To ensure that goods made with forced labor in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China do not enter the United States market, and for other purposes.
Public Law 117-78 · H.R. 6256 · 117th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Joe Biden (D) on Dec 23, 2021 · International Affairs
Sponsor: Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA-2)
Cosponsors (1): Rep. Chris Smith
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
This bill imposes importation limits on goods produced using forced labor in China, especially the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, and imposes sanctions related to such forced labor.
The Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force shall report to Congress a strategy for preventing the importation of goods produced in China using forced labor. The strategy must contain certain information, including a list of entities (1) producing goods in Xinjiang using forced labor; or (2) working with the government in Xinjiang to move forced labor or Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, or members of other persecuted groups out of Xinjiang.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection shall generally presume that goods produced by these entities and certain other entities, including those sourcing material from Xinjiang or involved with Chinese government forced labor programs, are barred from importation into the United States. An importer may rebut this presumption by establishing, with clear and convincing evidence, that the good in question was not produced wholly or in part using forced labor.
The bill also expands existing asset- and visa-blocking sanctions related to Xinjiang to cover foreign individuals and entities responsible for serious human rights abuses in connection with forced labor.
The Department of State shall report to Congress a strategy to enhance international awareness of forced labor in Xinjiang and to address such forced labor.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.
S. 65Related bill
Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 13 actions.
- Dec 23, 2021Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 117-78.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Dec 20, 2021FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Dec 16, 2021FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- Dec 15, 2021CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate, read twice.
- Dec 14, 2021FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 6256.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Meeks moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and the Judiciary, 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 con…
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
No amendments to this bill are on record.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.