H.R. 5209

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5209 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5209

To modify the special rules for Haiti under the Caribbean Basin 
Economic Recovery Act, to extend preferential duty treatment program 
for Haiti under that Act, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

September 8, 2025

Ms. Plaskett (for herself, Ms. Sanchez, Ms. Clarke of New York, Ms. 
Waters, Ms. DelBene, Mr. Beyer, Ms. Chu, Ms. Sewell, Ms. Moore of 
Wisconsin, Mr. Suozzi, Mr. Gomez, Mr. Evans of Pennsylvania, Mr. 
Panetta, Mr. Horsford, Mr. Larson of Connecticut, Mr. Amo, Mr. Johnson 
of Georgia, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Mr. Mfume, Mrs. Foushee, and Ms. 
Wilson of Florida) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To modify the special rules for Haiti under the Caribbean Basin 
Economic Recovery Act, to extend preferential duty treatment program 
for Haiti under that Act, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Hemispheric Opportunity through 
Partnership Enhancement for Haitian Prosperity Act of 2025'' or the 
``HOPE for Haitian Prosperity Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. MODIFICATION OF SPECIAL RULES FOR HAITI UNDER THE CARIBBEAN 
BASIN ECONOMIC RECOVERY ACT.

(a) Eligibility Requirements.--Section 213A(d)(4) of the Caribbean 
Basin Economic Recovery Act (19 U.S.C. 2703a(d)(4)) is amended--
(1) by striking ``Any interested party'' and inserting the 
following:
``(A) In general.--Any interested party'';
(2) by striking ``paragraph (1),'' and inserting 
``paragraph (1).'';
(3) by striking ``and the President shall provide for this 
purpose'' and inserting the following:
``(C) Applicable procedures.--The President shall 
provide for the purpose of subparagraph (A) and the 
purpose of subparagraph (B)''; and
(4) by inserting after subparagraph (A) (as so designated) 
the following:
``(B) Compliance with core labor standards and with 
the labor laws of haiti.--Any interested party may file 
a request to have the status of individual producers 
reviewed with respect to compliance with core labor 
standards and with the labor laws of Haiti that 
directly relate to and are consistent with core labor 
standards and with the labor laws of Haiti that relate 
to acceptable conditions of work with respect to 
minimum wages and hours of work.''.
(b) Technical Assistance Improvement and Compliance Needs 
Assessment and Remediation Program.--Section 213A(e)(4)(B) of the 
Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (19 U.S.C. 2703a(e)(4)(B)) is 
amended--
(1) in clause (i)--
(A) by striking ``a biennial basis'' and inserting 
``an annual basis''; and
(B) by adding at the end before the period the 
following: ``or with the labor laws of Haiti that 
relate to acceptable conditions of work with respect to 
minimum wages and hours of work'';
(2) in clause (ii)--
(A) in the first sentence, by adding at the end 
before the period the following: ``and with the labor 
laws of Haiti that relate to acceptable conditions of 
work with respect to minimum wages and hours of work''; 
and
(B) by inserting after the first sentence the 
following new sentence: ``The President may withdraw, 
suspend, or limit the application of preferential 
treatment under subsection (b) to articles of such 
producer during the period in which assistance 
described in the preceding sentence is being provided 
to the producer.''; and
(3) in clause (iii), by inserting after ``and are 
consistent with core labor standards'' the following: ``and 
with the labor laws of Haiti that relate to acceptable 
conditions of work with respect to minimum wages and hours of 
work''.

SEC. 3. EXTENSION OF PREFERENTIAL DUTY TREATMENT PROGRAM FOR HAITI.

