[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 105 (Tuesday, June 23, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3067-S3068]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 5910. Mr. SHEEHY (for himself and Mr. Coons) submitted an 
amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 4784, to 
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2027 for military activities 
of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for 
defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military 
personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which 
was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the appropriate place, insert the following:

     SEC. __. ANNUAL LIST OF PRC ENTITIES CARRYING OUT MINING 
                   INVOLVING FORCED LABOR OR CAUSING ENVIRONMENTAL 
                   HARM IN AFRICAN COUNTRIES.

       (a) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) Artisanal and small-scale mining.--The term ``artisanal 
     and small-scale mining'' means a form of mining common in the 
     developing world that--
       (A) typically employs rudimentary and low-cost extractive 
     technologies and manual labor-intensive techniques;
       (B) is frequently subject to limited regulation; and
       (C) often features inhumane, harsh, and dangerous working 
     conditions.
       (2) Critical mineral.--The term ``critical mineral'' has 
     the meaning given that term in

[[Page S3068]]

     section 7002(a) of the Energy Act of 2020 (30 U.S.C. 
     1606(a)).
       (3) Environmental harm to a protected area.--The term 
     ``environmental harm to a protected area'' means damage to 
     the environment of a protected area, such as--
       (A) contamination of water resources, streams, rivers, 
     lakes, or other bodies of water, including wells, aquifers, 
     or soil;
       (B) soil degradation or erosion; or
       (C) degradation of aquatic or terrestrial ecosystems or 
     biodiversity loss.
       (4) Forced labor.--The term ``forced labor'' has the 
     meaning given that term in section 307 of the Tariff Act of 
     1930 (19 U.S.C. 1307).
       (5) Large-scale mining.--The term ``large-scale mining'' 
     means capital-intensive, usually highly mechanized, typically 
     industrial-scale mining carried out by large commercial 
     entities.
       (6) PRC entity.--The term ``PRC entity'' means--
       (A) an entity under the ownership, control, or influence 
     of--
       (i) the Government of the People's Republic of China;
       (ii) the Chinese Communist Party; or
       (iii) a military, intelligence, or paramilitary entity of 
     the Chinese Communist Party or the People's Republic of 
     China;
       (B) an entity that is organized under the laws of, or 
     otherwise subject to the jurisdiction of, the People's 
     Republic of China (including Hong Kong and Macau);
       (C) an entity majority-owned, majority-controlled, or 
     majority-financed by an entity described in subparagraph (A) 
     or (B); or
       (D) a parent, subsidiary, affiliate, or contractor of an 
     entity described in subparagraph (A), (B), or (C), including 
     a joint venture in which an entity described in subparagraph 
     (A), (B), or (C) holds a controlling interest.
       (7) Protected area.--The term ``protected area'' means any 
     area that has received protected status in the country in 
     which the area is located, such as a national park, game 
     refuge, ecosystem reserve, or other nature preserve.
       (8) Relevant congressional committees.--The term ``relevant 
     congressional committees'' means the Committee on Foreign 
     Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
     of the House of Representatives.
       (b) In General.--Not less frequently than once each year 
     during the 5-year period beginning on the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to 
     the relevant congressional committees, and make publicly 
     available, including on the internet, a list of--
       (1) each PRC entity that the Secretary reasonably assesses 
     is carrying out mining, including large-scale mining or 
     artisanal and small-scale mining, of critical minerals, gold, 
     or iron in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, 
     Guinea, Zambia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, or any other country 
     in Africa--
       (A) using forced labor; or
       (B) in a manner that causes environmental harm to a 
     protected area in the country concerned; and
       (2) each mine, mining zone, or concession at which such 
     mining is carried out.
       (c) Development of List.--In developing each list required 
     by subsection (b), the Secretary of State shall--
       (1) use open-source information, including from press 
     sources and academic, non-profit, and other non-state 
     research organizations or individual researchers, and 
     information received, collected, or otherwise obtained by 
     United States embassies; and
       (2) consult with the Secretary of Labor, through the Bureau 
     of International Labor Affairs of the Department of Labor, 
     the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of the Treasury, the 
     Director of National Intelligence, and other heads of Federal 
     departments and agencies, and the foreign country 
     counterparts of such individuals in the countries specified 
     in subsection (b)(1).
       (d) Form.--Each list required by subsection (b) shall be 
     made publicly available and submitted to the relevant 
     congressional committees in unclassified form, but the 
     version submitted to the relevant congressional committees 
     may include a classified annex, if warranted.
                                 ______