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S. 4493: USTR Inspector General Act of 2020

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S. 4493: USTR Inspector General Act of 2020

116th Congress · introduced 2020-08-06 · Foreign Trade and International Finance · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2020-08-06 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Sen. Menendez, Robert [D-NJ] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. 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

USTR Inspector General Act of 2020

Plain summary

USTR Inspector General Act of 2020 This bill requires the President to appoint an Inspector General of the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), who shall conduct an audit of the process for excluding articles from certain duties with respect to articles imported from China. The required audit shall include an assessment of whether USTR officials (1) uniformly applied the criteria used to review a request for, or objection to, excluding such articles from duties; (2) met with any interested parties to discuss a request or objection while the request or objection was pending; and (3) at any time permitted the resubmission of a previously submitted request or objection after the submission deadline.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), 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

USTR Inspector General Act of 2020

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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The strongest published arguments

Arguments for (supporters)

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Arguments against (opponents)

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Alternatives

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

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Menendez, Robert [D-NJ] · 15 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Ron Wyden (D-OR), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Michael F. Bennet (D-CO), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Margaret Wood Hassan (D-NH), Jack Reed (D-RI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)

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 (1)
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).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong116-s4493 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong116 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong116