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104TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 2300

To improve the efficiency and coordination of the Federal Government’s

export promotion activities.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

SEPTEMBER 12, 1995

Mr. BEREUTER (for himself, Mrs. JOHNSON of Connecticut, and Mr. KOLBE)

introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on

International Relations, and in addition to the Committee on Banking

and Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the

Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within

the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

A BILL

To improve the efficiency and coordination of the Federal

Government’s export promotion activities.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Export Promotion

5 Consolidation Act’’.

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

7 The Congress makes the following findings:
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1 (1) Numerous attempts to better coordinate the

2 export promotion efforts of the United States Gov3 ernment have been made and have been ongoing

4 since 1950.

5 (2) In 1992, the Trade Promotion Coordinating

6 Committee was created to, among other things,

7 ‘‘prevent unnecessary duplication in Federal export

8 promotion activities’’ and to ‘‘identify areas of over9 lap and duplication among Federal export promotion

10 activities and propose means of eliminating them’’.

11 (3) In its first annual report to the Congress,

12 the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee made

13 65 recommendations, yet none of the recommenda14 tions specifically proposed eliminating any export

15 promotion programs.

16 (4) In its second annual report to the Congress,

17 the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee iden18 tified 14 Federal agencies involved in export pro19 motion activities for a total cost of $3,300,000,000.

20 (5) The Library of Congress has identified over

21 150 separate export promotion programs in at least

22 15 different Federal agencies.

23 (6) In 1993, the United States Information

24 Agency’s budget for export promotion activities was
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1 nearly 3 times the entire budget of the office of the

2 United States Trade Representative.

3 (7) Efforts to date to consolidate United States

4 export promotion activities have not been sufficient.

5 SEC. 3. CONSOLIDATION.

6 (a) SUBMISSION OF PLAN.—Within 180 days after

7 the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall

8 transmit to the Congress a comprehensive plan to consoli9 date Federal nonagricultural export promotion activities.

10 The plan shall provide for—

11 (1) the elimination of the overlap and duplica12 tion among all Federal nonagricultural export pro13 motion activities;

14 (2) a unified budget for Federal nonagricultural

15 export promotion activities which eliminates funding

16 for the areas of overlap and duplication identified

17 under paragraph (1); and

18 (3) a long-term agenda for developing coopera19 tion between State and Federal programs and activi20 ties designed to stimulate or assist United States

21 businesses in exporting nonagricultural goods or

22 services that are products of the United States, in23 cluding sharing of facilities, costs, and cost-sharing

24 between Federal and State export market research

25 data.
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1 (b) PLAN ELEMENTS.—The plan under subsection

2 (a) shall—

3 (1) place all Federal nonagricultural export pro4 motion activities under a single Government entity;

5 and

6 (2) provide clear authority for the entity de7 scribed in paragraph (1) to use the expertise and as8 sistance of other United States Government agen9 cies.

10 SEC. 4. DEFINITION.

11 As used in this Act, the term ‘‘Federal non12 agricultural export promotion activities’’—

13 (1) means all programs or activities of any de14 partment or agency of the Federal Government (in15 cluding, but not limited to, departments and agen16 cies with representatives on the Trade Promotion

17 Coordinating Committee established under section

18 2312 of the Export Enhancement Act of 1988 (15

19 U.S.C. 4727)) that are designed to stimulate or as20 sist United States businesses in exporting non21 agricultural goods or services that are products of

22 the United States, including trade missions; and

23 (2) does not include programs or activities of

24 the Export-Import Bank of the United States, the
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1 Trade and Development Agency, and the Overseas

2 Private Investment Corporation.

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