibit imports containing metals or minerals, in particular cobalt and lithium and their derivatives, that are mined, produced, smelted, or processed, wholly or in part, by child labor or forced labor in the DRC. Other provisions include the following.
- prohibits imports of cobalt and lithium mined using child or forced labor
- requires the president to present an annual report to Congress on foreign persons found facilitating the exploitation of child labor in DRC mineral mining or abetting the evasion of U.S. importation laws
- instructs the president to impose sanctions on these individuals by prohibiting their transactions, making them ineligible for a visa, or revoking their current visa status
- requires a report from the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force, in conjunction with allies in the USMCA, to investigate child and forced labor in the DRC’s lithium and cobalt mines bankrolled by China
- promotes the development of alternative sources of supply and production in the U.S. and DRC
- requires the State Department to produce an annual report on U.S. strategies to enhance international awareness of child labor in DRC mining, alongside alleviation strategies
H.R. 4452 (introduced June 30 by Rep. Torres, D-N.Y.) would amend the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to require issuers to disclose whether their supply chain uses the forced labor of Uyghurs.
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