United States-Mexico Economic Partnership Act

Summary: United States-Mexico Economic Partnership Act This bill declares that it shall be U.S. policy to increase U.S.-Mexico academic exchanges at the secondary, post-secondary, and post-graduate levels. The United States and Mexico should seek to contribute to doubling the number of students studying in each other's country within five years. Priority should be given to strengthening ties between communities and academic institutions in those portions of the United States and Mexico that are within 100 kilometers of the international boundary between those countries.  The President shall develop a plan to implement policies and programs that support cooperation, training, and mentoring of entrepreneurs. Such policies and programs should seek to provide not less than 100 grants of not more than $25,000 each for program participants to better leverage participation by the private sector. The President shall develop a plan to implement policies and programs that promote U.S.-Mexico energy infrastructure coordination and cooperation through support of vocational-level education, internships, and exchanges between the two countries. Such policies and programs should seek to provide education, internships, and exchanges for at least 1,000 program participants.  The President shall develop a plan to implement a pilot program to develop a pipeline between undergraduate colleges and universities in the United States and medical school programs in Mexico. Such program should be utilized to prepare medical students to become doctors who can pass U.S. medical licensing board exams. The pilot program should seek to increase the number of bilingual medical professionals in a cost-effective manner who can practice in U.S. underserved communities.

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.
            (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.
            (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.
            (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.

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; and
            (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.

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 the framework of the 100,000 Strong in the Americas 
Initiative.
    (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, especially with communities and through 
        academic institutions in the covered United States-Mexico 
        border region;
            (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;
            (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
            (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) 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).

SEC. 5. 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.

            Passed the House of Representatives November 27, 2018.

            Attest:

                                                 KAREN L. HAAS,

                                                                 Clerk.