PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Apr 29, 2021
Pakistan-Afghanistan Economic Development Act
This bill allows for duty-free treatment for certain goods from designated Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (ROZs) in Afghanistan and the border regions of Pakistan.
Specifically, the bill allows the President to designate ROZs within Afghanistan or parts of Pakistan, provided certain eligibility criteria are met. The countries must, among other conditions (1) establish (or make continual progress toward establishing) a market-based economy, the rule of law, certain economic policies, a system to combat corruption and bribery, and the protection of core labor standards; and (2) eliminate barriers to trade and investment.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
Additionally, the bill allows the President to provide duty-free treatment for certain textile and apparel products, as well as nontextile and nonapparel products, from a ROZ through September 30, 2031.
The bill sets forth requirements to prevent the unlawful transshipment of textile or apparel products. Further, it outlines customs procedures and enforcement.
Products from a ROZ in Afghanistan or Pakistan may continue to receive duty-free treatment only if the President certifies to Congress that the countries have complied with certain requirements, including that the countries must designate a labor official.
The President may withdraw, suspend, or limit the application of duty-free treatment under the bill.
People & committees
Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD] · D–MD
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Jan 3, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
AI Conversation Starters
Choose a perspective, copy a prompt, and paste it into your preferred AI. Each prompt includes the bill version and available official source links, and asks for counterarguments as well as supporting evidence.
Analyze S.1481 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
Examine S.1481 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.
Examine S.1481 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.
Examine S.1481 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.