article: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Fair International Labor Standards in Trade and Investment Act of 2001''. SEC. 2. OBJECTIVES; DUTIES OF ILAB. (a) Objectives.--The policy objectives of Congress with respect to international labor issues are as follows: (1) Fundamental economic, political, social, technological, and cross-cultural changes are proceeding in ways that accelerate global integration and interdependence. (2) The United States national interest is served by more open markets, expanding trade, and investment liberalization within the community of nations, balanced by increased respect and enforcement of universal human rights as defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the ILO Declaration of Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. (3) The American people believe that more open international trade, investment, and market access are not ends in themselves, but means for attaining greater economic justice, social responsibility, and sustainable development in both the United States and the global economy. (4) A principal objective of the international economic policy of the United States is to spread the benefits of trade and investment liberalization as broadly as possible within all trading nations and not just between them. (5) United States international economic policy should emphasize the following 4 principal goals: (A) The achievement of steadily increasing purchasing power throughout the global economy in tandem with expanding global productive capacity that leads to-- (i) the elimination of abusive child labor; (ii) rising living standards in developing and developed national economies; and (iii) the acceleration of broad-based consumer markets within all trading nations. (B) The discouragement of economic development by any nation based on the commercial exploitation of child labor and the systematic denial of internationally recognized worker rights and core labor standards, in order to gain illegitimate competitive advantage in international trade and investment. (C) The expansion of global trade and investment, not protectionism, based on growing public confidence that the rules governing international flows of capital, goods, services, technology, and labor are structured, in law and practice, to end abusive child labor and promote the rights and interests of working people as well as those of other parties to international agreements. (D) The alleviation of poverty, hunger, abusive child labor, and illiteracy through the empowerment of working people in all trading nations so that they can more fully participate in policy-making and benefit equitably from the fruits of their labor in the conduct of global trade, investment, and commerce. (b) Duties of ILAB.--Under the guidance of the Secretary of Labor, the International Labor Affairs Bureau shall have the primary responsibility for advancing the policy objectives and goals set out in subsection (a) and for coordinating all related United States activities. SEC. 3. FUNCTIONS. The Secretary of Labor is authorized to act through the International Labor Affairs Bureau, to carry out the following activities to promote fair international standards in trade and investment: (1) Represent the United States in the International Labor Organization (ILO) and support that Organization's activities, consulting with the organizations that represent employers and employees in that body. (2) Provide bilateral and multilateral technical assistance to enable developing countries in particular to-- (A) implement core labor standards; (B) strengthen governmental capacity to enforce national labor laws and protect internationally recognized worker rights; and (C) develop policies to assist workers who are adversely affected by shifts in trade and investments flows, structural adjustments, and macroeconomic changes within national economies and the global economy respectively. (3) Provide bilateral aid to foreign countries to eliminate abusive child labor and other trade and investment-related worker rights violations and to support workforce development programs to foster broad-based, equitable, and sustainable economic development in recipient countries. (4) Compile and report annually to Congress, on the extent to which each foreign country that has a trade and investment agreement with the United States protects the free exercise of internationally recognized worker rights, as required under United States law, and promotes core labor standards as embodied in the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. (5) Conduct research and analysis on the relationship between internationally recognized worker rights and core labor standards and the conduct of international, trade, commerce, and investment and related trends. SEC. 4. GRANTS. The Secretary of Labor may award grants and enter into cooperative agreements and contracts to carry out the functions described in section 3. SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF FUNDS. There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secreatry of Labor such sums as are necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act.
summary: Fair International Labor Standards in Trade and Investment Act of 2001 - Authorizes the Secretary of Labor, through the International Labor Affairs Bureau, to promote fair international standards in trade and investment by: (1) representing the United States in the International Labor Organization (ILO), supporting ILO activities, and consulting with organizations that represent employers and employees in ILO; (2) providing bilateral and multilateral technical assistance to enable developing countries in particular to implement core labor standards, strengthen governmental capacity to enforce national labor laws and protect internationally recognized worker rights, and develop policies to assist workers who are adversely affected by shifts in trade and investments flows, structural adjustments, and macroeconomic changes within national economies and the global economy; (3) providing bilateral aid to foreign countries to eliminate abusive child labor and other trade and investment-related worker rights violations and to support workforce development programs to foster broad-based, equitable, and sustainable economic development in recipient countries; (4) compiling and reporting annually to Congress on the extent to which each foreign country that has a trade and investment agreement with the United States protects the free exercise of internationally recognized worker rights as required under U.S. law, and promotes core labor standards as embodied in the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work; (5) conducting research and analysis on the relationship between internationally recognized worker rights and core labor standards and the conduct of international, trade, commerce, and investment and related trends; and (6) making grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements to carry out such functions.