111 HRES 44 IH: Condemning the People’s Republic of China for its socially unacceptable business practices, including the manufacturing and exportation of unsafe products, casual disregard for the environment, and exploitative employment practices. U.S. House of Representatives 2009-01-09 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

IV 111th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 44 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 9, 2009 Mr. Poe of Texas (for himself, Mr. Rohrabacher, Mr. Burton of Indiana, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, Mr. McCotter, Mr. Smith of New Jersey, Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, Mr. Wolf, Ms. Fallin, and Mr. McHenry) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs RESOLUTION Condemning the People’s Republic of China for its socially unacceptable business practices, including the manufacturing and exportation of unsafe products, casual disregard for the environment, and exploitative employment practices.

Whereas millions of toys were imported into the United States from the People’s Republic of China and recalled in 2007 after the discovery that the paint on the toys contained high levels of lead; Whereas in the 110th Congress the House of Representatives passed H.R. 4040, the Consumer Product Safety Modernization Act, by a 407–0 vote; Whereas the Consumer Product Safety Modernization Act bans any product containing more than the specified safe level of lead that poses a threat to the consumer’s health and well-being; Whereas Americans expect that their trading partners are responsible, ethical, and diligent in providing high quality and safe products, especially those used by children; Whereas the Food and Drug Administration issued an import alert in March 2007 authorizing the detention of any wheat gluten imports from the Chinese firm Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Company of Peixian, China, whose wheat gluten, an ingredient used in commercial pet foods, was contaminated with the chemical melamine, which is used in the manufacture of plastics and as a slow-release fertilizer, and led to the deaths of pets in the United States; Whereas the People’s Republic of China continually pollutes the air and water to extreme levels in the production of its goods, often to irreversible levels; Whereas the People’s Republic of China is a member of the world community with a social responsibility to provide basic human rights to its citizens; Whereas, in June 2007, it was discovered that hundreds of people, including women and children, were forced to work in brick kilns, suffering from beatings and confinement; and Whereas workers in the People’s Republic of China often have wages withheld and are exposed to dangerous machinery and chemicals, such as lead, and unsafe working conditions: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives— (1)condemns the People’s Republic of China for producing unsafe products for sale; (2)condemns the People’s Republic of China for its disregard for the environment; (3)condemns the People’s Republic of China for exploiting workers; (4)encourages United States merchants to suspend the importation of goods from China and sales of those goods until reforms of these abuses are made; and (5)encourages United States parents to carefully consider the Made in China label when purchasing toys for their children due to potential high levels of toxic materials that may cause serious injury or death.