[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 95 (Friday, May 15, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29487-29490]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-10341]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR


Notice of Amendment to Procedural Guidelines for the Development 
and Maintenance of the List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced 
Labor

AGENCY: Bureau of International Labor Affairs, United States Department 
of Labor.

ACTION: Notice of amendment to procedural guidelines for the 
development and maintenance of a list of goods produced by child labor 
or forced labor in violation of international standards.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor 
Affairs (``ILAB'') amends a provision of its procedural guidelines 
(``Guidelines'') for the development and maintenance of a list of goods 
from countries that ILAB has reason to believe are produced by child 
labor or forced labor in violation of international standards 
(``List''). The Guidelines establish the process for the public 
submission of information and the evaluation and reporting process to 
be used by the U.S. Department of Labor's (``DOL or Department'') 
Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking (``Office'') 
in ILAB in maintaining and updating the List. DOL is required to 
develop and make available to the public the List pursuant to the 
Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005.

DATES: This notice is effective on May 15, 2020.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Director, Office of Child Labor, 
Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking, Bureau of International Labor 
Affairs, U.S. Department of Labor at (202) 693-4843 (this is not a 
toll-free number). Individuals with hearing or speech impairments may 
access the telephone number above via TTY by calling the Federal 
Information Relay Service at 1-877-889-5627.
    Information may be submitted by the following methods:
     Facsimile (fax): ILAB/Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor, 
and Human Trafficking at (202) 693-4830.
     Mail, Express Delivery, Hand Delivery, and Messenger 
Service: Austin Pederson at U.S. Department of Labor, ILAB/Office of 
Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking, 200 Constitution Ave. 
NW, Room S-5317, Washington, DC 20210.
     Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: DOL is making no substantive changes to the 
Guidelines; rather, the change is technical in nature. Through this 
notice, DOL incorporates an amendment to the Department's mandate for 
the development and maintenance of the List set forth in the Frederick 
Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization 
Act of 2018, Public Law 115-425, title I, Sec.  133(a), Jan. 8 2019, 
132 State. 5481. This 2018 Act directs that the List include, ``to the 
extent practicable, goods that are produced with inputs that are 
produced with forced labor or child labor.''
    Section 105(b)(1) of the Trafficking Victims Protection 
Reauthorization Act of 2005 (``TVPRA of 2005''), Public Law 109-164 
(2006), directed the Secretary of Labor, acting through the Bureau of 
International Labor Affairs, to ``carry out additional activities to 
monitor and combat forced labor and child labor in foreign countries as 
described in paragraph (2).'' Section 105(b)(2)(C) of the TVPRA, 22 
U.S.C. 7112(b)(2)(C), directed the Department to ``[d]evelop and make 
available to the public a list of goods from countries that the Bureau 
of International Labor Affairs has reason to believe are produced by 
forced labor or child labor in violation of international standards.''
    The Office carries out the Department's responsibilities in the 
TVPRA of 2005, as amended. Pursuant to this mandate, DOL published in 
the Federal Register a set of procedural guidelines that ILAB follows 
in the development and maintenance of the List. 72 FR 73374 (Dec. 27, 
2007). The Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and 
Protection

[[Page 29488]]

Reauthorization Act of 2018, Public Law 115-425, title I, Sec.  133(a), 
Jan. 8 2019, 132 State. 5481, expanded the scope of the Department's 
mandate for the development and maintenance of the List. Pursuant to 
this law, the List must also include, ``to the extent practicable, 
goods that are produced with inputs that are produced with forced labor 
or child labor.'' Accordingly, the Department is amending the 
Guidelines to incorporate this new mandate. Though the Guidelines were 
initially adopted after offering the public an opportunity to submit 
comments, the Department is not seeking comment on this amendment 
because it merely incorporates the recent changes to the statute. Cf 
Mack Trucks, Inc. v. EPA, 682 F.3d 87, 94 (D.C. Cir. 2012) (notice and 
comment rulemaking under the Administrative Procedure Act is not 
necessary when ``the administrative rule is a routine determination, 
insignificant in nature and impact, and inconsequential to the industry 
and to the public.'''); Gray Panthers Advocacy Comm. v. Sullivan, 936 
F.2d 1284, 1291-92 (D.C. Cir. 1991) (notice and comment rulemaking is 
not necessary when changes to the regulation merely restate the changes 
in the enabling legislation).
    The Office will evaluate all information received according to the 
processes outlined in these amended Guidelines. Goods that meet the 
criteria outlined in these amended Guidelines will be placed on the 
List, published in the Federal Register and on the DOL website.

