[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 554 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 554

   To withdraw normal trade relations treatment from the products of 
    foreign countries that do not maintain acceptable standards of 
                  religious freedom and worker rights.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 8, 2011

 Mr. McCotter introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To withdraw normal trade relations treatment from the products of 
    foreign countries that do not maintain acceptable standards of 
                  religious freedom and worker rights.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Freedom Trade Act''.

SEC. 2. WITHDRAWAL OF NORMAL TRADE RELATIONS TREATMENT FROM PRODUCTS OF 
              FOREIGN COUNTRIES THAT DO NOT MAINTAIN ACCEPTABLE 
              STANDARDS OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND WORKER RIGHTS.

    Title IV of the Trade Act of 1974 is amended by adding at the end 
the following:

 ``CHAPTER 3--ADDITIONAL RESTRICTIONS ON TRADE RELATIONS WITH FOREIGN 
                               COUNTRIES

``SEC. 441. WITHDRAWAL OF NORMAL TRADE RELATIONS TREATMENT.

    ``Effective on and after the end of the 6-month period beginning on 
the date of the enactment of this chapter, and subject to the other 
provisions of this chapter--
            ``(1) normal trade relations treatment shall not apply to 
        the products of a foreign country with respect to which a 
        certification described in section 442 is not in effect; and
            ``(2) the column 2 rate of duty in the Harmonized Tariff 
        Schedule of the United States shall apply to the products of 
        such a foreign country.

``SEC. 442. CERTIFICATION.

    ``(a) Initial Certification.--A certification described in section 
441 is a certification that meets the following requirements:
            ``(1) The United States Commission on International 
        Religious Freedom and the Secretary of State certify to the 
        Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives 
        and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate that the 
        foreign country is not engaging in violations of religious 
        freedom, as defined in section 3 of the International Religious 
        Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6402).
            ``(2) The Secretary of State and the Secretary of Labor 
        certify to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
        Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 
        Senate that the foreign country is not restricting the freedom 
        of workers to associate and the right of workers to organize 
        and bargain collectively.
            ``(3) The Secretary of State and the Secretary of Labor 
        certify to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
        Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 
        Senate that the foreign country does not prohibit or limit the 
        functioning of free and independent labor unions.
    ``(b) Recertifications.--Not later than 12 months after the date on 
which an initial certification is made under subsection (a) with 
respect to a foreign country and every 12 months thereafter--
            ``(1) the United States Commission on International 
        Religious Freedom, the Secretary of State, and the Secretary of 
        Labor (as the case may be) shall transmit to the Committee on 
        Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the 
        Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a recertification 
        that the conditions described in subsection (a) are continuing 
        to be met with respect to the foreign country; or
            ``(2) if the United States Commission on International 
        Religious Freedom, the Secretary of State, and the Secretary of 
        Labor (as the case may be) is unable to make such a 
        recertification with respect to the foreign country, the United 
        States Commission on International Religious Freedom, the 
        Secretary of State, and the Secretary of Labor shall transmit 
        to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
        Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 
        Senate a report that contains the reasons therefor.
    ``(c) Definitions.--For purposes of this section--
            ``(1) the right of workers to organize includes the right--
                    ``(A) to establish and join organizations of 
                workers of their own choosing without previous 
                authorization, to write the constitutions and rules to 
                govern those organizations, to elect or select the 
                leadership of those organizations, and to determine the 
                agendas and programs of those organizations;
                    ``(B) to join confederations of organizations of 
                workers, and affiliate with international organizations 
                of workers; and
                    ``(C) to be protected against dissolution or 
                suspension of such organizations, confederations, or 
                affiliations by any governmental authority; and
            ``(2)(A) the term `free and independent labor union' means 
        a labor union that operates independently of any governmental 
        authority or ruling party, is not required to join or be 
        affiliated with a specific political party, and is allowed to 
        strike (subject to an exception for employees providing 
        essential services and a temporary exception during instances 
        of acute national emergency);
            ``(B) the term `acute national emergency' means a crisis in 
        which the normal conditions for the functioning of society are 
        absent, such as in the case of a serious conflict, 
        insurrection, or natural disaster; and
            ``(C) the term `essential services' means those services 
        that, if interrupted, would endanger the life, personal safety, 
        or health of the whole or part of the population.

``SEC. 443. RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER LAW.

    ``The prohibitions in section 441 apply to a foreign country in 
addition to any other provision of law that otherwise operates as a 
prohibition or limitation on trade relations with the foreign 
country.''.
                                 <all>