Skip to main content
H.R. 4882 102nd Congress House

Western Hemisphere Environmental, Labor, and Agricultural Standards Act of 1992

Official title: To provide for the multilateral negotiation of Western Hemisphere environmental, labor, and agricultural standards, to implement as United States negotiating o… Show full official titleShow less

Official title: To provide for the multilateral negotiation of Western Hemisphere environmental, labor, and agricultural standards, to implement as United States negotiating objectives in any free trade area negotiations pursuant to the Enterprise for the Americas Initiative certain threshold protections regarding worker rights, agricultural standards, and environmental quality, and to implement a corresponding, comprehensive multilateral dispute resolution mechanism to investigate, adjudicate, and render binding, enforceable judgments against any unfair trade practices arising within the Western Hemisphere free trade area, including those involving the systematic denial or practical negation of certain threshold protections of worker rights, agricultural standards, and environmental quality.

Introduced: April 9, 1992 See on congress.gov
Foreign Trade and International Finance Agricultural economicsAgriculture in foreign tradeCanadaChild labor
More subjectsShow fewer subjects
Collective bargainingCustoms unionsDispute settlementEmployee rightsEnvironmental ProtectionEquality before the lawExecutive Office of the PresidentExecutive reorganizationFederal advisory bodiesFree tradeFreedom of informationHazardous waste disposalHours of laborHuman rightsInternational agenciesInternational environmental cooperationInternational tradeLabor disputesLabor unionsMexicoNontariff trade barriersOccupational health and safetyRestrictive trade practicesStandardsTrade agreementsTrade negotiationsWestern Hemisphere
This bill died when the 102nd Congress ended
It never became law before the 102nd Congress (1991–1992) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Apr 22, 1992
Referred to the Subcommittee on Trade.
Apr 9, 1992
Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Apr 9, 1992
Introduced in House
 Ask about this bill AI · grounded in the bill text

Have a question about what this bill does? Ask in plain English; the answer is drawn from the bill's actual text and official record, and it'll tell you when something isn't in the text rather than guess.

AI answers can be imperfect; always confirm against the full bill text.

 Latest action April 22, 1992

Referred to the Subcommittee on Trade.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Western Hemisphere Environmental, Labor, and Agricultural Standards Act of 1992 - Declares that any free-trade area agreement negotiated under the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 (OTCA) in furtherance of the Enterprise for the Americas Initiative with any country in the Western Hemisphere outside North America must include the achievement of certain environmental, labor, and agricultural standards as principal negotiating objectives in addition to any other OTCA mandates.

Sets forth worker rights and standards, including among others: (1) freedom of association and the right to organize free and independent unions, bargain collectively, and strike; (2) certain minimum ages for the employment of children in specified circumstances; (3) the right to a healthy working environment; (4) equal protection; and (5) humane standards of wages and hours of work.

Sets forth principal negotiating objectives for environmental quality and protection, including among others: (1) protection of the integrity of ecosystems; (2) a process for full public disclosures of kinds, quantities, and risks of toxic chemical and hazardous substance discharges; and (3) prevention of the export of toxic and hazardous substances and products, and of products manufactured, extracted, or grown under environmental or workplace safety and health conditions that undermine comparable standards in the importing country.

Requires adoption, in any such agreement, of the principle that systematic denial or practical negation of such labor and environmental standards constitutes an actionable unfair trade practice.

Requires any such agreement to establish a comprehensive dispute resolution process with specified provisions, including one for a multilateral commission with authority to investigate, adjudicate, and issue timely binding judgments.

Requires the Director of the Office of Science and Technology to establish, through the Federal Coordinating Council on Science, Engineering, and Technology, an interagency committee to provide technical assistance to U.S. experts on the multilateral dispute resolution commission.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 4882: Western Hemisphere Environmental, Labor, and Agricultural Standards Act of 1992. 102nd Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/102-HR-4882/
MLA
"H.R. 4882: Western Hemisphere Environmental, Labor, and Agricultural Standards Act of 1992." 102nd Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/102-HR-4882/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 4882, 102nd Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/102-HR-4882/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 4882: Western Hemisphere Environmental, Labor, and Agricultural Standards Act of 1992](https://openamerica.io/bill/102-HR-4882/)
Report a problem