II 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1179 

To improve the coordination of export promotion programs and to facilitate 

export opportunities for small businesses, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 18, 2013 

Mrs. SHAHEEN (for herself and Ms. AYOTTE) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs 

A BILL 

To improve the coordination of export promotion programs 

and to facilitate export opportunities for small businesses, and for other purposes. 

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; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Small Business Export Growth Act of 2013’’. 

6 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

7 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

TITLE I—IMPROVED COORDINATION OF EXPORT PROMOTION 

PROGRAMS 


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Sec. 101. Consolidation of duplicative export promotion activities; information 

about trade missions and trade fairs. 

Sec. 102. Clarification of roles of members of Trade Promotion Coordinating 

Committee. 

Sec. 103. State and Federal Export Promotion Coordination Working Group. 

Sec. 104. Reports to Congress with respect to activities of Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee. 

Sec. 105. Report on improvements to Export.gov as a single window for export 

information. 

TITLE II—FACILITATION OF EXPORT OPPORTUNITIES FOR 

SMALL BUSINESSES 

Sec. 201. Definitions. 

Sec. 202. Promotion of exporting. 

Sec. 203. Export control education. 

Sec. 204. Small business inter-agency task force on export financing. 

Sec. 205. Availability of State resource guides on Export.gov. 

1 TITLE I—IMPROVED COORDINA2 TION OF EXPORT PROMOTION 

3 PROGRAMS 

4 SEC. 101. CONSOLIDATION OF DUPLICATIVE EXPORT PRO5 MOTION ACTIVITIES; INFORMATION ABOUT 

6 TRADE MISSIONS AND TRADE FAIRS. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 2312(b) of the Export 

8 Enhancement Act of 1988 (15 U.S.C. 4727(b)) is amend9 ed— 

10 (1) in paragraph (4), by inserting ‘‘, including 

11 by identifying opportunities to consolidate or co-lo12 cate offices of agencies involved in such activities’’ 

13 after ‘‘export financing activities’’; 

14 (2) in paragraph (5)— 

15 (A) by inserting ‘‘, including the use and 

16 coordination of electronic databases,’’ after ‘‘the 


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1 appropriate levels and allocation of resources’’; 

2 and 

3 (B) by striking ‘‘; and’’ and inserting a 

4 semicolon; 

5 (3) by redesignating paragraph (6) as para6 graph (7); and 

7 (4) by inserting after paragraph (5) the fol8 lowing: 

9 ‘‘(6) to the maximum extent practicable, pro10 vide a detailed listing of current and future Federal 

11 and State-led trade missions, trade fairs, and related 

12 activities to ensure better delivery of services to 

13 United States businesses; and’’. 

14 (b) AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION.—The Secretary 

15 of Commerce shall make available the information on Fed16 eral and State-led trade missions, trade fairs, and related 

17 activities described in paragraph (6) of section 2312(b) 

18 of the Export Enhancement Act of 1988, as added by sub19 section (a)(4), on the Internet website Export.gov or a 

20 successor website. 

21 SEC. 102. CLARIFICATION OF ROLES OF MEMBERS OF 

22 TRADE PROMOTION COORDINATING COM23 MITTEE. 

24 Section 2312(c) of the Export Enhancement Act of 

25 1988 (15 U.S.C. 4727(c)) is amended— 


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1 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (3), (4), (5), 

2 and (6) as paragraphs (4), (5), (6), and (8), respec3 tively; 

4 (2) by inserting after paragraph (2) the fol5 lowing: 

6 ‘‘(3) with respect to export promotion and ex7 port financing activities of each department or agen8 cy represented on the TPCC— 

9 ‘‘(A) clearly identify and explain the role of 

10 the department or agency; and 

11 ‘‘(B) describe the goals and objectives of 

12 the department or agency and explain the ra13 tionale for measuring and reporting on those 

14 goals and objectives;’’; 

15 (3) in paragraph (5), as redesignated by para16 graph (1)— 

17 (A) by inserting ‘‘and Congress’’ after ‘‘the 

18 President’’; and 

19 (B) by striking ‘‘paragraph (3)’’ and in20 serting ‘‘paragraph (4)’’; 

21 (4) in paragraph (6), as redesignated by para22 graph (1), by striking ‘‘; and’’ and inserting a semi23 colon; 

24 (5) by inserting after paragraph (6), as redesig25 nated by paragraph (1), the following: 


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1 ‘‘(7) include any recommendations of the Comp2 troller General of the United States that relate to 

3 coordination of the TPCC and departments and 

4 agencies that are represented on the TPCC; and’’; 

