The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee approved S.118, the “Reinforcing American-Made Products Act of 2017,” by voice vote on May 18, 2017. The bill would set a single national standard for Made in USA labels.
What the bill does
S.118 would keep the power to set USA-origin labeling standards for goods sold in interstate commerce with the federal government. That would prevent states from writing their own rules for those products. Supporters had California in mind, since its law set a different threshold from the FTC’s “all or virtually all” standard and had produced class-action suits against manufacturers.
The sponsors were Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah; Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va.; Susan Collins, R-Maine; Deb Fischer, R-Neb.; and Angus King, I-Maine. The bill was introduced Jan. 12, 2017.
The committee approved it in the same markup as five other bills, including the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2017.
What came next
In July 2017, King asked President Trump to have his trade advisers support the bill. See our report on King’s letter. In August, Rep. Darrell Issa announced plans for a House version; see our Maglite coverage.
A later version passed the Senate in 2021. See our coverage of the Senate vote.
FAQ
What is S.118?
The “Reinforcing American-Made Products Act of 2017,” a bill to set a single national standard for USA-origin labels.
How did the committee vote?
It approved the bill by voice vote on May 18, 2017.
Why does it matter to manufacturers?
It would stop states such as California from setting different origin-label rules for goods sold across state lines.
Source & credit
Source: Senate Commerce Committee: “Commerce Committee Approves Six Bills, including Coast Guard Reauthorization”, May 18, 2017.
Also: just-style: Senate committee coverage.