Section 213A of the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (19 
U.S.C. 2703a) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)(3)--
(A) in subparagraph (D), by striking ``and'' at the 
end;
(B) in subparagraph (E), by striking the period at 
the end and inserting ``; and''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(F) a safe and healthy working environment.'';
(2) in subsection (b)--
(A) in paragraph (1)--
(i) in subparagraph (B)(v)(I)--
(I) by striking ``means'' and all 
that follows through ``60 percent'' and 
inserting ``means 60 percent''; and
(II) by striking ``7 succeeding 1-
year periods'' and inserting ``17 
succeeding 1-year periods''; and
(ii) in subparagraph (C)--
(I) in the table, by striking ``16 
succeeding 1-year periods'' and 
inserting ``28 succeeding 1-year 
periods''; and
(II) in the matter following the 
table, by striking ``2025'' and 
inserting ``2037''; and
(B) in paragraph (2)--
(i) in subparagraph (A)(ii), by striking 
``16 succeeding 1-year periods'' and inserting 
``26 succeeding 1-year periods''; and
(ii) in subparagraph (B)(iii), by striking 
``16 succeeding 1-year periods'' and inserting 
``26 succeeding 1-year periods'';
(3) in subsection (d)(1)(A)(vi), by striking ``, hours of 
work, and occupational safety and health'' and inserting ``and 
hours of work'';
(4) in subsection (e)(3)--
(A) in subparagraph (B)(ii), by striking ``, hours 
of work, and occupational health and safety'' and 
inserting ``and hours of work''; and
(B) in subparagraph (E)(ii), by striking ``, hours 
of work, and occupational safety and health'' and 
inserting ``and hours of work''; and
(5) in subsection (h), by striking ``2025'' and inserting 
``2037''.

SEC. 4. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO INCREASE AND DIVERSIFY EXPORTS FROM 
HAITI TO THE UNITED STATES.

Section 213A of the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (19 
U.S.C. 2703a), as amended by this Act, is further amended by adding at 
the end the following:
``(i) Technical Assistance To Increase and Diversify Exports From 
Haiti to the United States.--
``(1) In general.--The United States Trade Representative 
shall provide technical assistance to the agencies, entities, 
and individuals specified in clauses (i) through (v) of 
paragraph (2)(B), to increase and diversify exports from Haiti 
to the United States with the objectives of--
``(A) increasing and diversifying export-oriented 
value chains in Haiti through measures that enhance the 
competitiveness of firms in Haiti;
``(B) reinforcing the capacity of trade support 
institutions to enhance the business climate in Haiti; 
and
``(C) developing utilization strategies for Haiti 
to further explore export opportunities under United 
States trade preference programs.
``(2) Requirements.--The Trade Representative--
``(A) shall seek to coordinate with the 
International Trade Center to develop and provide 
technical assistance;
``(B) shall establish a participatory process to 
develop the technical assistance that includes--
``(i) appropriate agencies of the 
Government of Haiti;
``(ii) trade support institutions in Haiti;
``(iii) employers in Haiti;
``(iv) workers in Haiti; and
``(v) labor unions in Haiti; and
``(C) shall consult with the Committee on Ways and 
Means of the House of Representatives and the Committee 
on Finance of the Senate regarding the development and 
provision of technical assistance.
``(3) Priority.--Technical assistance provided pursuant to 
this subsection shall focus on--
``(A) developing agricultural processing exports to 
the United States;
``(B) improving competitiveness and labor 
compliance in the apparel sector;
``(C) improving key services that support the 
competitiveness of sectors with export potential to the 
United States; and
``(D) providing the institutional capacity for 
government, non-profit, and private sector bodies to 
increase and diversify exports to the United States.
``(4) Reports.--
``(A) In general.--The President shall include in 
each report required to be submitted to Congress under 
section 163(a) of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 
2213(a)) the following:
``(i) A description of the actions taken to 
provide technical assistance during the 
preceding calendar year, including metrics 
related to the outcomes achieved through such 
assistance.
``(ii) A description of the actions taken 
regarding the participatory process under 
paragraph (3)(B) during the preceding calendar 
year, including an identification of the 
agencies, entities, and individuals specified 
in clauses (i) through (v) of paragraph (2)(B) 
that participated.
``(B) Coordination.--The President shall seek to 
coordinate with the International Trade Center in 
carrying out this paragraph.
``(5) Definitions.--In this subsection--
``(A) the term `International Trade Center'--
``(i) means the joint agency of the United 
Nations Conference on Trade and Development and 
the World Trade Organization, originally 
established by the Contracting Parties of the 
General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade on March 
19, 1964, and from January 1, 1968, operated 
jointly with the United Nations Conference on 
Trade and Development; and
``(ii) includes any subdivision, 
instrumentality, or designee thereof; and
``(B) the term `trade support institutions' means 
key actors that support the export-oriented business 
climate, such as--
``(i) the Haitian Ministry of Commerce and 
Industry;
``(ii) the Haitian Chamber of Commerce and 
Industry; and
``(iii) trade promotion organizations.''.
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