§4331 Interagency Import Safety Working Group

Summary

Creates an interagency Import Safety Working Group to coordinate how the federal government keeps imported goods safe. The group must include the heads (or their designees) of key agencies: the Secretary of Homeland Security (who must be Chair), the Secretary of Health and Human Services (who must be Vice Chair), the Secretaries of the Treasury, Commerce, and Agriculture; the U.S. Trade Representative; the Director of the Office of Management and Budget; the Commissioners of Food and Drugs and of U.S. Customs and Border Protection; the Chair of the Consumer Product Safety Commission; the Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; and any other agency head the President adds. The group must help create the joint import safety rapid response plan required under section 4332. It must regularly check whether federal plans, practices, and resources protect the safety of imports and allow quick entry into the United States, reduce duplicated work, and make agency rules compatible. It must review how foreign governments and foreign manufacturers cooperate with inspections and certifications. It must identify best practices for U.S. importers (such as inspecting foreign factories, inspecting goods before export or before U.S. distribution, and protecting the international supply chain (as defined in section 901 of title 6)). It must also find ways for federal, state, and local governments and port authorities to improve coordination and recommend steps to increase importer accountability and foreign government engagement.