Bill > S1685

This bill requires the Secretary of the Treasury to direct United States Executive Directors at international financial institutions to actively oppose loans or projects that involve forced labor, with a particular focus on projects in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) of China. The bill provides context through congressional findings that highlight documented instances of forced labor against Uyghur people, including reports from the International Labour Organization and the Congressional-Executive Commission on China. It mandates that U.S. representatives use their voting power to block loans to projects with significant forced labor risks, and requires these institutions to provide detailed explanations of how they have vetted projects for such risks and what actions they've taken to mitigate them. The bill defines forced labor broadly, including convict labor and indentured labor under penal sanctions. Additionally, the Secretary of the Treasury must submit annual reports to congressional committees for the next five years detailing efforts to oppose forced labor projects, with these reports to be made publicly available. The underlying goal is to prevent international financial institutions from funding projects that potentially exploit workers, especially in regions like Xinjiang where systemic forced labor has been documented.

Government Affairs

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1685/all-info