IIB 

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 

AN ACT 

To promote economic partnership and cooperation between 

the United States and Mexico. 

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


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘United States-Mexico 

3 Economic Partnership Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress finds the following: 

6 (1) The United States and Mexico have bene7 fitted from a bilateral, mutually beneficial partner8 ship focused on advancing the economic interests of 

9 both countries. 

10 (2) In 2013, Mexico adopted major energy re11 forms that opened its energy sector to private invest12 ment, increasing energy cooperation between Mexico 

13 and the United States and opening new opportuni14 ties for United States energy engagement. 

15 (3) On January 18, 2018, the Principal Deputy 

16 Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Af17 fairs at the Department of State stated, ‘‘Our ex18 change programs build enduring relationships and 

19 networks to advance U.S. national interests and for20 eign policy goals . . . The role of our exchanges 

21 . . . in advancing U.S. national security and eco22 nomic interests enjoys broad bipartisan support from 

23 Congress and other stakeholders, and provides a 

24 strong return on investment.’’. 

25 (4) According to the Institute of International 

26 Education, in the 2015–2016 academic year, more 


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1 than 56,000 United States students studied in other 

2 countries in the Western Hemisphere region while 

3 more than 84,000 non-United States students from 

4 the region studied in the United States, but only 

5 5,000 of those United States students studied in 

6 Mexico and only 16,000 of those non-United States 

7 students were from Mexico. 

8 (5) In March 2011, the United States launched 

9 the 100,000 Strong in the Americas Initiative, which 

10 seeks to increase educational exchanges between the 

11 United States and other countries in the Western 

12 Hemisphere region so that 100,000 United States 

13 students are studying in other countries in the West14 ern Hemisphere region and 100,000 non-United 

15 States students from the region are studying in the 

16 United States per year by 2020. 

17 (6) In January 2014, the United States estab18 lished the 100,000 Strong in the Americas Innova19 tion Fund, which seeks to realize the goals of the 

20 100,000 Strong in the Americas Initiative by facili21 tating a public-private partnership between the De22 partment of State and nongovernmental organiza23 tions, corporations, and universities in the United 

24 States and other countries of the Western Hemi25 sphere region. 


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1 (7) To date, the 100,000 Strong in the Amer2 icas Innovation Fund has awarded more than 100 

3 grants to more than 250 higher education institu4 tions from 25 countries in the Western Hemisphere 

5 region, and has raised $9,000,000 in investments, 

6 75 percent of which was from corporations, founda7 tions, and regional governments. 

8 SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

9 It is the policy of the United States— 

10 (1) to continue deepening economic cooperation 

11 between the United States and Mexico; and 

12 (2) to seek to prioritize and expand educational 

13 and professional exchange programs with Mexico, in14 cluding through the framework of the 100,000 

15 Strong in the Americas Initiative. 

16 SEC. 4. STRATEGY TO PRIORITIZE AND EXPAND EDU17 CATIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL EXCHANGE 

18 PROGRAMS WITH MEXICO. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State shall de20 velop a strategy to carry out the policy described in section 

21 3, to include prioritizing and expanding educational and 

22 professional exchange programs with Mexico through the 

23 framework of the 100,000 Strong in the Americas Initia24 tive. 


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1 (b) ELEMENTS.—The strategy required under sub2 section (a) shall— 

3 (1) encourage more academic exchanges be4 tween the United States and Mexico at the sec5 ondary, post-secondary, and post-graduate levels, es6 pecially with communities and through academic in7 stitutions in the covered United States-Mexico bor8 der region; 

9 (2) encourage United States and Mexican aca10 demic institutions and businesses to collaborate to 

11 assist prospective and developing entrepreneurs in 

12 strengthening their business skills and promoting co13 operation and joint business initiatives across the 

14 United States and Mexico, with a focus on initiatives 

15 in the covered United States-Mexico border region; 

16 (3) promote energy infrastructure coordination 

17 and cooperation through support of vocational-level 

18 education, internships, and exchanges between the 

19 United States and Mexico, particularly in the region 

20 in which the Eagle Ford Shale is located and in 

21 proximity to such region; and 

22 (4) assess the feasibility of fostering partner23 ships between universities in the United States and 

24 medical school and nursing programs in Mexico to 

25 ensure that medical school and nursing programs in 


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1 Mexico have comparable accreditation standards as 

2 medical school and nursing programs in the United 

3 States by the Accreditation and Standards in For4 eign Medical Education, in addition to the Accredi5 tation Commission For Education in Nursing, so 

6 that medical students can pass medical licensing 

7 board exams, and nursing students can pass nursing 

8 licensing exams, in the United States. 

9 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 

10 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall 

11 submit to Congress a report on the strategy required 

12 under subsection (a). 

13 SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS. 

14 In this Act: 

15 (1) 100,000 STRONG IN THE AMERICAS INITIA16 TIVE.—The term ‘‘100,000 Strong in the Americas 

17 Initiative’’ means the initiative established in March 

18 2011 by the United States Government to increase 

19 educational exchanges in the Western Hemisphere. 

20 (2) COVERED UNITED STATES-MEXICO BORDER

21 REGION.—The term ‘‘covered United States-Mexico 

22 border region’’ means those portions of the United 


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1 States and Mexico that are within 100 kilometers of 

2 the international boundary between those countries. 

Passed the House of Representatives January 10, 

2019. 

Attest: KAREN L. HAAS, 

Clerk. 


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