Sections Revised

    This notice makes only one technical revision to the Guidelines. In 
order to reflect the List's mandate, as revised by the Frederick 
Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization 
Act of 2018, a revision to Section A of the Guidelines is necessary. 
The Department therefore replaces the following sentences: ``Whether a 
good is placed on the List may depend on which stage of production used 
child labor or forced labor. For example, if child labor or forced 
labor was only used in the extraction, harvesting, assembly, or 
production of raw materials or component articles, and these materials 
or articles are subsequently used under non-violative conditions in the 
manufacture or processing of a final good, only the raw materials/
component articles and the country/ies where they were extracted, 
harvested, assembled, or produced, as appropriate, may be placed on the 
List.'' with ``To the extent practicable, the List will include goods 
that are produced with inputs that are produced with forced labor or 
child labor.'' No other revisions have been made.

Final Procedural Guidelines

A. Sources of Information and Factors Considered in the Development and 
Maintenance of the List

    The Office will make use of all relevant information, whether 
gathered through research, public submissions of information, a public 
hearing, interagency consultations, or other means, in developing the 
List. In the interest of maintaining a transparent process, the Office 
will not accept classified information in developing the List. The 
Office may request that any such information brought to its attention 
be declassified. If submissions contain confidential or personal 
information, the Office may redact such information in accordance with 
applicable laws and regulations before making the submission available 
to the public.
    In evaluating information, the Office will consider and weigh 
several factors, including:
    1. Nature of information. Whether the information about child labor 
or forced labor gathered from research, public submissions, hearing 
testimony, or other sources is relevant and probative, and meets the 
definitions of child labor or forced labor.
    2. Date of information. Whether the information about child labor 
or forced labor in the production of the good(s) is no more than 7 
years old at the time of receipt. More current information will 
generally be given priority, and information older than 7 years will 
generally not be considered.
    3. Source of information. Whether the information, either from 
primary or secondary sources, is from a source whose methodology, prior 
publications, degree of familiarity and experience with international 
labor standards, and/or reputation for accuracy and objectivity, 
warrants a determination that it is relevant and probative.
    4. Extent of corroboration. The extent to which the information 
about the use of child labor or forced labor in the production of a 
good(s) is corroborated by other sources.
    5. Significant incidence of child labor or forced labor. Whether 
the information about the use of child labor or forced labor in the 
production of a good(s) warrants a determination that the incidence of 
such practices is significant in the country in question. Information 
that relates only to a single company or facility; or that indicates an 
isolated incident of child labor or forced labor, will ordinarily not 
weigh in favor of a finding that a good is produced in violation of 
international standards. Information that demonstrates a significant 
incidence of child labor or forced labor in the production of a 
particular good(s), although not necessarily representing a pattern or 
practice in the industry as a whole, will ordinarily weigh in favor of 
a finding that a good is produced in violation of international 
standards.
    In determining which goods and countries are to be placed on the 
List, the Office will, as appropriate, take into consideration the 
stages in the chain of a good's production. To the extent practicable, 
the List will include goods that are produced with inputs that are 
produced with forced labor or child labor. If child labor or forced 
labor was used in both the production or extraction of raw materials/
component articles and the manufacture or processing of a final good, 
then both the raw materials/component articles and the final good, and 
the country/ies in which such labor was used, may be placed on the 
List. This is to ensure a direct correspondence between the goods and 
countries which appear on the List, and the use of child labor or 
forced labor.
    Information on government, industry, or third-party actions and 
initiatives to combat child labor or forced labor will be taken into 
consideration, although they are not necessarily sufficient in and of 
themselves to prevent a good and country from being listed. In 
evaluating such information, the Office will consider particularly 
relevant and probative any evidence of government, industry, and third-
party actions and initiatives that are effective in significantly 
reducing if not eliminating child labor and forced labor.
    Goods and countries (``entries'') that meet the criteria outlined 
in these procedural Guidelines will be placed on an initial List, to be 
published in the Federal Register and on the DOL website. This initial 
List will continue to be updated as additional information becomes 
available. Before publication of the initial List or subsequent 
versions of the List, the Office will inform the relevant foreign 
governments of their presence on the List and request their responses. 
The Office will review these responses and make a determination as to 
their relevance. The List, along with a listing of the sources used to 
identify the goods and countries on it, will be published in the 
Federal Register and on the DOL website. The List will represent DOL's 
conclusions based on all relevant information available at the time of 
publication.

