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Foreign Manufacturers Legal Accountability Act of 2010

Introduced: February 24, 2010 See on congress.gov
 Everywhere this bill has been 22 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Dec 22, 2010
Committee on Agriculture discharged.
Dec 22, 2010
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 413.
Dec 22, 2010
Committee on Ways and Means discharged.
Dec 21, 2010
House Committee on Ways and Means Granted an extension for further consideration ending not later than Dec. 22, 2010.
Dec 21, 2010
House Committee on Agriculture Granted an extension for further consideration ending not later than Dec. 22, 2010.
Dec 17, 2010
House Committee on Agriculture Granted an extension for further consideration ending not later than Dec. 21, 2010.
Dec 17, 2010
House Committee on Ways and Means Granted an extension for further consideration ending not later than Dec. 21, 2010.
Dec 16, 2010
House Committee on Agriculture Granted an extension for further consideration ending not later than Dec. 17, 2010.
Dec 16, 2010
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Energy and Commerce. H. Rept. 111-683, Part I.
Dec 16, 2010
House Committee on Ways and Means Granted an extension for further consideration ending not later than Dec. 17, 2010.
Jul 21, 2010
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Jul 21, 2010
Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 31 - 22.
Jun 30, 2010
Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee (Amended) by Voice Vote .
Jun 30, 2010
Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Jun 22, 2010
Referred to the Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture.
Mar 8, 2010
Referred to the Subcommittee on Trade.
Feb 25, 2010
Referred to the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection.
Feb 24, 2010
Referred to House Agriculture
Feb 24, 2010
Referred to House Ways and Means
Feb 24, 2010
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and Agriculture, 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.
Feb 24, 2010
Referred to House Energy and Commerce
Feb 24, 2010
Introduced in House
 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Foreign Manufacturers Legal Accountability Act of 2010 - (Sec. 3) Directs the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (with respect to drugs, devices, cosmetics, and biological products), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) (with respect to consumer products), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (with respect to chemical substances, new chemical substances, and pesticides), and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) (with respect to a motor vehicle or motor vehicle products) to require foreign manufacturers and producers of such products (or components used to manufacture them), in excess of a minimum value, quantity, and frequency of importation, to register an agent in the United States who is authorized to accept service of process on their behalf for the purpose of any state or federal regulatory proceeding or civil action in state or federal court.

Exempts from this Act's requirements a foreign manufacturer or producer that distributes a covered product through its U.S. parent company or U.S. subsidiary, provided certain conditions are met.

Requires the registered agent to be: (1) located in a state with a substantial connection to the importation, distribution, or sale of the products; as well as (2) an individual, domestic firm, or domestic corporation that is a U.S. permanent resident.

Directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish, maintain, and make available to the public and to the Commissioner for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP): (1) a registry of such agents; and (2) information on U.S. manufacturers or producers that have submitted certifications of responsibility and liability for their foreign manufacturers or producers or who have had their certifications removed for cause.

Deems a foreign manufacturer or producer of products covered under this Act that registers an agent to consent to the personal jurisdiction of the state or federal courts of the state in which the agent is located for the purpose of any judicial proceeding.

(Sec. 4) Prohibits importation into the United States of a covered product (or component part that will be used in the United States to manufacture a covered product) if the product (or component part) or any part of the product (or component part) was manufactured or produced outside the United States by a manufacturer or producer who does not have a registered agent whose authority is in effect on the date of the importation.

(Sec. 5) Requires foreign manufacturers or producers of a covered product to report within five business days to the head of the applicable agency their determination to conduct a safety recall or other safety campaign of a covered product that is identical or substantially similar to a covered product offered for sale in the United States.

(Sec. 6) Requires the Secretary of Agriculture and the Commissioner of Food and Drugs jointly to study the feasibility and advisability of requiring foreign producers of food distributed in commerce to register an agent in the United States who is authorized to accept service of process on behalf of such producers for the purpose of any state or federal regulatory proceeding or civil action in state or federal court.

(Sec. 7) Requires the head of an applicable agency similarly to study the feasibility of methods requiring foreign manufacturers or producers of component parts of covered products distributed in U.S. commerce to register agents in the United States for purposes of such service of process.

(Sec. 8) Requires the Comptroller General to study methods to enforce judgments of any state or federal regulatory proceeding or civil action in state or federal court against Chinese manufacturers that exported defective drywall to the United States during 2004-2007.

What's happening now December 22, 2010

Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 413.

 Committees of jurisdiction 6