[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12962]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




INTRODUCTION OF THE ``BUSINESS SUPPLY CHAIN TRANSPARENCY ON TRAFFICKING 
                       AND SLAVERY ACT OF 2015''

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 27, 2015

  Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to 
introduce bipartisan legislation along with my fellow co-chair on the 
Human Trafficking Caucus, Rep. Chris Smith.
  Very few Americans are aware that many of the goods they use everyday 
are tainted by human trafficking or the worst forms of child labor. 
According to the U.S. Department of Labor's 2014 List of Goods Produced 
by Child Labor or Forced Labor, 136 goods from 74 countries were made 
by forced and child labor. This bill will require businesses to 
disclose policies and practices they employ to eliminate human 
trafficking from operations and product development.
  The Business Supply Chain Transparency on Trafficking and Slavery Act 
doesn't tell businesses what to do, but rather informs consumers what 
they are doing to eliminate human slavery from their supply chains.
  This legislation would help inform consumers where and how their 
goods are made. While there are good actors, there are businesses 
operating in parts of the world that rely on enslaved humans to produce 
their products. We believe American consumers have a right to know who 
these companies are.
  This legislation creates a market-based solution rather than relying 
on prescriptive action by the federal government. Large global 
companies already reporting to the Securities and Exchange Commission 
(SEC) simply need to include what they are doing to rid their supply 
chains of human slavery and post this information on their company 
websites. Consumers will be empowered to make their purchasing 
decisions based on the information provided. Very simply, this bill 
creates an incentive to improve practices to end slavery.
  Human trafficking is 21st century slavery. The International Labor 
Organization estimates that nearly 21 million people are working in 
some form of forced labor worldwide. We must use every tool available 
to help these men, women, and children around the world who are 
enslaved.

                          ____________________