H.R. 4678: Foreign Manufacturers Legal Accountability Act of 2010

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H.R. 4678: Foreign Manufacturers Legal Accountability Act of 2010

111th Congress · introduced 2010-02-24 · Law · Latest: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 413.

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Official title

Foreign Manufacturers Legal Accountability Act of 2010

Plain summary

Foreign Manufacturers Legal Accountability Act of 2010 - (Sec. 3) Directs the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (with respect to drugs, devices, cosmetics, and biological products), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) (with respect to consumer products), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (with respect to chemical substances, new chemical substances, and pesticides), and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) (with respect to a motor vehicle or motor vehicle products) to require foreign manufacturers and producers of such products (or components used to manufacture them), in excess of a minimum value, quantity, and frequency of importation, to register an agent in the United States who is authorized to accept service of process on their behalf for the purpose of any state or federal regulatory proceeding or civil action in state or federal court. Exempts from this Act's requirements a foreign manufacturer or producer that distributes a covered product through its U.S. parent company or U.S. subsidiary, provided certain conditions are met. Requires the registered agent to be: (1) located in a state with a substantial connection to the importation, distribution, or sale of the products; as well as (2) an individual, domestic firm, or domestic corporation that is a U.S. permanent resident. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish, maintain, and make available to the public and to the Commissioner for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP): (1) a registry of such agents; and (2) information on U.S. manufacturers or producers that have submitted certifications of responsibility and liability for their foreign manufacturers or producers or who have had their certifications removed for cause. Deems a foreign manufacturer or producer of products covered under this Act that registers an agent to consent to the personal jurisdiction of the state or federal courts of the state in which the agent is located for the purpose of any judicial proceeding. (Sec. 4) Prohibits importation into the United States of a covered product (or component part that will be used in the United States to manufacture a covered product) if the product (or component part) or any part of the product (or component part) was manufactured or produced outside the United States by a manufacturer or producer who does not have a registered agent whose authority is in effect on the date of the importation. (Sec. 5) Requires foreign manufacturers or producers of a covered product to report within five business days to the head of the applicable agency their determination to conduct a safety recall or other safety campaign of a covered product that is identical or substantially similar to a covered product offered for sale in the United States. (Sec. 6) Requires the Secretary of Agriculture and the Commissioner of Food and Drugs jointly to study the feasibility and advisability of requiring foreign producers of food distributed in commerce to register an agent in the United States who is authorized to accept service of process on behalf of such producers for the purpose of any state or federal regulatory proceeding or civil action in state or federal court. (Sec. 7) Requires the head of an applicable agency similarly to study the feasibility of methods requiring foreign manufacturers or producers of component parts of covered products distributed in U.S. commerce to register agents in the United States for purposes of such service of process. (Sec. 8) Requires the Comptroller General to study methods to enforce judgments of any state or federal regulatory proceeding or civil action in state or federal court against Chinese manufacturers that exported defective drywall to the United States during 2004-2007.

Congressional Research Service summary (Reported to House amended, Part I), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

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Needs sources: no published alternatives yet (for example a different bill, a law instead of an amendment, or keeping current law). We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

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Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Sutton, Betty [D-OH-13] · 64 cosponsors

Cost estimate: CBO cost estimate: H.R. 4678, Foreign Manufacturers Legal Accountability Act of 2010 (2010-12-09); CBO cost estimate: H.R. 4678, Foreign Manufacturers Legal Accountability Act of 2010 (2010-12-09)

Cosponsors on this site

Michael R. Turner (R-OH), Linda T. Sánchez (D-CA), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), John Garamendi (D-CA), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Judy Chu (D-CA), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. (D-GA), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Joe Courtney (D-CT), Dina Titus (D-NV), Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY), Gary C. Peters (D-MI) and 4 more.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Sources

• Congressional Research Service summary (Reported to House amended, Part I)
• Congress.gov
• Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-111hr4678.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/111/hr>

Record fed-us-cong111-hr4678 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong111 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong111