Retail Trade Groups, including American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) and National Retail Federation (NRF), issued a joint statement cheering Congressional passage of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, H.R. 6256, which bans the import of goods from areas of China allegedly using forced labor.
The statement was also signed by the National Association of Foreign-Trade Zones (NAFTZ), Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) and United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA).
The statement reads, “Today’s Congressional passage of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, H.R. 6256, is a key component of a broad global strategy, and our shared goal, to end forced labor. We thank Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA), Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) for their leadership on this legislation.
“Our members are persistent and unyielding in their efforts to identify, root out and eliminate traces of forced labor in their supply chains, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is a critical partner to supplement our members’ own due diligence. This legislation will amplify that partnership by ensuring CBP can effectively and robustly enforce not only the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, but the larger forced labor statute, by using a transparent and evidence-based process based on U.S. jurisprudence to target bad actors. These efforts are essential to effectively stop products made with forced labor from entering the United States.
“We look forward to President Biden quickly signing this bill into law and to working with CBP on crafting a smart, comprehensive, effective, and enforceable strategy to carry it out.”
Photo courtesy New York Times
