,i #aacth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #bffd ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,july #aa1 #bjac ,mr4 ,carney 7for himself and ,mr4 ,fitzpatrick7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce ,a ,,bill ,to direct the ,secretary of ,commerce to establish a voluntary program under which manufacturers may have products certified as meeting the standards of labels that indicate to consumers the extent to which the products are manufactured in the ,united ,states4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,made in ,america ,act of #bjac4 #b4 ,america ,star ,program 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall establish a voluntary program1 to be known as the ,america ,star ,program1 under which manufacturers may have products certified as meeting the standards of labels that indicate to consumers the extent to which the products are manufactured in the ,united ,states4 7b7 ,establishment of labels 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall by rule establish such ,america ,star labels as the ,secretary considers appropriate1 including the content of the labels and the standards that a product shall meet in order to bear a particular ,america ,star label4 ,the labels shall be consistent with public perceptions of the meaning of descriptions of the extent to which a product is manufactured in the ,united ,states4 7#b7 ,goals ,the ,america ,star labels shall be designed to achieve the following goals3 7,a7 ,providing clarity for consumers about the extent to which products are manufactured in the ,united ,states4 7,b7 ,encouraging manufacturers to manufacture more products in the ,united ,states4 7,c7 ,highlighting the importance of domestic manufacturing for the economy of the ,united ,states4 7c7 ,certification of products 7#a7 ,application procedures ,a manufacturer that wishes to have a product certified as meeting the standards of an ,america ,star label may apply to the ,secretary for certification in accordance with such procedures as the ,secretary shall by rule establish4 7#b7 ,action by ,secretary ,after receiving an application for certification under paragraph 7#a71 the ,secretary shall1 not later than a reasonable time to be specified by the ,secretary by rule-- 7,a7 determine whether the product meets the standards of the label2 7,b7 if the product meets such standards1 certify the product2 and 7,c7 notify the manufacturer of the determination and whether the product has been certified4 7d7 ,monitoring2 withdrawal of certification 7#a7 ,monitoring ,the ,secretary shall conduct such monitoring and compliance review as the ,secretary considers necessary to-- 7,a7 detect violations of subsection 7h72 and 7,b7 ensure that products certified as meeting the standards of ,america ,star labels continue to meet such standards4 7#b7 ,withdrawal of certification 7,a7 ,on initiative of ,secretary ,if the ,secretary determines that a product certified as meeting the standards of an ,america ,star label no longer meets such standards1 the ,secretary shall-- 7i7 notify the manufacturer of the determination and any corrective action that would enable the product to meet such standards2 and 7ii7 if the manufacturer does not take such action within a reasonable time after receiving notification under clause 7i71 to be specified by the ,secretary by rule1 the ,secretary shall withdraw the certification of the product and notify the manufacturer of the withdrawal4 7,b7 ,at request of manufacturer ,at the request of the manufacturer of a product1 the ,secretary shall withdraw the certification of the product and notify the manufacturer of the withdrawal4 7e7 ,regulations 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary may promulgate such regulations as are necessary to implement this section4 7#b7 ,deadline ,not later than #b years after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary shall promulgate such regulations as are necessary to begin certifying products under the ,america ,star ,program4 7f7 ,administration by contract ,the ,secretary may enter into a contract with a person under which such person carries out certification determinations under subsection 7c71 monitoring activities and withdrawal determinations under subsection 7d71 collection of fees under subsection 7k77#a7 and the remission of such fees to the ,secretary 7but not the establishment of the amounts of such fees71 and related administrative activities4 ,for purposes of subsections 7h7 and 7j71 such a determination1 activity1 or collection by such person shall be considered to be an action of the ,secretary4 7g7 ,consultation 7#a7 ,with ,federal ,trade ,commission ,in establishing the ,america ,star labels and operating