Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on 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 concerned.
The SHIELD Act would authorize the President to impose economic sanctions on foreign individuals and companies that use forced labor or child labor in cobalt mining operations overseas. The sanctions would include freezing assets in the United States and barring sanctioned individuals from entering the country or obtaining visas. The bill exempts humanitarian transactions such as food, medicine, and medical assistance from these sanctions, and allows the President to waive sanctions if deemed necessary for national security, with notice to Congress at least 15 days in advance. The legislation responds to documented reports of widespread forced labor and child labor in cobalt mining sectors in certain foreign countries and would remain in effect for seven years from enactment unless extended.
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