Bill > HR4443

This bill aims to address the issue of child labor and forced labor in the mining industry of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), particularly in the production of strategic metals and minerals like cobalt and lithium that are essential for electric vehicles and other technologies. The key provisions of the bill include: 1. Establishing a rebuttable presumption that goods produced with child or forced labor in the DRC mining industry (referred to as "covered DRC goods") are prohibited from entering the United States market under Section 307 of the Tariff Act of 1930. 2. Requiring the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force to develop an enforcement strategy to address child and forced labor in the DRC mining industry and recommend alternative sources of supply. 3. Directing the State Department to develop a diplomatic strategy to enhance international coordination and awareness to prevent and mitigate child and forced labor in the DRC mining sector. 4. Authorizing the President to impose sanctions on foreign persons, including DRC government officials, who knowingly engage in or facilitate child and forced labor in the DRC mining industry. 5. Directing USAID to increase efforts to prevent child and forced labor in the DRC mining industry, including by enhancing transparency, strengthening social infrastructure, and supporting entrepreneurial alternatives. The bill aims to counter China's dominant position in the DRC's strategic metals and minerals supply chain, which has been linked to human rights abuses and worker safety issues under Chinese ownership and control.