[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6517 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 6517
To amend the Act of March 4, 1913, to establish the Bureau of
International Labor Affairs within the Department of Labor, and for
other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 28, 2022
Mr. DeSaulnier (for himself and Mr. Walberg) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in
addition to the Committees on Education and Labor, and Ways and Means,
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
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Act of March 4, 1913, to establish the Bureau of
International Labor Affairs within the Department of Labor, and for
other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Bureau of International Labor
Affairs Authorization Act of 2022''.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT.
The Act of March 4, 1913 (37 Stat. 736, chapter 141; 29 U.S.C. 551
et seq.), is amended by adding at the end the following:
``SEC. 12. BUREAU OF INTERNATIONAL LABOR AFFAIRS.
``(a) Establishment of the Bureau of International Labor Affairs.--
``(1) In general.--There is established within the
Department of Labor a Bureau of International Labor Affairs
(referred to in this section as the `Bureau'). The Bureau shall
include offices to carry out functions related to--
``(A) trade and labor affairs;
``(B) child labor, forced labor, and human
trafficking;
``(C) international relations and economic affairs;
and
``(D) other functions and activities as designated
by the Secretary of Labor.
``(2) Deputy undersecretary.--The Secretary of Labor shall
appoint a Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs to
head the Bureau. The Deputy Undersecretary for International
Affairs shall continue to carry out all duties assigned to the
Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs as of the day
before the date of enactment of the Bureau of International
Labor Affairs Authorization Act of 2022 and other duties and
functions, as appropriate, to fulfill the mission of the
Bureau.
``(3) Functions.--The functions of the Bureau on and after
the date of enactment of the Bureau of International Labor
Affairs Authorization Act of 2022 shall include the
responsibilities and functions of the Bureau on the day before
the date of enactment of the Bureau of International Labor
Affairs Authorization Act of 2022, and include all of its
personnel, assets, authorities, liabilities, and other
resources, including representational funds, required to
support such functions.
``(4) Mission.--The mission of the Bureau shall be to--
``(A) promote labor rights and a fair global
playing field for workers and businesses in the United
States and around the world by strengthening
international labor standards, supporting enforcement
of trade commitments, empowering workers, and combating
international child labor, forced labor, and human
trafficking;
``(B) assist trading partners, through technical
assistance and capacity building, in improving working
conditions, combating child labor, forced labor, and
human trafficking, raising living standards, and
protecting the ability of workers to exercise their
internationally recognized labor rights;
``(C) support negotiations and enforcement, and
conduct monitoring and administration, of labor
commitments in trade agreements and preference
programs;
``(D) hire and designate labor attaches to serve at
United States diplomatic and consular posts to assess
working conditions, advance worker rights, support
trade enforcement, address the workplace exploitation
of children and other vulnerable populations, and serve
as authoritative experts on labor policies and
practices;
``(E) carry out representational activities,
research, and other functions as designated by the
Secretary of Labor; and
``(F) implement the duties and responsibilities
assigned to the Department of Labor under the
Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C.
7101 et seq.), the Trade and Development Act of 2000
(19 U.S.C. 3701 et seq.), the United States-Mexico-
Canada Agreement Implementation Act (Public Law 116-
113), and other Acts, and executive orders, as
appropriate.
``(b) Grants, Contracts, and Cooperative Agreements.--The Secretary
of Labor may utilize funds made available to the Bureau to administer
international labor programs and provide bilateral and multilateral
technical assistance by or through contracts, grants, cooperative
agreements, and other arrangements to carry out the mission and
functions set forth in this section.
``(c) Report to Congress.--The Secretary shall submit to Congress
on an annual basis a report on the activities of the Bureau during the
previous year, including--
``(1) activities to prevent forced and child labor;
``(2) support for trade agreement monitoring and
enforcement activities;
``(3) the location and activities of labor attaches; and
``(4) the use of funds for contracts, grants, cooperative
agreements and other funding arrangements.''.
<all>