Chris Smith: “H.R. 2195, which has now 27 cosponsors from both sides of the aisle, represents a modest but important first step toward…”

“H.R. 2195, which has now 27 cosponsors from both sides of the aisle, represents a modest but important first step toward enforcing already existing U.S. law regarding slave-made products. First it authorizes $2 million in fiscal year 1999 for additional monitoring by the United States Customs Service for products made with slave labor. Second, it requires the Commissioner of Customs to report to Congress on the manufacture and export of products made with slave labor. Finally, it expresses the sense of Congress that the President should determine whether China is frustrating implementation of the memorandum of understanding, and if the answer is affirmative, then he should begin negotiations for a new MOU with effective monitoring procedures. I can say parenthetically, that cannot start a moment too soon, because I have been watching this as chairman of the Subcommittee on International Operations and Human Rights for a number of years, and we know that despite some action that has been taken, the MOU and its follow-on document was flawed. This is not because we are unfairly singling out China, but because China is far and away the biggest source of slave-made goods.”