US Congress House Bill 4128 (Prior Session Legislation)

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Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 52-5)
Status: Introduced on November 19 2009 - 25% progression, died in committee
Action: 2009-11-19 - Referred to House Armed Services
Pending: House Armed Services Committee
Text: Latest bill text (Introduced) [PDF]

Conflict Minerals Trade Act - States that it is U.S. policy to promote peace in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo by supporting efforts of the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, other governments in the Great Lakes Region of Africa, and the international community to: (1) stop commercial activities involving the natural resources of the Democratic Republic of the Congo that contribute to armed groups and human rights violations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and (2) develop stronger governance and economic institutions to improve transparency in the cross-border trade of natural resources in order to reduce exploitation by armed groups and promote local and regional development. Directs the Secretary of State to: (1) produce a Congo Conflict Minerals Map of mineral-rich zones and areas under the control of armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and (2) submit a related report to the appropriate congressional committees. Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of Commerce to provide guidance to commercial entities seeking to exercise due diligence to ensure that conflict minerals used in their products do not finance armed conflict, result in labor or human rights violations, or damage the environment. Directs the Secretary to: (1) submit a strategy to the appropriate congressional committees addressing linkages between human rights abuses, armed groups, and the mining of conflict minerals; (2) ensure that the annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices relating to the Democratic Republic of the Congo or countries that share a border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo include a description of instances where the extraction and cross-border trade in conflict minerals has negatively affected human rights conditions; and (3) include in the annual report to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development Investment Committee a description of efforts to ensure that enterprises under U.S. jurisdiction are exercising diligence to ensure that their purchases of minerals or metals are not originating from mines and trading routes that are used to finance armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) should expand programs to assist communities in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo whose livelihoods depend on the mineral trade. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to annually publish in the Federal Register a list of articles specified in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States that should be identified as likely containing conflict minerals. Requires importers of articles specified in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States that are included on the potential conflict goods list to certify on the importer's Customs declaration that such articles contain conflict minerals or are conflict mineral free. Sets forth: (1) penalties relating to the introduction of goods that contain conflict minerals into the United States; and (2) events that must prior to the expiration of this Act's provisions.

Conflict Minerals Trade Act

Rep. Earl Blumenauer [D-OR]	Sen. John Boozman [R-AR]	Rep. Anh Cao [R-LA]	Rep. Michael Capuano [D-MA]
Rep. John Conyers [D-MI]	Rep. Lincoln Davis [D-TN]	Rep. Rosa DeLauro [D-CT]	Rep. Lloyd Doggett [D-TX]
Rep. Donna Edwards [D-MD]	Rep. Eliot Engel [D-NY]	Rep. Anna Eshoo [D-CA]	Rep. Sam Farr [D-CA]
Rep. Barney Frank [D-MA]	Rep. Raul Grijalva [D-AZ]	Rep. Maurice Hinchey [D-NY]	Sen. Mazie Hirono [D-HI]
Rep. Paul Hodes [D-NH]	Rep. Rush Holt [D-NJ]	Rep. Michael Honda [D-CA]	Rep. Jay Inslee [D-WA]
Rep. Henry Johnson [D-GA]	Rep. Dale Kildee [D-MI]	Rep. Barbara Lee [D-CA]	Rep. John Lewis [D-GA]
Rep. Carolyn Maloney [D-NY]	Rep. Jim Marshall [D-GA]	Rep. Jim McDermott [D-WA]	Rep. James McGovern [D-MA]
Rep. Brad Miller [D-NC]	Rep. Dennis Moore [D-KS]	Rep. Gwen Moore [D-WI]	Rep. James Moran [D-VA]
Rep. Jerrold Nadler [D-NY]	Rep. Eleanor Norton [D-DC]	Rep. James Oberstar [D-MN]	Rep. John Olver [D-MA]
Rep. Donald Payne [D-NJ]	Rep. Thomas Perriello [D-VA]	Rep. David Price [D-NC]	Rep. Charles Rangel [D-NY]
Rep. Laura Richardson [D-CA]	Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen [R-FL]	Rep. Steven Rothman [D-NJ]	Rep. Edward Royce [R-CA]
Rep. Bobby Rush [D-IL]	Rep. Janice Schakowsky [D-IL]	Rep. Joe Sestak [D-PA]	Rep. Brad Sherman [D-CA]
Rep. Heath Shuler [D-NC]	Rep. Fortney Stark [D-CA]	Rep. John Tierney [D-MA]	Sen. Chris Van Hollen [D-MD]
Rep. Maxine Waters [D-CA]	Rep. Anthony Weiner [D-NY]	Rep. Frank Wolf [R-VA]	Rep. Lynn Woolsey [D-CA]
Rep. David Wu [D-OR]

Date	Chamber	Action
2009-11-19		Referred to House Armed Services
2009-11-19		Referred to House Ways and Means
2009-11-19		Referred to House Foreign Affairs
2009-11-19		Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Type	Source
Summary	https://www.congress.gov/bill/111th-congress/house-bill/4128/all-info
Text	https://www.congress.gov/111/bills/hr4128/BILLS-111hr4128ih.pdf