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[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2988 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2988

  To amend the Export Enhancement Act of 1988 to enhance awareness of 
     export promotion activities with respect to clean energy and 
environmental products and services of the United States, and for other 
                               purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 21, 2011

  Mr. Berman introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
  To amend the Export Enhancement Act of 1988 to enhance awareness of 
     export promotion activities with respect to clean energy and 
environmental products and services of the United States, and for other 
                               purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Green Export Promotion and Job 
Creation Act''.

SEC. 2. AMENDMENT TO EXPORT ENHANCEMENT ACT OF 1988.

    (a) In General.--Subtitle C of the Export Enhancement Act of 1988 
(15 U.S.C. 4721), relating to export promotion, is amended by adding at 
the end the following new section:

``SEC. 2315. PROMOTION OF EXPORTS OF CLEAN AND EFFICIENT ENERGY AND 
              ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCTS AND SERVICES.

    ``(a) Public Directory for Foreign Buyers.--
            ``(1) Establishment.--The Secretary of Commerce, acting 
        through the Under Secretary for International Trade, shall, in 
        cooperation with the relevant Federal departments and agencies, 
        establish a directory accessible through a public Web site for 
        foreign buyers to identify United States manufacturers and 
        service providers that are prepared to export products and 
        services in the following areas:
                    ``(A) Clean and efficient energy generation, 
                distribution, and use.
                    ``(B) Remediation of air and water pollution.
                    ``(C) Water supply.
                    ``(D) Sanitation.
                    ``(E) Solid waste disposal.
                    ``(F) Chemical and hazardous waste treatment and 
                containment.
                    ``(G) Equipment and services for testing, 
                monitoring, and analysis with respect to any area 
                described in any of subparagraphs (A) through (F), or 
                otherwise with respect to environmental hazards.
            ``(2) Requirements.--The directory established under 
        paragraph (1) shall--
                    ``(A) include a mechanism for United States 
                businesses to register for inclusion in the directory, 
                and for the United States Government to ascertain the 
                location in the United States and the legitimacy of 
                such businesses;
                    ``(B) include a summary of the products and 
                services provided by each registered United States 
                business;
                    ``(C) provide contact information for each United 
                States business in the database;
                    ``(D) be searchable by industry, business name, 
                product, or service, or by a combination of keywords; 
                and
                    ``(E) be updated regularly.
            ``(3) Submission of implementation plan to congress.--Not 
        later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 
        section, the Secretary of Commerce shall submit to the 
        appropriate congressional committees a detailed plan for 
        establishing and maintaining the directory required by 
        paragraph (1), including plans for the operation, content, 
        maintenance, and functionality of the directory. The plan 
        submitted under this paragraph shall include a detailed 
        implementation schedule for the directory, and plans for a 
        public awareness campaign to be conducted by the Secretary to 
        provide consumer awareness of the directory.
            ``(4) Date of initial availability.--Not later than 18 
        months after the date on which the Secretary submits the plan 
        required by paragraph (3), the Secretary of Commerce shall 
        establish the directory required by paragraph (1).
            ``(5) Government promotion.--The Secretary of Commerce 
        should promote awareness and use of the directory established 
        under this subsection in the United States and Foreign 
        Commercial Service and in United States missions and posts 
        abroad.
    ``(b) Governmental Database on Foreign Sales Opportunities.--
            ``(1) Establishment.--The Secretary of Commerce shall, in 
        cooperation with the relevant Federal departments and agencies, 
        establish a database accessible only to United States 
        Government personnel, that identifies potential sales 
        opportunities abroad for United States manufacturers and 
        service providers that are prepared to export products and 
        services in the areas described in subsection (a)(1).
            ``(2) Requirements.--The database established under 
        paragraph (1) shall--
                    ``(A) include a mechanism for United States 
                businesses to subscribe to the database;
                    ``(B) establish a mechanism for United States 
                Government personnel to enter information regarding 
                foreign business opportunities described in paragraph 
                (1) into the database;
                    ``(C) provide a summary of the products or services 
                desired by each foreign buyer;
                    ``(D) provide information that will allow a 
                subscriber to the system to contact the foreign buyer 
                or the person who entered the information into the 
                database;
                    ``(E) be searchable by location, industry, company 
                name, product, or service, or by a combination of 
                keywords;
                    ``(F) be able to transmit regular updates on 
                potential sales opportunities to database subscribers, 
                including the ability for subscribers of the system to 
                be able to customize the type of information they 
                receive; and
                    ``(G) be updated regularly.
    ``(c) Monitoring and Evaluation of United States Export Promotion 
With Respect to Clean and Efficient Energy and Environmental Products 
and Services.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary of Commerce shall develop 
        and implement a rigorous system to evaluate the effectiveness 
        and efficiency of United States export promotion activities 
        with respect to clean and efficient energy and environmental 
        products and services.
            ``(2) Components of system.--In order to avoid duplication, 
        ensure comprehensive coverage, promote high and uniform 
        standards, and facilitate comparability of results and the 
        development of a strong body of evidence, the system required 
        under paragraph (1) shall include--
                    ``(A) a method of coordinating monitoring and 
                evaluation activities among all Federal agencies 
                carrying out United States export promotion activities 
                with respect to clean and efficient energy and 
                environmental products and services;
                    ``(B) a survey of business customers that receive 
                export promotion services from the United States 
                Government;
                    ``(C) small- and medium-sized businesses that 
