[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 40 (Monday, March 3, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1461-S1462]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
By Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Mr. Boozman, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr.
Cassidy, and Mr. Coons):
S. 816. A bill to increase United States jobs through greater United
States exports to Africa and Latin America, and for other purposes; to
the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of
the bill be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be
printed in the Record, as follows:
S. 816
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 ``Increasing American Jobs
Through Greater United States Exports to Africa and Latin
America Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. INVESTMENT, TRADE, AND DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA AND
LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN.
(a) Strategy Required.--
(1) In general.--The President shall establish a
comprehensive United States strategy for public and private
investment, trade, and development in Africa and Latin
America and the Caribbean.
(2) Focus of strategy.--The strategy required by paragraph
(1) shall focus on increasing exports of United States goods
and services to Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean by
200 percent in real dollar value by the date that is 10 years
after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(3) Consultations.--In developing the strategy required by
paragraph (1), the President shall consult with--
(A) Congress;
(B) each agency that is a member of the Trade Promotion
Coordinating Committee;
(C) the relevant multilateral development banks, in
coordination with the Secretary of the Treasury and the
respective United States Executive Directors of such banks;
(D) each agency that participates in the Trade Policy Staff
Committee;
(E) the President's Export Council;
(F) each of the development agencies;
(G) any other Federal agencies with responsibility for
export promotion or financing and development; and
(H) the private sector, including businesses,
nongovernmental organizations, and African and Latin American
and Caribbean diaspora groups.
(4) Submission to appropriate congressional committees.--
(A) Strategy.--Not later than 200 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the President shall submit to the
appropriate congressional committees the strategy required by
subsection (a).
(B) Progress report.--Not later than 3 years after the date
of the enactment of this Act, the President shall submit to
the appropriate congressional committees a report on the
implementation of the strategy required by paragraph (1).
(b) Special Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean
Export Strategy Coordinators.--The Secretary of Commerce
shall designate an official of the Department of Commerce to
serve as Special Africa Export Strategy Coordinator and an
official of the Department to serve as Special Latin America
and the Caribbean Export Strategy Coordinator--
(1) to oversee the development and implementation of the
strategy required by subsection (a);
(2) to coordinate developing and implementing the strategy
with--
(A) the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee;
(B) the Director General for the United States and Foreign
Commercial Service and Assistant Secretary of Commerce for
Global Markets;
(C) the Assistant United States Trade Representative for
African Affairs or the Assistant United States Trade
Representative for the Western Hemisphere, as appropriate;
(D) the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs or
the Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere
Affairs, as appropriate;
(E) the Administrator of the Foreign Agricultural Service
of the Department of Agriculture;
(F) the Export-Import Bank of the United States;
(G) the United States International Development Finance
Corporation; and
(H) the development agencies; and
(3) to consider and reflect on the impact of the promotion
of exports of goods and services from the United States on
the economies of and employment opportunities in the
countries importing those goods and services, with a view
toward improving secure
[[Page S1462]]
supply chains, avoiding economic disruptions, and stabilizing
economic growth through a trade and export strategy.
(c) Trade Missions to Africa and Latin America and the
Caribbean.--It is the sense of Congress that, not later than
one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the
Secretary of Commerce and other high-level officials of the
United States Government with responsibility for export
promotion, financing, and development should conduct joint
trade missions to Africa and to Latin America and the
Caribbean.
(d) Training.--The President shall develop a plan--
(1) to standardize the training received by United States
and Foreign Commercial Service officers, economic officers of
the Department of State, and economic officers of the United
States Agency for International Development with respect to
the programs and procedures of the Export-Import Bank of the
United States, the United States International Development
Finance Corporation, the Small Business Administration, and
the United States Trade and Development Agency; and
(2) to ensure that, not later than one year after the date
of the enactment of this Act--
(A) all United States and Foreign Commercial Service
officers that are stationed overseas receive the training
described in paragraph (1); and
(B) in the case of a country to which no United States and
Foreign Commercial Service officer is assigned, any economic
officer of the Department of State stationed in that country
receives that training.
(e) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs,
the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, the
Committee on Finance, and the Committee on Foreign Relations
of the Senate; and
(B) the Committee on Energy and Commerce, the Committee on
Foreign Affairs, and the Committee on Ways and Means of the
House of Representatives.
(2) Development agencies.--The term ``development
agencies'' means the United States Department of State, the
United States Agency for International Development, the
Millennium Challenge Corporation, the United States
International Development Finance Corporation, the United
States Trade and Development Agency, the United States
Department of Agriculture, and relevant multilateral
development banks.
(3) Multilateral development banks.--The term
``multilateral development banks'' has the meaning given that
term in section 1701(c)(4) of the International Financial
Institutions Act (22 U.S.C. 262r(c)(4)) and includes the
African Development Foundation.
(4) Trade policy staff committee.--The term ``Trade Policy
Staff Committee'' means the Trade Policy Staff Committee
established pursuant to section 2002.2 of title 15, Code of
Federal Regulations.
(5) Trade promotion coordinating committee.--The term
``Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee'' means the Trade
Promotion Coordinating Committee established under section
2312 of the Export Enhancement Act of 1988 (15 U.S.C. 4727).
(6) United states and foreign commercial service.--The term
``United States and Foreign Commercial Service'' means the
United States and Foreign Commercial Service established by
section 2301 of the Export Enhancement Act of 1988 (15 U.S.C.
4721).
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