Jack Brooks: “I must rise in opposition to the amendment offered by the gentleman from Ohio. While this amendment is apparently…”

“I must rise in opposition to the amendment offered by the gentleman from Ohio. While this amendment is apparently well-intentioned--and I support the goal of the gentleman--his amendment's potential effect on domestic commerce could be staggering. Without the benefit of any hearings, I believe we should treat very carefully in this area. The amendment would require the establishment of a whole new bureaucracy at the Department of Commerce. Every single business--in your district, whether 'mom and pop' or 'Fortune 500'--would have to register, with the Department of Commerce, every single product that businessperson wants to label as made in America. There is no such registry system now in place at the Commerce Department now. Once a product is registered, then the Secretary of Commerce has the obligation to determine if 60 percent of the product was manufactured in the United States and if final assembly of the product did take place in the United States. As you know, I have vigorously supported domestic content laws; but, the unintended effects of the regulatory scheme involved here must be more carefully worked out. For this reason, I oppose the amendment in its current form for inclusion in the crime bill and hope Members will oppose the amendment.”