Federal Trade Commission
Received Documents
July 30, 1996
P894219
B18354900337

                  Congress of the United States
                     House of Representatives

                           June 4, 1996

Mr. Robert Pitofsky
Chairman 
Federal Trade Commission
Pennsylvania Avenue At 6th Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20580.

Dear Mr. Pitofsky:

  I am writing to express my support for the current standard applicable to unqualified "Made in USA" claims
for product advertising or labeling.

  Over the last five decades, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has held that voluntary "Made in USA"
claims can only be made if "all or virtually all" of the product is produced in the United States.  This current
standard prevents U.S. consumers from being misled, since it would seem that "Made in USA" would be
interpreted by most consumers to mean that all or virtually all of the components and materials of a product have
been produced in the United States.  I believe the Commission would be hard-pressed to find many consumers
who would interpret "Made in USA" to mean "made by non-domestic workers" or to mean that a significant
portion of the product is made of components from another country.
  Neither does it seem necessary to change the current standard in order to deal with U.S. assembled products
containing some percentage of foreign content from making "Made in USA" claims as long as they are qualified
(e.g. "Made in USA of foreign and domestic components').
  Many American firms make the "Made in USA" claim with pride because they believe that such a claim is
valuable.  Their employment, purchasing, and other manufacturing practices are in part based upon the continued
integrity of the FTC's "all or virtually all" standard.  If this standard were compromised, the effect could be to
punish these companies and mislead the public.
  "Made in USA" should mean what it says and therefore I urge you to retain the current standard.  Thank you
for your consideration.

                                   Sincerely,

                                   JERRY KLECZKA
                                   Member of Congress
GDK/wb