[[Page 29489]]

    For each entry, the List will indicate whether the good is made 
using child labor, forced labor, or both. As the List continues to be 
maintained and updated, the List will also indicate the date when each 
entry was included. The List will not include any company or individual 
names. DOL's postings on its website of source material used in 
identifying goods and countries on the List will be redacted to remove 
company or individual names, and other confidential material, pursuant 
to applicable laws and regulations.

B. Procedures for the Maintenance of the List

    1. Following publication of the initial List, the Office will 
periodically review and update the List, as appropriate. The Office 
conducts ongoing research and monitoring of child labor and forced 
labor, and if relevant information is obtained through such research, 
the Office may add an entry to, or remove an entry from the List using 
the process described in Section A of the Guidelines. The Office may 
also update the List on the basis of public information submissions, as 
detailed below.
    2. Any party may at any time file an information submission with 
the Office regarding the addition or removal of an entry from the List. 
Submitters should take note of the criteria and instructions in the 
``Information Requested on Child Labor and Forced Labor'' section of 
this notice, as well as the criteria listed in Section A of the 
Guidelines.
    3. The Office will review any submission of information to 
determine whether it provides relevant and probative information.
    4. The Office may consider a submission less reliable if it 
determines that: The submission does not clearly indicate the source(s) 
of the information presented; the submission does not identify the 
party filing the submission or is not signed and dated; the submission 
does not provide relevant or probative information; or, the information 
is not within the scope of the TVPRA and/or does not address child 
labor or forced labor as defined herein. All submissions received will 
be made available to the public on the DOL website, consistent with 
applicable laws or regulations.
    5. In evaluating a submission, the Office will conduct further 
examination of available information relating to the good and country, 
as necessary, to assist the Office in making a determination concerning 
the addition or removal of the good from the List. The Office will 
undertake consultations with relevant U.S. government agencies and 
foreign governments, and may hold a public hearing for the purpose of 
receiving relevant information from interested persons.
    6. In order for an entry to be removed from the List, any person 
filing information regarding the entry must provide information that 
demonstrates that there is no significant incidence of child labor or 
forced labor in the production of the particular good in the country in 
question. In evaluating information on government, industry, or third-
party actions and initiatives to combat child labor or forced labor, 
the Office will consider particularly relevant and probative any 
available evidence of government, industry, and third-party actions 
that are effective in significantly reducing if not eliminating child 
labor and forced labor.
    7. Where the Office has made a determination concerning the 
addition, maintenance, or removal of the entry from the List, and where 
otherwise appropriate, the Office will publish an updated List in the 
Federal Register and on the DOL website.

