[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 133 Engrossed Amendment Senate (EAS)]
<DOC>
In the Senate of the United States,
January 15, 2020.
Resolved, That the bill from the House of Representatives (H.R.
133) entitled ``An Act to promote economic partnership and cooperation
between the United States and Mexico.'', do pass with the following
AMENDMENT:
Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``United States-Mexico Economic
Partnership Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The United States and Mexico have benefitted from a
bilateral, mutually beneficial partnership focused on advancing
the economic interests of both countries.
(2) In 2013, Mexico adopted major energy reforms that
opened its energy sector to private investment, increasing
energy cooperation between Mexico and the United States and
opening new opportunities for United States energy engagement.
(3) On January 18, 2018, the Principal Deputy Assistant
Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs at the
Department of State stated, ``Our exchange programs build
enduring relationships and networks to advance U.S. national
interests and foreign policy goals . . . The role of our
exchanges . . . in advancing U.S. national security and
economic interests enjoys broad bipartisan support from
Congress and other stakeholders, and provides a strong return
on investment.''.
(4) According to the Institute of International Education,
in the 2015-2016 academic year, more than 56,000 United States
students studied in other countries in the Western Hemisphere
region while more than 84,000 non-United States students from
the region studied in the United States, but only 5,000 of
those United States students studied in Mexico and only 16,000
of those non-United States students were from Mexico.
SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.
It is the policy of the United States--
(1) to continue deepening economic cooperation between the
United States and Mexico;
(2) to seek to prioritize and expand educational and
professional exchange programs with Mexico, including through
frameworks such as the 100,000 Strong in the Americas
Initiative, the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative,
Jovenes en Accion (Youth in Action), the Fulbright Foreign
Student Program, and the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program;
and
(3) to promote positive cross-border relations as a
priority for advancing United States foreign policy and
programs.
SEC. 4. STRATEGY TO PRIORITIZE AND EXPAND EDUCATIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL
EXCHANGE PROGRAMS WITH MEXICO.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of State shall develop a strategy to
carry out the policy described in section 3, to include prioritizing
and expanding educational and professional exchange programs with
Mexico through frameworks such as those referred to in section 3(2).
(b) Elements.--The strategy required under subsection (a) shall--
(1) encourage more academic exchanges between the United
States and Mexico at the secondary, post-secondary, and post-
graduate levels;
(2) encourage United States and Mexican academic
institutions and businesses to collaborate to assist
prospective and developing entrepreneurs in strengthening their
business skills and promoting cooperation and joint business
initiatives across the United States and Mexico;
(3) promote energy infrastructure coordination and
cooperation through support of vocational-level education,
internships, and exchanges between the United States and
Mexico; and
(4) assess the feasibility of fostering partnerships
between universities in the United States and medical school
and nursing programs in Mexico to ensure that medical school
and nursing programs in Mexico have comparable accreditation
standards as medical school and nursing programs in the United
States by the Accreditation and Standards in Foreign Medical
Education, in addition to the Accreditation Commission For
Education in Nursing, so that medical students can pass medical
licensing board exams, and nursing students can pass nursing
licensing exams, in the United States.
(c) Briefing.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall brief the
appropriate congressional committees regarding the strategy required
under subsection (a).
SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act, the term ``appropriate congressional committees''
means--
(1) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate; and
(2) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives.
SEC. 6. SUNSET PROVISION.
This Act shall remain in effect until December 31, 2023.
Attest:
Secretary.
116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H.R. 133
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AMENDMENT