II 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1379 

To amend the African Growth and Opportunity Act to require the development of a plan for each sub-Saharan African country for negotiating 

and entering into free trade agreements and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 19, 2015 

Mr. INHOFE (for himself and Mr. COONS) introduced the following bill; which 

was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance 

A BILL 

To amend the African Growth and Opportunity Act to require the development of a plan for each sub-Saharan 

African country for negotiating and entering into free 

trade agreements 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. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘African Free Trade 

5 Initiative Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS WITH SUB-SAHARAN AF2 RICAN COUNTRIES. 

3 (a) PLAN REQUIREMENTS AND REPORTING.—Sec4 tion 116 of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (19 

5 U.S.C. 3723) is amended by striking subsections (b) and 

6 (c) and inserting the following: 

7 ‘‘(b) PLAN REQUIREMENT.— 

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The President shall develop 

9 a plan for the purpose of negotiating and entering 

10 into one or more free trade agreements with all sub11 Saharan African countries. The plan shall identify 

12 the 15 countries or groups of countries that are 

13 most ready for a free trade agreement with the 

14 United States. 

15 ‘‘(2) ELEMENTS OF PLAN.—The plan required 

16 by paragraph (1) shall include, for each sub-Saharan 

17 African country, the following: 

18 ‘‘(A) The steps such sub-Saharan African 

19 country needs to be equipped and ready to 

20 enter into a free trade agreement with the 

21 United States, including the development of a 

22 bilateral investment treaty. 

23 ‘‘(B) Milestones for accomplishing each 

24 step identified in subparagraph (A) for each 

25 sub-Saharan African country, with the goal of 

26 establishing a free trade agreement with each 


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1 sub-Saharan African country not later than 10 

2 years after the date of the enactment of the Af3 rican Free Trade Initiative Act. 

4 ‘‘(C) A description of the resources re5 quired to assist each sub-Saharan African coun6 try in accomplishing each milestone described in 

7 subparagraph (B). 

8 ‘‘(D) The extent to which steps described 

9 in subparagraph (A), the milestones described 

10 in subparagraph (B), and resources described 

11 in subparagraph (C) may be accomplished 

12 through regional or subregional organizations in 

13 sub-Saharan Africa, including the East African 

14 Community, the Economic Community of West 

15 African States, the Common Market for East16 ern and Southern Africa, and the Economic 

17 Community of Central African States. 

18 ‘‘(E) Procedures to ensure the following: 

19 ‘‘(i) Adequate consultation with Con20 gress and the private sector during the ne21 gotiations. 

22 ‘‘(ii) Consultation with Congress re23 garding all matters relating to implementa24 tion of the agreement or agreements. 


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1 ‘‘(iii) Approval by Congress of the 

2 agreement or agreements. 

3 ‘‘(iv) Adequate consultations with the 

4 relevant African governments and African 

5 regional and subregional intergovernmental 

6 organizations during the negotiation of the 

7 agreement or agreements. 

8 ‘‘(c) REPORTING REQUIREMENT.—Not later than 12 

9 months after the date of the enactment of the African 

10 Free Trade Initiative Act, the President shall prepare and 

11 transmit to Congress a report containing the plan devel12 oped pursuant to subsection (b).’’. 

13 (b) MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE COMPACTS.—After 

14 the date of the enactment of this Act, the United States 

15 Trade Representative and Administrator of the United 

16 States Agency for International Development shall consult 

17 and coordinate with the Chief Executive Officer of the Mil18 lennium Challenge Corporation regarding countries that 

19 have entered into a Millennium Challenge Compact pursu20 ant to section 609 of the Millennium Challenge Act of 

21 2003 (22 U.S.C. 7708) that have been declared eligible 

22 to enter into such a Compact for the purpose of developing 

23 and carrying out the plan required by subsection (b) of 

24 section 116 of the African Growth and Opportunity Act 

25 (19 U.S.C. 3723), as amended by subsection (a). 


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1 SEC. 3. COORDINATION OF USAID WITH FREE TRADE 

2 AGREEMENT POLICY. 

3 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF FUNDS.—Funds made avail4 able after the date of enactment of this Act to the United 

5 States Agency for International Development under sec6 tion 496 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 

7 2293) may be used in consultation with the United States 

8 Trade Representative— 

9 (1) to carry out subsection (b) of section 116 

10 of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (19 

11 U.S.C. 3723), as amended by section 2(a), including 

12 for the deployment of resources in individual eligible 

13 countries to assist such country in the development 

14 of institutional capacities to carry out such sub15 section (b); and 

16 (2) to coordinate the efforts of the United 

17 States to establish free trade agreements in accord18 ance with the policy set out in subsection (a) of such 

19 section 116. 

20 (b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

21 (1) ELIGIBLE COUNTRY.—The term ‘‘eligible 

22 country’’ means a sub-Saharan African country that 

23 receives— 

24 (A) benefits under the African Growth and 

25 Opportunity Act (19 U.S.C. 3701 et seq.); and 


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1 (B) funding from the United States Agen2 cy for International Development. 

3 (2) SUB-SAHARAN AFRICAN COUNTRY.—The 

4 term ‘‘sub-Saharan African country’’ has the mean5 ing given that term in section 107 of the African 

6 Growth and Opportunity Act (19 U.S.C. 3706). 

Æ 


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