C. Key Terms Used in the Guidelines

    ``Child Labor''--``Child labor'' under international standards 
means all work performed by a person below the age of 15. It also 
includes all work performed by a person below the age of 18 in the 
following practices: (A) All forms of slavery or practices similar to 
slavery, such as the sale or trafficking of children, debt bondage and 
serfdom, or forced or compulsory labor, including forced or compulsory 
recruitment of children for use in armed conflict; (B) the use, 
procuring, or offering of a child for prostitution, for the production 
of pornography or for pornographic purposes; (C) the use, procuring, or 
offering of a child for illicit activities in particular for the 
production and trafficking of drugs; and (D) work which, by its nature 
or the circumstances in which it is carried out, is likely to harm the 
health, safety, or morals of children. The work referred to in 
subparagraph (D) is determined by the laws, regulations, or competent 
authority of the country involved, after consultation with the 
organizations of employers and workers concerned, and taking into 
consideration relevant international standards. This definition will 
not apply to work specifically authorized by national laws, including 
work done by children in schools for general, vocational or technical 
education or in other training institutions, where such work is carried 
out in accordance with international standards under conditions 
prescribed by the competent authority, and does not prejudice 
children's attendance in school or their capacity to benefit from the 
instruction received.
    ``Countries''--``Countries'' means any foreign country or 
territory, including any overseas dependent territory or possession of 
a foreign country, or the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.
    ``Forced Labor''--``Forced labor'' under international standards 
means all work or service which is exacted from any person under the 
menace of any penalty for its nonperformance and for which the worker 
does not offer himself voluntarily, and includes indentured labor. 
``Forced labor'' includes work provided or obtained by force, fraud, or 
coercion, including: (1) By threats of serious harm to, or physical 
restraint against any person; (2) by means of any scheme, plan, or 
pattern intended to cause the person to believe that, if the person did 
not perform such labor or services, that person or another person would 
suffer serious harm or physical restraint; or (3) by means of the abuse 
or threatened abuse of law or the legal process. For purposes of this 
definition, forced labor does not include work specifically authorized 
by national laws where such work is carried out in accordance with 
conditions prescribed by the competent authority, including: any work 
or service required by compulsory military service laws for work of a 
purely military character; work or service which forms part of the 
normal civic obligations of the citizens of a fully self-governing 
country; work or service exacted from any person as a consequence of a 
conviction in a court of law, provided that the said work or service is 
carried out under the supervision and control of a public authority and 
that the said person is not hired to or placed at the disposal of 
private individuals, companies or associations; work or service 
required in cases of emergency, such as in the event of war or of a 
calamity or threatened calamity, fire, flood, famine, earthquake, 
violent epidemic or epizootic diseases, invasion by animal, insect or 
vegetable pests, and in general any circumstance that would endanger 
the existence or the well-being of the whole or part of the population; 
and minor communal services of a kind which, being performed by the 
members of the community in the direct interest of the said community, 
can therefore be considered as normal civic obligations incumbent upon 
the members of the community, provided that the members of the 
community or their direct representatives have the right to be 
consulted in regard to the need for such services.

[[Page 29490]]

    ``Goods''-- ``Goods'' means goods, wares, articles, materials, 
items, supplies, and merchandise.
    ``Indentured Labor''--``Indentured labor'' means all labor 
undertaken pursuant to a contract entered into by an employee the 
enforcement of which can be accompanied by process or penalties.
    ``International Standards''--``International standards'' means 
generally accepted international standards relating to forced labor and 
child labor, such as international conventions and treaties. These 
Guidelines employ definitions of ``child labor'' and ``forced labor'' 
derived from international standards.
    ``Produced''--``Produced'' means mined, extracted, harvested, 
farmed, produced, created, and manufactured.

    Authority: 22 U.S.C. 7112(b)(2)(C)

    Signed at Washington, DC, this 6th day of May 2020.
Martha Newton,
Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2020-10341 Filed 5-14-20; 8:45 am]
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