Executive Order 13126: Prohibition of Acquisition of Products Produced by Forced or Indentured Child Labor
President: Bill Clinton
Established a federal procurement policy and product list for goods suspected of being made with forced or indentured child labor.
Status: In effect. Is Executive Order 13126 still in effect? Yes. Executive Order 13126 remains in effect. See Federal Register record.
What does Executive Order 13126 do?
EO 13126 directed Labor, consulting with the other designated departments, to publish a list of products by country of origin for which there was a reasonable basis to believe forced or indentured child labor might be involved. It directed agencies to take appropriate action under existing law and required a Federal Acquisition Regulation implementation. The current Department of Labor list is used in federal procurement; contractors supplying listed products must make the certification and good-faith inquiry required by the applicable FAR clauses. Listing a product-country combination does not establish that every item or producer is tainted, and the order does not create a general private-market import ban beyond the governing statutes.
Before and after
Before the order
Federal procurement rules lacked this specific list-and-certification system for forced child labor.
After the order
Covered offerors must make good-faith certifications and agencies have defined remedies and referral procedures.
Who had to do what
| Agency / office | Action | Timing / position |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Labor | Maintain the product-and-country list with partner agencies | Ongoing list process |
| Federal contracting officers | Check the list and apply relevant solicitation procedures | For covered procurements |
| Covered contractors | Make the certification and good-faith inquiry required by the FAR | When applicable |
What happened next
EO 13126 established the procurement policy and list process.
FAR Council published implementing procurement rules.
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
The order relies on existing import and labor statutes and federal procurement rules. A listed product-country pairing triggers procurement requirements under the FAR; it is not a blanket trade embargo or adjudication against every producer.
Sources by type
If a source is unavailable, first check the cited publisher or another official repository. The cited publisher remains the authority.
Primary and official sources
Orders, laws, court records and official implementation material.
- GovInfo — EO 13126 (opens in a new tab) Order text
- Department of Labor — current list (opens in a new tab) Official record
- Acquisition.gov — FAR 22.1501 (opens in a new tab) Official record
- Acquisition.gov — FAR Part 22 (opens in a new tab) Official record
How we checked this
Last checked against the sources above on October 1, 2026. How we research →