[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4250 Introduced in House (IH)]







109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4250

To eliminate fees for assistance provided by the Department of Commerce 
  and agencies thereof under export promotion programs, to authorize 
appropriations for such purpose, to direct the Secretary of Commerce to 
take certain steps to expand export promotion activities, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            November 8, 2005

Mr. Mica (for himself and Mr. Manzullo) introduced the following bill; 
     which was referred to the Committee on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To eliminate fees for assistance provided by the Department of Commerce 
  and agencies thereof under export promotion programs, to authorize 
appropriations for such purpose, to direct the Secretary of Commerce to 
take certain steps to expand export promotion activities, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``United States Export Promotion Act 
of 2005''.

SEC. 2. ELIMINATION OF FEES CHARGED FOR EXPORT PROMOTION PROGRAMS.

    (a) Elimination of Fees.--The Secretary of Commerce, the 
International Trade Administration, and the United States and Foreign 
Commercial Service may not charge fees to United States exporters, 
United States businesses, or United States persons, for assistance 
provided to such exporters, businesses, or persons under subtitle C of 
the Export Enhancement Act of 1988 (15 U.S.C. 4721 et seq.) or under 
any other export promotion program.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Department of Commerce, the International Trade 
Administration, and the United States and Foreign Commercial Service 
such sums as may be necessary to cover the costs of providing services 
to United States exporters, United States businesses, or United States 
persons, under export promotion programs.

SEC. 3. CAPITAL SECURITY COST-SHARING PROGRAM CHANGES.

    In determining the total overseas presence of an agency for 
purposes of section 604(e) of the Secure Embassy Construction and 
Counterterrorism Act of 1999 (as enacted by section 1000(a)(7) of 
Public Law 106-113), there shall be excluded any positions or 
activities of the agency attributable to export promotion programs.

SEC. 4. UNITED STATES AND FOREIGN COMMERCIAL SERVICE ACTIVITIES ABROAD.

    The Secretary of Commerce shall, not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act--
            (1) develop and submit to the Congress a plan to locate and 
        relocate offices, officers, and employees of the USFCS in other 
        countries at places other than the United States embassy or, in 
        any country in which there is no such embassy, the chief 
        diplomatic mission of the United States in that country;
            (2) develop and submit to the Congress a plan to place, in 
        each country with which the United States has diplomatic 
        relations, a USFCS office or, in countries with smaller 
        markets, one or more foreign nationals working under the 
        supervision of a regional USFCS officer, to carry out functions 
        under export promoting programs if, on the basis of a market 
        analysis of the country conducted by the Secretary of Commerce, 
        the Secretary determines such placement is viable; and
            (3) conduct and report to the Congress on a market analysis 
        of other countries for purposes of expanding activities of the 
        USFCS in those countries, particularly those with developing 
        economies.

SEC. 5. UNITED STATES TRADE MISSIONS.

    The Secretary of Commerce shall, not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, develop and submit to the Congress a 
plan for conducting at least 100 United States trade missions abroad in 
fiscal years 2006 and 2007. Of these trade missions--
            (1) 1 shall be dedicated for each of the several States,
            (2) 1 shall be dedicated for the District of Columbia,
            (3) 1 shall be dedicated for Puerto Rico and the Virgin 
        Islands, and
            (4) 1 shall be dedicated for Guam and American Samoa,
with each such mission being comprised primarily of United States 
businesses whose principal place of business is in the State or other 
place listed in paragraphs (2) through (4) for which the trade mission 
is dedicated. No fee may be charged to any United States business for 
participating in any such trade mission.

SEC. 6. INCREASING PARTICIPATION IN GLOBAL MARKETS OF SMALL- AND 
              MEDIUM-SIZED BUSINESSES.

    The Secretary of Commerce shall, not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, submit to the Congress--
            (1) budget, staffing, and reorganization requirements of 
        the Department of Commerce and, with the concurrence of the 
        Administrator of the Small Business Administration, of the 
        Small Business Administration, in order to substantially 
        increase the ability of small businesses and medium-sized 
        businesses in the United States to compete in global markets; 
        and
            (2) an overall United States trade promotion strategy, with 
        achievable annual action plans, that aggressively markets small 
        businesses and medium-sized businesses in the United States to 
        expanding overseas markets and directly supports, through trade 
        missions and related activities, the efforts of the individual 
        States (and the District of Columbia) toward achieving this 
        goal.

SEC. 7. DEVELOPMENT OF EXPORT DATABASE AND OTHER TRADE PROMOTION 
              ACTIVITIES.

    (a) Database.--The Secretary of Commerce shall--
            (1) conduct a comprehensive review, reorganization, and 
        expansion of the Web site www.export.gov (or any successor Web 
        site) of the Department of Commerce in order to--
                    (A) increase the usability and scope of the Web 
                site; and
                    (B) ensure that each USFCS office location has an 
                interactive Web site that is interoperable with 
                www.export.gov; and
            (2)(A) create and maintain a database of United States 
        exporters;
            (B) provide United States exporters with the ability to 
        elect to be included in the database; and
            (C) report to Congress on methods other Federal agencies 
        may use to assist United States businesses interested in 
        developing export markets in accessing the database; and
            (3) after reviewing successful trade promotion activities 
        of other countries with which the United States competes in 
        global markets, make such modifications to the operations of 
        the Department of Commerce in carrying out export promotion 
        programs, including modifications to Internet access, as are 
        necessary to more effectively assist in matching business 
        opportunities abroad to potential suppliers in the United 
        States, and to support closing of transactions, arranging of 
        financing, and delivery of goods or services.

SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Export promotion program.--The term ``export promotion 
        program'' has the meaning given that term in section 201(d) of 
        the Export Administration Amendments Act of 1985 (15 U.S.C. 
        4051(d)).
            (2) Small business.--The term ``small business'' means any 
        small business concern as defined under section 3 of the Small 
        Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632).
            (3) United states business.--The term ``United States 
        business'' has the meaning given that term in section 2304(e) 
        of the Export Enhancement Act of 1988 (15 U.S.C. 4724(e)).
            (4) United states exporter.--The term ``United States 
        exporter'' has the meaning given that term in section 2301(j) 
        of the Export Enhancement Act of 1988 (15 U.S.C. 4721(j)).
            (5) USFCS.--The term ``USFCS'' means the United States and 
        Foreign Commercial Service of the Department of Commerce.
            (6) United states person.--The term ``United States 
        person'' has the meaning given that term in section 2306(c) of 
        the Export Enhancement Act of 1988 (15 U.S.C. 4725(c)).
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