H.R. 5209 — HOPE for Haitian Prosperity Act of 2025

This section modifies verification and compliance procedures for preferential duty-free treatment of certain Haitian apparel and other articles under the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (i.e., the Haiti HOPE program). Specifically, it (1) authorizes interested parties to request review of individual producers' eligibility based on compliance with core labor standards (i.e., freedom of association, collective bargaining, elimination of forced labor and child labor, and employment discrimination), Haitian labor laws consistent therewith, and laws on minimum wages and hours of work; (2) requires annual (from biennial) assessments of producers' compliance needs; (3) authorizes the President to withdraw, suspend, or limit preferential treatment for articles from a producer receiving remediation assistance; and (4) conforms statutory references to include the expanded labor law requirements.

This section revises the preferential duty treatment program for apparel and other articles produced in Haiti (i.e., HOPE Act, 19 U.S.C. 2703a). Specifically, it (1) adds "a safe and healthy working environment" to the definition of core labor standards; (2) for certain apparel requiring 60% U.S. value content, sets the threshold at 60% and extends eligibility through 17 succeeding 1-year periods (from 7); (3) extends quantitative limitations for specified apparel through 28 succeeding 1-year periods (from 16); (4) extends limitations for other specified apparel through 26 succeeding 1-year periods (from 16); (5) in verification and enforcement provisions, removes references to occupational safety and health (retaining hours of work); and (6) extends the program's expiration date to 2037 (from 2025). (As background, the HOPE Act provides duty-free U.S. market access for qualifying Haitian apparel assembled from U.S. yarns or fabrics or meeting value-content rules, subject to annually increasing import caps, to promote economic development and employment in Haiti.)

This section directs the U.S. Trade Representative to provide technical assistance—coordinated with the International Trade Center and developed through a participatory process with Haitian government agencies, trade support institutions (e.g., Haitian Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Haitian Chamber of Commerce and Industry), employers, workers, and labor unions—to increase and diversify exports from Haiti to the United States. The assistance targets (1) enhancing competitiveness of export-oriented value chains; (2) strengthening trade support institutions and the business climate; and (3) developing strategies to utilize U.S. trade preference programs, with priority on agricultural processing exports, apparel sector competitiveness and labor compliance, supporting services for export sectors, and institutional capacity building in government, nonprofit, and private sectors. (As background, such preferences under the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act, as amended by the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement (HOPE) and Haiti Economic Lift Program (HELP) Acts, provide duty-free access for certain Haitian exports, including apparel.) This section further requires the President to include in the annual trade report under 19 U.S.C. 2213(a)—submitted to Congress by March 1 each year—a description of actions taken to provide the assistance (including outcome metrics), the participatory process (including participants), with coordination sought from the International Trade Center.