The U.S. House and Senate passed legislation Tuesday that bans the import of all Burmese jade and ruby into the United States

Approved earlier by the U.S. House of Representatives, the bill is being sent to President Bush to be signed into law. If enacted, the legislation is expected to have an especially large impact on imports of "Burmese rubies," as they are known in the trade, since 90 percent of the world's rubies originate in Myanmar.

"In essence, this act closes the loophole that allowed stones to be recut outside of Burma and no longer be considered as "Burmese origin" when imported," said Chris Smith, vice president of the American Gemological Laboratories. "The bill now states that it is the intrinsic quality of the ruby/jadeite, as well as the geologic origination within Burma that accounts for the majority of the value, as opposed to the cutting and polishing.

The bill also makes Myanmar's ruling junta, other military officers and their families ineligible for visas to the United States, according to the Associated Press.

The legislation is named for the late U.S. Representative Tom Lantos, a Democrat who is the only Holocaust survivor to serve in Congress. When he died in February at the age of 80, he was chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

The U.S. and other Western governments have criticized Myanmar's junta for its refusal to restore democracy and release pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and other political detainees, according to the Associated Press.
As a gemological note, nowhere in the bill does it mention Burmese sapphire, peridot, spinel, or any other gem materials besides jadeite and ruby. So while these could be added in the regulatory process, without industry input, it is questionable that these gems will be included in the Block Burmese JADE Act.