[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1567 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1567

  To promote economic partnership and cooperation between the United 
                           States and Mexico.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 16, 2017

 Mr. Cuellar introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To promote economic partnership and cooperation between the United 
                           States and Mexico.

    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-Mexico Economic 
Partnership Act''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSE.

    The purpose of this Act is to promote economic partnership and 
cooperation between the United States and Mexico, particularly in the 
areas of academic exchange, entrepreneurship, and infrastructure 
integration.

SEC. 3. EXPANSION OF UNITED STATES-MEXICO ACADEMIC EXCHANGE PROGRAMS.

    (a) In General.--It shall be the policy of the United States to 
increase United States-Mexico academic exchanges at the secondary, 
post-secondary, and post-graduate levels.
    (b) Priority.--The exchanges described in subsection (a) should be 
across the United States and Mexico, however, priority should be given 
to strengthening ties between communities and academic institutions in 
the covered United States-Mexico border region.
    (c) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the exchanges described in subsection (a) should 
        reflect the goals of the 100,000 Strong in the Americas 
        Initiative; and
            (2) the United States and Mexico should seek to contribute 
        to doubling the number of students studying in each other's 
        country by not later than 5 years after the date of the 
        enactment of this Act.

SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF UNITED STATES-MEXICO ENTREPRENEURSHIP 
              COOPERATION, TRAINING, AND MENTORING PROGRAMS.

    (a) In General.--The President shall develop a plan to implement 
policies and programs that support cooperation, training, and mentoring 
of entrepreneurs.
    (b) Elements.--The policies and programs described in subsection 
(a) shall seek to create innovation through United States and Mexican 
academic institutions and businesses assisting prospective and 
developing entrepreneurs in strengthen their business skills and 
promoting cooperation and joint business initiatives across the United 
States and Mexico, with a focus on the covered United States-Mexico 
border region.
    (c) Matching Funds.--The policies and programs described in 
subsection (a) should seek to ensure United States Government funds 
are, at a minimum, matched by private sector funds for purposes of 
carrying out such policies and programs.
    (d) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the 
policies and programs described in subsection (a) should reflect the 
goals of the 100,000 Strong in the Americas Initiative and should seek 
to provide not less than 100 grants of not more than $25,000 each for 
participants in such programs to better leverage participation by the 
private sector.
    (e) Report.--The President shall submit to Congress a report on the 
plan described in subsection (a) not later than 90 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 5. UNITED STATES-MEXICO ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE COORDINATION AND 
              COOPERATION PROGRAMS.

    (a) In General.--The President shall develop a plan to implement 
policies and programs that promote United States-Mexico energy 
infrastructure coordination and cooperation through support of 
vocational-level education, internships, and exchanges between the two 
countries, particularly in the region in which the Eagle Ford Shale is 
located and in proximity to such region.
    (b) Elements.--The policies and programs described in subsection 
(a) shall seek to develop skills related to safe and responsible energy 
extraction and other innovative energy technologies that can be 
provided by educational institutions located in the region described in 
subsection (a) or in proximity to such region, including by seeking to 
provide such skills to individuals in Mexico who are seeking vocational 
level jobs in Mexico's energy sector.
    (c) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the 
policies and programs described in subsection (a) should seek to 
provide education, internships, and exchanges for at least 1,000 
participants.
    (d) Report.--The President shall submit to Congress a report on the 
plan described in subsection (a) not later than 90 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 6. MEDICAL SCHOOL PILOT PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The President shall develop a plan, in 
coordination with the private sector and non-profit organizations, to 
implement a pilot program to develop a pipeline between undergraduate 
colleges and universities in the United States and medical school 
programs in Mexico. The pilot program should be utilized to prepare 
medical students to become doctors who can pass medical licensing board 
exams in the United States.
    (b) Elements.--The pilot program described in subsection (a) shall 
seek to ensure that medical school programs in Mexico shall have 
comparable accreditation standards as medical school program in the 
United States by the Accreditation and Standards in Foreign Medical 
Education as well as registered in the International Medical Education 
Directory.
    (c) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the pilot 
program described in subsection (a) should seek to increase the number 
of bilingual medical professionals in a cost-effective manner who can 
practice in United States under-served communities.
    (d) Report.--The President shall submit to Congress a report on the 
plan described in subsection (a) not later than 90 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) 100,000 strong in the americas initiative.--The term 
        ``100,000 Strong in the Americas Initiative'' means the 
        initiative established in March 2011 by the United States 
        Government to increase educational exchanges in the Western 
        Hemisphere.
            (2) Covered united states-mexico border region.--The term 
        ``covered United States-Mexico border region'' means those 
        portions of the United States and Mexico that are within 100 
        kilometers of the international boundary between those 
        countries.
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