[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1379 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1379

    To amend the African Growth and Opportunity Act to require the 
    development of a plan for each sub-Saharan African country for 
   negotiating and entering into free trade agreements and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 19, 2015

 Mr. Inhofe (for himself and Mr. Coons) introduced the following bill; 
     which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend the African Growth and Opportunity Act to require the 
    development of a plan for each sub-Saharan African country for 
   negotiating and entering into free trade agreements 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 ``African Free Trade Initiative Act''.

SEC. 2. FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS WITH SUB-SAHARAN AFRICAN COUNTRIES.

    (a) Plan Requirements and Reporting.--Section 116 of the African 
Growth and Opportunity Act (19 U.S.C. 3723) is amended by striking 
subsections (b) and (c) and inserting the following:
    ``(b) Plan Requirement.--
            ``(1) In general.--The President shall develop a plan for 
        the purpose of negotiating and entering into one or more free 
        trade agreements with all sub-Saharan African countries. The 
        plan shall identify the 15 countries or groups of countries 
        that are most ready for a free trade agreement with the United 
        States.
            ``(2) Elements of plan.--The plan required by paragraph (1) 
        shall include, for each sub-Saharan African country, the 
        following:
                    ``(A) The steps such sub-Saharan African country 
                needs to be equipped and ready to enter into a free 
                trade agreement with the United States, including the 
                development of a bilateral investment treaty.
                    ``(B) Milestones for accomplishing each step 
                identified in subparagraph (A) for each sub-Saharan 
                African country, with the goal of establishing a free 
                trade agreement with each sub-Saharan African country 
                not later than 10 years after the date of the enactment 
                of the African Free Trade Initiative Act.
                    ``(C) A description of the resources required to 
                assist each sub-Saharan African country in 
                accomplishing each milestone described in subparagraph 
                (B).
                    ``(D) The extent to which steps described in 
                subparagraph (A), the milestones described in 
                subparagraph (B), and resources described in 
                subparagraph (C) may be accomplished through regional 
                or subregional organizations in sub-Saharan Africa, 
                including the East African Community, the Economic 
                Community of West African States, the Common Market for 
                Eastern and Southern Africa, and the Economic Community 
                of Central African States.
                    ``(E) Procedures to ensure the following:
                            ``(i) Adequate consultation with Congress 
                        and the private sector during the negotiations.
                            ``(ii) Consultation with Congress regarding 
                        all matters relating to implementation of the 
                        agreement or agreements.
                            ``(iii) Approval by Congress of the 
                        agreement or agreements.
                            ``(iv) Adequate consultations with the 
                        relevant African governments and African 
                        regional and subregional intergovernmental 
                        organizations during the negotiation of the 
                        agreement or agreements.
    ``(c) Reporting Requirement.--Not later than 12 months after the 
date of the enactment of the African Free Trade Initiative Act, the 
President shall prepare and transmit to Congress a report containing 
the plan developed pursuant to subsection (b).''.
    (b) Millennium Challenge Compacts.--After the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the United States Trade Representative and Administrator 
of the United States Agency for International Development shall consult 
and coordinate with the Chief Executive Officer of the Millennium 
Challenge Corporation regarding countries that have entered into a 
Millennium Challenge Compact pursuant to section 609 of the Millennium 
Challenge Act of 2003 (22 U.S.C. 7708) that have been declared eligible 
to enter into such a Compact for the purpose of developing and carrying 
out the plan required by subsection (b) of section 116 of the African 
Growth and Opportunity Act (19 U.S.C. 3723), as amended by subsection 
(a).

SEC. 3. COORDINATION OF USAID WITH FREE TRADE AGREEMENT POLICY.

    (a) Authorization of Funds.--Funds made available after the date of 
enactment of this Act to the United States Agency for International 
Development under section 496 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 
U.S.C. 2293) may be used in consultation with the United States Trade 
Representative--
            (1) to carry out subsection (b) of section 116 of the 
        African Growth and Opportunity Act (19 U.S.C. 3723), as amended 
        by section 2(a), including for the deployment of resources in 
        individual eligible countries to assist such country in the 
        development of institutional capacities to carry out such 
        subsection (b); and
            (2) to coordinate the efforts of the United States to 
        establish free trade agreements in accordance with the policy 
        set out in subsection (a) of such section 116.
    (b) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Eligible country.--The term ``eligible country'' means 
        a sub-Saharan African country that receives--
                    (A) benefits under the African Growth and 
                Opportunity Act (19 U.S.C. 3701 et seq.); and
                    (B) funding from the United States Agency for 
                International Development.
            (2) Sub-saharan african country.--The term ``sub-Saharan 
        African country'' has the meaning given that term in section 
        107 of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (19 U.S.C. 3706).
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