§4646 Petition process

Summary

The Interagency Labor Committee must set up a way for the public to send in information about a USMCA country not following labor rules. If a petition is about a denial of rights at a covered facility, the Committee must review the information within 30 days and decide if there is enough credible evidence to trigger enforcement steps. If not, the Committee must notify the petitioner and the appropriate congressional committees. If yes, the Trade Representative must ask for a review under Annex 31–A, tell the petitioner and the congressional committees, and within 60 days decide whether to request a rapid response labor panel. If the Trade Representative decides not to, they must notify Congress with reasons and any agreed remediation plan. For other types of labor violations, the Committee must review submissions within 20 days to see if they need more review. If so, the Committee has 60 days to decide if there is enough credible evidence to start enforcement under chapter 23 or chapter 31. If the Committee finds enough evidence, the Trade Representative must, within 60 days, either begin enforcement under those chapters or notify the appropriate congressional committees explaining why no action was started.