PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Jul 26, 2012
China Fair Trade Act of 2012 - Amends the Trade Agreements Act of 1979 to provide that certain exceptions and waivers to the prohibition on the procurement of the products of a country that is not a party to the Agreement on Government Procurement shall not apply with respect to the procurements of products or services of the People's Republic of China.
Amends the Buy American Act to declare that certain exceptions to the Act requiring only U.S. materials be used for public use shall not apply to the procurement of Chinese-made products until China becomes a party to the Agreement.
Declares that certain exceptions to Buy American requirements shall not apply to the procurement of Chinese products by the Department of Defense (DOD) until China becomes a party to such Agreement.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
Amends the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to declare that certain exceptions to Buy American requirements under such Act shall not apply to the procurement of Chinese steel and products until China becomes a party to the Agreement.
Requires the Secretary of Commerce to report to Congress on the productive capacity of the major industrial sectors in China.
Directs the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to report to Congress on: (1) Chinese policies and the subsidies China provides in the development and exportation of renewable energy products and technologies, and (2) the impact such policies and subsidies have on U.S. manufacturers of such products and technologies.
People & committees
Sen. Stabenow, Debbie [D-MI] · D–MI
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 Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
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: Aug 14, 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.3449 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.3449 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.3449 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.3449 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.