H.R. 10176: No PRC Seafood in Congress Act

This bill would bar seafood products from China from being bought, served, or sold in any congressional dining facility, such as cafeterias, restaurants, or other food service locations in the Capitol buildings or on Capitol grounds.

What counts as “Chinese seafood product”

The bill defines this broadly. A seafood product would be covered if it is:

• fished, harvested, raised, produced, or processed in whole or in part in the People’s Republic of China;
• or harvested or produced by a vessel owned or operated by a Chinese national or Chinese entity;
• or by a vessel registered under Chinese law.

For this bill, “People’s Republic of China” includes Hong Kong and Macau, but not Taiwan.

What locations and entities are covered

The ban would apply only to congressional dining facilities, meaning food service locations in the Capitol Buildings or on Capitol Grounds.

The bill says the following entities would be responsible for carrying it out:

• the House Committee on House Administration;
• the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration;
• the Architect of the Capitol;
• and any other entity with oversight over a congressional dining facility.

Implementation requirements

Within 180 days after enactment, the covered entities would have to issue regulations to implement the ban.

Those regulations would also have to require seafood suppliers for congressional dining facilities to:

• certify every country where the seafood was fished, harvested, raised, produced, or processed; and
• keep records that support those country certifications.

Why the bill gives for its rationale

The bill states that forced labor is widespread in China’s fishing, aquaculture, and seafood-processing supply chains, and that supply-chain tracing is not reliable enough to verify whether Chinese seafood is free from forced labor.

Relevant Companies

None found.