Sec. 103. United States-Colombia Labor Compact
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The Secretary of State, in coordination with the Secretary of Labor and the United States Trade Representative, is authorized to enter into a bilateral agreement of not less than 7 years in duration with the Government of Colombia to continue strengthening labor rights, labor policies, and labor competitiveness in the country. The agreement shall be known as the United States-Colombia Labor Compact (referred to in this section as the Compact ). The Compact shall establish a multi-year strategy to— address the findings in the 2021 Executive Report of the Misión de Empleo de Colombia; further advance the objectives set forth under the related goals of the 2016 peace accord and the Colombian Action Plan Related to Labor Rights of April 7, 2011 (referred to in this section as the Labor Action Plan ); promote labor formalization in Colombia; protect internationally recognized labor rights, including with respect to freedom of association, elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labor, prohibitions on child labor, and acceptable work conditions; address and prevent violence against labor organizations and trade unions and prosecute the perpetrators of such violence; and promote competitive labor for Colombia at the level of other international markets, allowing increased job opportunities.
The strategy required under subsection
(c)shall— be informed by consultations with labor organizations, trade unions, and companies and other private sector enterprises in the United States and Colombia; be informed by assessments, including assessments by the Department of Labor’s International Labor Affairs Bureau, of the areas in Colombia experiencing the highest incidence of labor rights violations and violence against labor organizations and trade unions; identify clear and measurable goals, objectives, and benchmarks under the Compact to detect, deter, and respond to labor rights violations and violence against labor leaders; set out clear roles, responsibilities, and objectives under the Compact, which shall include a description of policies and financial commitments of the United States Government and the Government of Colombia; provide for the conduct of an impact evaluation not later than 1 year after the conclusion of the negotiations of the Compact and biannually thereafter; provide for a full accounting of all United States funds expended under the Compact, which shall include full audit authority for the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of State, the Office of the Inspector General of the United States Agency for International Development, and the Government Accountability Office, as appropriate; and enhance the bilateral coordination through the relevant agencies and the United States labor attaché in Bogota, to facilitate progress in the implementation of the strategy. The President shall establish an interagency task force to advance, monitor, enforce, and evaluate the negotiation and signing of the Compact (referred to in this section as the Labor Task Force ), which shall consist of— the Secretary of State, who shall serve as the Chair; the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development; the Secretary of Labor; the United States Trade Representative; and any other Federal officials as may be designated by the President. The Labor Task Force shall— engage with the Government of Colombia to design and implement the Compact; engage in consultation and advocacy with nongovernmental organizations, including labor organizations and trade unions in the United States and Colombia, to advance the purposes of this section; assess efforts by the United States Government and the Government of Colombia to implement the Compact; and establish regular meetings of the Labor Task Force to ensure closer coordination across departments and agencies in the development of policies regarding the Compact. The activities described in subsection
(f)shall include an in-depth analysis of the impact of the United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement on vulnerable populations, including women and Afro-Colombian, Indigenous, and migrant communities, and recommendations on ways to ensure that those communities are better assisted and protected. Not later than 15 days after entering into a Compact with the Government of Colombia, the Secretary of State, in coordination with the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development and the Secretary of Labor, shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate, the Committee on Finance of the Senate, the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives— a copy of the proposed Compact; and a copy of any annexes, appendices, or implementation plans related to the Compact. Not later than 1 year after entering into a Compact, and annually during the period in which the Compact is in effect, the Secretary of State, in coordination with the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, shall submit a report to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives that describes the progress made under the Compact and includes recommendations for strengthening United States implementation of the Compact.