H.R. 3737: Foreign Manufacturers Legal Accountability Act of 2019

116th Congress · introduced 2019-07-12 · Foreign Trade and International Finance · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2019-07-12 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Cartwright, Matt [D-PA-8] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Foreign Manufacturers Legal Accountability Act of 2019

Plain summary

Foreign Manufacturers Legal Accountability Act of 2019 This bill requires a foreign manufacturer of products imported into the United States to establish a registered agent in the United States to accept service of process for regulatory proceedings or civil actions. Specifically, the bill requires specified agencies to implement regulations requiring a foreign manufacturer or producer to establish a registered agent who is authorized to accept process on behalf of the manufacturer or producer. The agent must be located in a state with substantial connection to the import, distribution, or sale of the product and, by registering an agent, the manufacturer or producer consents to the personal jurisdiction of the courts of that state. Additionally, the Department of Commerce must establish, maintain, and make publicly available a registry of such agents. The Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration must also jointly report on whether to require a foreign producer of imported food to register such an agent.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Foreign Manufacturers Legal Accountability Act of 2019

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Cartwright, Matt [D-PA-8] · 0 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

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.

Words on this page, explained (4)

Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Jurisdiction: The area or the matters a government or court has authority over.
Rulemaking: The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-116hr3737.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/116/hr>

Record fed-us-cong116-hr3737 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong116 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong116