House Democrats defeated an effort by Republicans late Wednesday to require public disclosure of and potentially sanction “bad actors” in China’s forced labor abuses identified in U.S. firms’ supply chains. The motion to recommit introduced by Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.) the Democrats’ “ESG Disclosure Simplification Act” was defeated 218-208, with five Members not voting. Had the motion carried, the legislative proposal would have been returned to the House Financial Services Committee to consider an amendment adding the bad actors’ identification and process. The Democrats’ bill would impose a host of new required disclosures by U.S. public firms concerning their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices and how management views their inclusion in company strategies. The specifics of those disclosures would be determined by a new Sustainable Finance Advisory Committee established in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Rep, Juan Vargas (D-Calif.) is the main sponsor of the ESG bill, …