5 and 

6 (6) in paragraph (8), as redesignated by para7 graph (1), by striking ‘‘United States National 

8 Tourism Organization’’ and inserting ‘‘United States 

9 Travel Association’’. 

10 SEC. 103. STATE AND FEDERAL EXPORT PROMOTION CO11 ORDINATION WORKING GROUP. 

12 Subtitle C of the Export Enhancement Act of 1988 

13 (15 U.S.C. 4721 et seq.) is amended by inserting after 

14 section 2313 the following: 

15 ‘‘SEC. 2313A. STATE AND FEDERAL EXPORT PROMOTION 

16 COORDINATION WORKING GROUP. 

17 ‘‘(a) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—It is the policy of the 

18 United States to promote exports as an opportunity for 

19 small businesses. In exercising their powers and functions 

20 in order to advance that policy, all Federal departments 

21 and agencies shall work constructively with State and local 

22 agencies engaged in export promotion and export financ23 ing activities. 

24 ‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT.—The President shall estab25 lish a State and Federal Export Promotion Coordination 


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1 Working Group (in this section referred to as the ‘Work2 ing Group’) as a subcommittee of the Trade Promotion 

3 Coordination Committee (in this section referred to as the 

4 ‘TPCC’). 

5 ‘‘(c) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the Working 

6 Group are— 

7 ‘‘(1) to identify issues related to the coordina8 tion of Federal resources relating to export pro9 motion and export financing with such resources 

10 provided by State and local governments; 

11 ‘‘(2) to identify ways to improve coordination 

12 with respect to export promotion and export financ13 ing activities through the strategic plan developed 

14 under section 2312(c); 

15 ‘‘(3) to develop a strategy for improving coordi16 nation of Federal and State resources relating to ex17 port promotion and export financing, including 

18 methods to eliminate duplication of effort and over19 lapping functions; and 

20 ‘‘(4) to develop a strategic plan for considering 

21 and implementing the Working Group’s suggestions 

22 as part of the strategic plan. 

23 ‘‘(d) MEMBERSHIP.—The Secretary of Commerce 

24 shall select the members of the Working Group, who shall 

25 include— 


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1 ‘‘(1) representatives from State trade agencies 

2 representing regionally diverse areas; and 

3 ‘‘(2) representatives of the departments and 

4 agencies that are represented on the TPCC, who are 

5 designated by the heads of their respective depart6 ments or agencies to advise the head on ways of pro7 moting the exportation of United States goods and 

8 services.’’. 

9 SEC. 104. REPORTS TO CONGRESS WITH RESPECT TO AC10 TIVITIES OF TRADE PROMOTION COORDI11 NATING COMMITTEE. 

12 Section 2312(f) of the Export Enhancement Act of 

13 1988 (19 U.S.C. 4727(f)) is amended to read as follows: 

14 ‘‘(f) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.— 

15 ‘‘(1) REPORTS BY TPCC.—The chairperson of 

16 the TPCC shall prepare and submit to the appro17 priate congressional committees, not later than 

18 March 30 of each year, a report that— 

19 ‘‘(A) describes the strategic plan developed 

20 by the TPCC pursuant to subsection (c), the 

21 implementation of the plan, and any revisions 

22 to the plan; and 

23 ‘‘(B) describes the implementation of sec24 tions 303 and 304 of the FREEDOM Support 

25 Act (22 U.S.C. 5823 and 5824) concerning 


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1 funding for export promotion activities and the 

2 interagency working groups on energy of the 

3 TPCC. 

4 ‘‘(2) REPORTS BY INSPECTOR GENERAL OF DE5 PARTMENT OF COMMERCE.— 

6 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Inspector General 

7 of the Department of Commerce shall prepare 

8 and submit to the appropriate congressional 

9 committees, not later than March 30 of each 

10 year, a report on the extent to which— 

11 ‘‘(i) the TPCC is successfully carrying 

12 out the duties described in subsection (b); 

13 and 

14 ‘‘(ii) the strategic plan described in 

15 subsection (c) is being implemented suc16 cessfully. 

17 ‘‘(B) CONSULTATION.—In preparing the 

18 report required under subparagraph (A), the 

19 Inspector General of the Department of Com20 merce shall, to the maximum extent practicable, 

21 consult with the inspector general of each other 

22 Federal department or agency that is a member 

23 of the TPCC. 