the ,america ,star ,program1 the ,secretary shall consult with the ,federal ,trade ,commission to ensure consistency with the requirements enforced by the ,commission with respect to representations of the extent to which products are manufactured in the ,united ,states4 7#b7 ,with private-sector companies ,in establishing the ,america ,star labels and operating the ,america ,star ,program1 the ,secretary should consult with private-sector companies that have developed labeling programs to verify or certify to consumers the extent to which products are manufactured in the ,united ,states4 7h7 ,prohibited conduct ,unless there is in effect a certification by the ,secretary that a product meets the standards of an ,america ,star label1 a person may not place such label on such product1 use such label in any marketing materials for such product1 or in any other way represent that such product meets or is certified as meeting the standards of such label4 7i7 ,enforcement 7#a7 ,civil penalty ,any person who knowingly violates subsection 7h7 shall be subject to a civil penalty of not more than #aj1jjj4 7#b7 ,ineligibility 7,a7 ,in general ,except as provided in subparagraph 7,c71 if the ,secretary determines that a manufacturer-- 7i7 has made a false statement to the ,secretary in connection with the ,america ,star ,program2 7ii7 knowing1 or having reason to know1 that a product does not meet the standards of an ,america ,star label1 has placed such label on such product1 has used such label in any marketing materials for such product1 or in any other way has represented that such product meets or is certified as meeting the standards of such label2 or 7iii7 has otherwise violated the purposes of the ,america ,star ,program2 the ,secretary may not1 for a period of #e years after the conduct described in clause 7i71 7ii71 or 7iii71 certify the product to which such conduct relates as meeting the standards of an ,america ,star label4 7,b7 ,effect on existing certification ,in the case of a product with respect to which1 at the time of the determination of the ,secretary under subparagraph 7,a71 there is in effect a certification by the ,secretary that the product meets the standards of an ,america ,star label-- 7i7 if the product continues to meet such standards1 the ,secretary may either withdraw the certification or allow the certification to continue in effect1 as the ,secretary considers appropriate2 and 7ii7 if the product no longer meets such standards1 the ,secretary shall withdraw the certification4 7,c7 ,waiver ,notwithstanding subparagraph 7,a71 the ,secretary may waive or reduce the period referred to in such subparagraph if the ,secretary determines that the waiver or reduction is in the best interests of the ,america ,star ,program4 7#c7 ,false statements ,a false statement in connection with the ,america ,star ,program to a person with whom the ,secretary contracts under subsection 7f7 shall be considered a false statement to the ,secretary for purposes of paragraph 7#b77;,a77i7 and section #ajja of title #ah1 ,united ,states ,code4 7j7 ,administrative appeal 7#a7 ,expedited appeals procedure ,the ,secretary shall establish an expedited administrative appeals procedure under which persons may appeal an action of the ,secretary under this section that-- 7,a7 adversely affects such person2 or 7,b7 is inconsistent with the ,america ,star ,program4 7#b7 ,appeal of final decision ,a final decision of the ,secretary under paragraph 7#a7 may be appealed to the ,united ,states district court for the district in which the person is located4 7k7 ,offsetting collections 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary may collect reasonable fees from-- 7,a7 manufacturers that apply for certification of products as meeting the standards of ,america ,star labels2 and 7,b7 manufacturers of products for which such certifications are in effect4 7#b7 ,account ,the fees collected under paragraph 7#a7 shall be credited to the account that incurs the cost of the certification services provided under this section4 7#c7 ,use ,the fees collected under paragraph 7#a7 shall be available to the ,secretary1 without further appropriation or fiscal-year limitation1 to pay the expenses of the ,secretary incurred in providing certification services under this section4 7l7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,america ,star label ,the term ,america ,star label means a label described in subsection 7a7 and established by the ,secretary under subsection 7b77#a74 7#b7 ,america ,star ,program ,the term ,america ,star ,program means the voluntary labeling program established under this section4 7#c7 ,secretary ,the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of ,commerce4