[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 133 Reported in Senate (RS)]

<DOC>





                                                       Calendar No. 336
116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 133


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 11, 2019

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

                           December 17, 2019

                Reported by Mr. Risch, with an amendment
 [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed 
                               in italic]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
  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,

<DELETED>SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    This Act may be cited as the ``United States-Mexico 
Economic Partnership Act''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 2. FINDINGS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    Congress finds the following:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) The United States and Mexico have benefitted 
        from a bilateral, mutually beneficial partnership focused on 
        advancing the economic interests of both countries.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (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.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (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.''.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (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.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (5) In March 2011, the United States launched the 
        100,000 Strong in the Americas Initiative, which seeks to 
        increase educational exchanges between the United States and 
        other countries in the Western Hemisphere region so that 
        100,000 United States students are studying in other countries 
        in the Western Hemisphere region and 100,000 non-United States 
        students from the region are studying in the United States per 
        year by 2020.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (6) In January 2014, the United States established 
        the 100,000 Strong in the Americas Innovation Fund, which seeks 
        to realize the goals of the 100,000 Strong in the Americas 
        Initiative by facilitating a public-private partnership between 
        the Department of State and nongovernmental organizations, 
        corporations, and universities in the United States and other 
        countries of the Western Hemisphere region.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (7) To date, the 100,000 Strong in the Americas 
        Innovation Fund has awarded more than 100 grants to more than 
        250 higher education institutions from 25 countries in the 
        Western Hemisphere region, and has raised $9,000,000 in 
        investments, 75 percent of which was from corporations, 
        foundations, and regional governments.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    It is the policy of the United States--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) to continue deepening economic cooperation 
        between the United States and Mexico; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) to seek to prioritize and expand educational 
        and professional exchange programs with Mexico, including 
        through the framework of the 100,000 Strong in the Americas 
        Initiative.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 4. STRATEGY TO PRIORITIZE AND EXPAND EDUCATIONAL AND 
              PROFESSIONAL EXCHANGE PROGRAMS WITH MEXICO.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (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 the framework of the 100,000 Strong in the 
Americas Initiative.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (b) Elements.--The strategy required under subsection (a) 
shall--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) encourage more academic exchanges between the 
        United States and Mexico at the secondary, post-secondary, and 
        post-graduate levels, especially with communities and through 
        academic institutions in the covered United States-Mexico 
        border region;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (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, with a focus 
        on initiatives in the covered United States-Mexico border 
        region;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) promote energy infrastructure coordination and 
        cooperation through support of vocational-level education, 
        internships, and exchanges between the United States and 
        Mexico, particularly in the region in which the Eagle Ford 
        Shale is located and in proximity to such region; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (c) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to Congress 
a report on the strategy required under subsection (a).</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    In this Act:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (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.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (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.</DELETED>

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.
                                                       Calendar No. 336

116th CONGRESS

  1st Session

                               H. R. 133

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                           December 17, 2019

                       Reported with an amendment