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1 ‘‘(3) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT2 TEES DEFINED.—In this subsection, the term ‘ap3 propriate congressional committees’ means— 

4 ‘‘(A) the Committee on Appropriations, the 

5 Committee on Commerce, Science, and Trans6 portation, the Committee on Finance, the Com7 mittee on Foreign Relations, and the Com8 mittee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship 

9 of the Senate; and 

10 ‘‘(B) the Committee on Appropriations, the 

11 Committee on Energy and Commerce, the Com12 mittee on Financial Services, the Committee on 

13 Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Small Busi14 ness, and the Committee on Ways and Means 

15 of the House of Representatives.’’. 

16 SEC. 105. REPORT ON IMPROVEMENTS TO EXPORT.GOV AS 

17 A SINGLE WINDOW FOR EXPORT INFORMA18 TION. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 

20 date of the enactment of this Act, the Associate Adminis21 trator for International Trade of the Small Business Ad22 ministration shall, after consultation with the entities 

23 specified in subsection (b), submit to the appropriate con24 gressional committees a report that includes the rec25 ommendations of the Associate Administrator for improvVerDate Mar 15 2010 23:45 Jun 21, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1179.IS S1179

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1 ing the experience provided by the Internet website Ex2 port.gov (or a successor website) as— 

3 (1) a comprehensive resource for information 

4 about exporting articles from the United States; and 

5 (2) a single website for exporters to submit all 

6 information required by the Federal Government 

7 with respect to the exportation of articles from the 

8 United States. 

9 (b) ENTITIES SPECIFIED.—The entities specified in 

10 this subsection are— 

11 (1) small business concerns (as defined in sec12 tion 3 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632)) 

13 that are exporters; and 

14 (2) the President’s Export Council, State agen15 cies with responsibility for export promotion or ex16 port financing, district export councils, and trade as17 sociations. 

18 (c) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DE19 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate congres20 sional committees’’ means— 

21 (1) the Committee on Small Business and En22 trepreneurship and the Committee on Banking, 

23 Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate; and 


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1 (2) the Committee on Small Business and the 

2 Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Rep3 resentatives. 

4 TITLE II—FACILITATION OF EX5 PORT OPPORTUNITIES FOR 

6 SMALL BUSINESSES 

7 SEC. 201. DEFINITIONS. 

8 In this title— 

9 (1) the terms ‘‘Administration’’ and ‘‘Adminis10 trator’’ mean the Small Business Administration 

11 and the Administrator thereof, respectively; 

12 (2) the term ‘‘region of the Administration’’ has 

13 the meaning given that term in section 3(u) of the 

14 Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632(u)); and 

15 (3) the term ‘‘small business concern’’ has the 

16 meaning given that term under section 3 of the 

17 Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632). 

18 SEC. 202. PROMOTION OF EXPORTING. 

19 Section 22(c)(11) of the Small Business Act (15 

20 U.S.C. 649(c)(11)) is amended by inserting ‘‘, which shall 

21 include conducting not fewer that 1 outreach event each 

22 fiscal year in each State that promotes exporting as a 

23 business development opportunity for small business con24 cerns’’ before the semicolon. 


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1 SEC. 203. EXPORT CONTROL EDUCATION. 

2 Section 22 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 649) 

3 is amended— 

4 (1) by redesignating subsection (l) as subsection 

5 (m); and 

6 (2) by inserting after subsection (k) the fol7 lowing: 

8 ‘‘(l) EXPORT CONTROL EDUCATION.—The Associate 

9 Administrator shall ensure that all programs of the Ad10 ministration to support exporting by small business con11 cerns place a priority on educating small business concerns 

12 about Federal export control regulations.’’. 

13 SEC. 204. SMALL BUSINESS INTER-AGENCY TASK FORCE ON 

14 EXPORT FINANCING. 

15 The Administrator, the Secretary of Agriculture, the 

16 Export-Import Bank of the United States, and the Over17 seas Private Investment Corporation shall jointly establish 

18 a Small Business Inter-Agency Task Force on Export Fi19 nancing to— 

20 (1) review and improve Federal export finance 

21 programs for small business concerns; and 

22 (2) coordinate the activities of the Federal Gov23 ernment to assist small business concerns seeking to 

24 export. 


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1 SEC. 205. AVAILABILITY OF STATE RESOURCE GUIDES ON 

2 EXPORT.GOV. 

3 The Secretary of Commerce shall make available on 

4 the Internet website Export.gov (or a successor website) 

5 information on the resources relating to export promotion 

6 and export financing available in each State— 

7 (1) organized by State; and 

8 (2) including information on State agencies 

9 with responsibility for export promotion or export fi10 nancing and district export councils and trade asso11 ciations located in the State. 

Æ 


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