Lummis, Peters’ Legislation to Combat Human Rights Abuses Advances in Senate

U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) and U.S. Senator Gary Peters’ (D-MI) “Combatting Human Rights Abuses Act” was recently approved by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and will be brought to the Senate floor for a vote. The legislation would direct the Commerce Department to help educate U.S. businesses that are, or are considering, doing business in foreign jurisdictions where significant human rights abuses have occurred, such as Russia and the People’s Republic of China.

Lummis said small businesses across Wyoming want to do right by the workers who produce their products and they do not want to empower authoritarian regimes, like those in Russia and China, to commit human rights abuses against their own citizens. Lummis added that the legislation equips businesses with the information they need to make sure their products are not made with slave labor.

The Commerce Department already provides valuable assistance to help U.S. businesses break into new markets and this bipartisan bill would build on existing human rights training for department staff. It ensures that the Department’s workforce is specifically informed about emerging trends and issues when it comes to human rights abuses occurring around the world.