What Does The Conflict Minerals Trade Act Do?

The Conflict Minerals Trade Act in the U.S. House of Representatives would help stop the deadly conflict minerals trade from war-torn eastern Congo to cell phones and laptop computers in the United States. The war in eastern Congo, the world’s deadliest conflict since World War II with over 5.4 million people killed, is being fueled by a trade in conflict minerals worth over $183 million annually to armed groups in Congo. Introduced by Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA) in November 2009, the bill would put in place a system of audits and regulations that would help stop companies from importing conflict minerals into the United States.

What would this bill do?

The bill would regulate the import and trade of the 3T – tin, tungsten, and tantalum – minerals so that conflict minerals could not enter the United States and be part of cell phones, laptops, and other products sold in this country.

1. Conduct audits. The bill sets up audits of the processing facilities for the 3T minerals worldwide, resulting in declarations of these facilities as conflict-free or not. Third-party auditors approved by the U.S. Commerce Department would conduct the audits.
2. Require declarations of cell phones and other goods as conflict-free or not. Companies importing the products containing the 3T minerals would be required to declare whether their products “contain conflict minerals” or are “conflict mineral free.” The U.S. government would publish a full list of commercial goods that may potentially contain conflict minerals.
3. Assist Congolese communities. The bill expands U.S. assistance to improve the livelihoods of communities in eastern Congo who are dependent upon mining.
4. Map the mines. The U.S. government is tasked with creating a Conflict Minerals Map showing which mines are likely to finance conflict – and define the minerals from those mines as conflict minerals. This map would be updated every six months.
5. Devise a U.S. strategy. The bill requires the Administration to devise a comprehensive policy strategy to address the conflict minerals problem and its link to human rights abuses.
6. Follow up implementation. Under the bill, the Government Accountability Office must report on its monitoring of the effectiveness of the implementation of the bill every year.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Call or write your Representatives and urge them to cosponsor the Conflict Minerals Trade Act.

CLICK HERE to email your Representatives automatically, or call them by dialing the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and asking for your Representative’s office.