Haiti Trade Benefits Extended to 2037, Annual Labor Checks Mandated to Boost Exports

The “Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Enhancement for Haitian Prosperity Act of 2025”—or the HOPE for Haitian Prosperity Act—is a major update to how the U.S. handles trade with Haiti. This isn’t a small tweak; it’s a long-term commitment that focuses on economic stability and stricter labor oversight.

The Long Game: Trade Benefits Extended to 2037

The biggest takeaway for anyone tracking international trade or global supply chains is the timeline: this bill extends preferential duty treatment for Haiti until 2037. This program, part of the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act, essentially means lower tariffs on certain Haitian goods entering the U.S. By pushing the expiration date back twelve years from the current 2025 deadline (SEC. 3), the bill provides crucial long-term predictability. For businesses in Haiti, this means they can make investment decisions today knowing the trade terms won’t suddenly change next year. For U.S. importers, it secures a source of goods, particularly in the apparel sector, for over a decade.

Annual Check-Ins: Labor Compliance Gets Serious

If you’ve ever had an annual review at work, you know the pressure of a regular check-in. This bill applies that concept to labor compliance for Haitian producers. Currently, the government assesses whether producers are meeting core labor standards every two years (biennially). This bill changes that to an annual requirement (SEC. 2). More importantly, these annual checks must specifically focus on compliance with Haiti’s laws regarding minimum wages and hours of work. If a producer is found to be violating these rules, the President now has the power to temporarily suspend that producer’s preferential trade treatment while they receive technical assistance to fix the problem. This is a big deal: it gives the labor rules real teeth and puts non-compliant producers on notice. Any “interested party”—which could be a union, a labor rights group, or even a competitor—can now request a review of an individual producer's compliance.

Targeting Exports with Technical Support

Beyond just extending the timeline, the bill mandates a proactive approach to helping Haiti become a stronger trading partner. The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) must now provide technical assistance aimed at increasing and diversifying Haiti’s exports to the U.S. (SEC. 4). This isn't just a vague promise; the assistance is targeted at making firms more competitive, strengthening trade support institutions, and helping Haiti utilize existing U.S. trade preference programs. The key areas of focus include agricultural processing and improving the competitiveness of the apparel sector while ensuring labor compliance. Crucially, the USTR must develop this assistance plan by consulting widely with Haitian stakeholders, including government agencies, employers, workers, and labor unions. This participatory development process ensures the aid is actually useful on the ground.

The Fine Print on Worker Protection

While the bill tightens wage and hours compliance, it makes a subtle change to the language around worker protection that is worth noting. In several places where the law discusses working conditions, it removes specific references to “occupational safety and health” (SEC. 3). However, it does add language elsewhere requiring a “safe and healthy working environment.” This modification slightly streamlines the language but could potentially narrow the scope of mandated review in those specific clauses, shifting the focus primarily to wages and hours, which are already covered by the new annual checks. It’s a detail that labor advocates will likely watch closely to ensure the emphasis on safety isn’t lost in the shuffle.