(Rapaport…May 30, 2001) The Clean Diamonds Act will soon be introduced in the Senate by Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Mike DeWine (R-OH). The proposed legislation (H.R. 918), which will restrict the import of conflict diamonds into the United States, was introduced into the House of Representatives on March 7, 2001 by Rep Tony Hall (D-OH) and currently has 128 co-sponsors.
An 80-member coalition of U.S. human rights, religious and medical organizations involved in “The Campaign to Eliminate Conflict Diamonds” are urging U.S. citizens to ask their congressional representative and senators to co-sponsor The Clean Diamonds Act.
The Clean Diamonds Act will compete against Senator Judd Gregg’s (R-New Hampshire) “Conflict Diamonds Act of 2001,” (S. 787) which was introduced to the Senate on April 26. Gregg’s bill was received favorably by the diamond and jewelry industry. Matthew A Runci, president and CEO for Jewelers of America (JA), had urged all segments of the diamond anW jewelry industry, both inside the U.S. and abroad, to support Gregg’s bill and to work hard for its prompt passage.
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