                receive export promotion services from the United 
                States Government and, of such businesses, those that 
                export products and services for the first time; and
                    ``(D) a process for consulting with the private 
                sector and subject matter experts, as appropriate, on 
                the planning, design, and implementation of evaluation 
                activities and dissemination of evaluation findings 
                under this subsection.
            ``(3) Required actions.--In carrying out paragraph (1), the 
        Secretary of Commerce shall establish, through the Trade 
        Promotion Coordinating Committee, standards for the following 
        actions with respect to the export promotion activities with 
        respect to clean and efficient energy and environmental 
        products and services that are engaged in by any Federal 
        agency:
                    ``(A) Establishing measurable and meaningful 
                performance objectives, including--
                            ``(i) exports by small- and medium-sized 
                        businesses;
                            ``(ii) businesses that become first-time 
                        exporters;
                            ``(iii) newly accessed markets; and
                            ``(iv) number of new registrants to receive 
                        export promotion services.
                    ``(B) Establishing criteria for the selection of 
                programs, projects, and activities to be subject to 
                various evaluation methodologies, with a particular 
                emphasis on impact evaluation.
                    ``(C) Establishing or designating an organizational 
                unit at the Department of Commerce with adequate staff 
                and resources to oversee and provide technical support 
                for appropriate evaluation activities.
                    ``(D) Through the Trade Promotion Coordinating 
                Committee, developing a plan for improving the capacity 
                of the agency to conduct rigorous and objective program 
                monitoring and evaluation, including by--
                            ``(i) expanding relevant education and 
                        training opportunities;
                            ``(ii) encouraging the adoption of improved 
                        methodologies for data collection and analysis; 
                        and
                            ``(iii) ensuring that best practices are 
                        shared within and between agencies.
                    ``(E) Establishes a process for applying the 
                findings and results of monitoring and evaluation 
                activities, including impact evaluation research, into 
                future program planning, budgeting, design, and 
                implementation.
                    ``(F) Establishes a policy for the publication of 
                program evaluations.
                    ``(G) Develops, in consultation with relevant 
                stakeholders, as appropriate, an annual evaluation plan 
                that describes how the agency will meet the 
                requirements of this section.
            ``(4) Submission of evaluation plans.--The President shall 
        ensure that the evaluation plans required by paragraph (3)(G) 
        are submitted to the appropriate congressional committees each 
        year along with the annual budget submitted under section 1105 
        of title 31, United States Code, and are published on a 
        Government Web site.
    ``(d) Cooperation With the International Renewable Energy Agency.--
The Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Secretary of State, 
shall work with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) to 
identify countries that have received or are in the process of 
receiving assistance from IRENA that improve the deployment and 
adoption of renewable energy in such country in order to promote United 
States exports in clean and efficient energy and environmental products 
and services to that country.
    ``(e) Report to Congress.--Not later than one year after the date 
of the enactment of this section and annually thereafter, the Secretary 
of Commerce shall transmit a report to Congress on the implementation 
of this section. Such report shall include--
            ``(1) a description of the activities undertaken during the 
        preceding year;
            ``(2) the results of the monitoring and evaluation programs 
        under subsection (c) during the preceding year; and
            ``(3) the operations of the public directory established 
        under subsection (a) and the governmental database established 
        under subsection (b) during the preceding year.
    ``(f) GAO Report on Effectiveness of U.S. Export Promotion.--
            ``(1) Initial report.--Not later than one year after the 
        date of the enactment of this section, the Comptroller General 
        shall submit a report to the appropriate congressional 
        committees containing--
                    ``(A) a baseline analysis that compares the scope 
                of effectiveness of United States export promotion 
                activities with respect to clean and efficient energy 
                and environmental products and services with those of 
                other major trade competitors; and
                    ``(B) recommendations on how United States export 
                promotion activities described in subparagraph (A) can 
                be strengthened to counteract foreign government 
                competition.
            ``(2) Subsequent report.--Not later than two years after 
        the date of the enactment of this section, the Comptroller 
        General shall submit a report to the appropriate congressional 
        committees containing--
                    ``(A) an assessment of the overall effectiveness of 
                United States export promotion activities with respect 
                to clean and efficient energy and environmental 
                products and services and a comparison to the baseline 
                analysis conducted in paragraph (1);
                    ``(B) an assessment of the ability of the Trade 
                Promotion Coordinating Committee to coordinate United 
                States export promotion activities described in 
                subparagraph (A);
                    ``(C) an evaluation of the effectiveness of the 
                monitoring and evaluation system established under 
                subsection (c); and
                    ``(D) recommendations for improving the 
                coordination and implementation of United States export 
                promotion activities described in subparagraph (A).
    ``(g) Definitions.--In this section--
            ``(1) the term `appropriate congressional committees' means 
        the Committee on Foreign Affairs in the House of 
        Representatives and the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 
        Urban Affairs in the Senate; and
            ``(2) the term `product' includes technology.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--The table of contents of the Omnibus 
Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 is amended by inserting after the 
item relating to section 2314 the following new item:

``Sec. 2315. Promotion of exports of clean and efficient energy and 
                            environmental products and services.''.
                                 <all>
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