I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4250 
To eliminate fees for assistance provided by the Department of Commerce 
and agencies thereof under export promotion programs, to authorize 
appropriations for such purpose, to direct the Secretary of Commerce 
to take certain steps to expand export promotion activities, and for 
other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 8, 2005 
Mr. MICA (for himself and Mr. MANZULLO) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on International Relations 
A BILL 
To eliminate fees for assistance provided by the Department 
of Commerce and agencies thereof under export pro-
motion programs, to authorize appropriations for such 
purpose, to direct the Secretary of Commerce to take 
certain steps to expand export promotion activities, and 
for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘United States Export 
Promotion Act of 2005’’.
SEC. 2. ELIMINATION OF FEES CHARGED FOR EXPORT PRO-
MOTION PROGRAMS. 
(a) ELIMINATION OF FEES.—The Secretary of Com-
merce, the International Trade Administration, and the 
United States and Foreign Commercial Service may not 
charge fees to United States exporters, United States 
businesses, or United States persons, for assistance pro-
vided to such exporters, businesses, or persons under sub-
title C of the Export Enhancement Act of 1988 (15 U.S.C. 
4721 et seq.) or under any other export promotion pro-
gram. 
(b) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to the Department of 
Commerce, the International Trade Administration, and 
the United States and Foreign Commercial Service such 
sums as may be necessary to cover the costs of providing 
services to United States exporters, United States busi-
nesses, or United States persons, under export promotion 
programs. 
SEC. 3. CAPITAL SECURITY COST-SHARING PROGRAM 
CHANGES. 
In determining the total overseas presence of an 
agency for purposes of section 604(e) of the Secure Em-
bassy Construction and Counterterrorism Act of 1999 (as 
enacted by section 1000(a)(7) of Public Law 106–113),
there shall be excluded any positions or activities of the 
agency attributable to export promotion programs. 
SEC. 4. UNITED STATES AND FOREIGN COMMERCIAL SERV-
ICE ACTIVITIES ABROAD. 
The Secretary of Commerce shall, not later than 180 
days after the date of the enactment of this Act— 
(1) develop and submit to the Congress a plan 
to locate and relocate offices, officers, and employees 
of the USFCS in other countries at places other 
than the United States embassy or, in any country 
in which there is no such embassy, the chief diplo-
matic mission of the United States in that country; 
(2) develop and submit to the Congress a plan 
to place, in each country with which the United 
States has diplomatic relations, a USFCS office or, 
in countries with smaller markets, one or more for-
eign nationals working under the supervision of a re-
gional USFCS officer, to carry out functions under 
export promoting programs if, on the basis of a mar-
ket analysis of the country conducted by the Sec-
retary of Commerce, the Secretary determines such 
placement is viable; and 
(3) conduct and report to the Congress on a 
market analysis of other countries for purposes of
expanding activities of the USFCS in those coun-
tries, particularly those with developing economies. 
SEC. 5. UNITED STATES TRADE MISSIONS. 
The Secretary of Commerce shall, not later than 180 
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, develop 
and submit to the Congress a plan for conducting at least 
100 United States trade missions abroad in fiscal years 
2006 and 2007. Of these trade missions— 
(1) 1 shall be dedicated for each of the several 
States, 
(2) 1 shall be dedicated for the District of Co-
lumbia, 
(3) 1 shall be dedicated for Puerto Rico and the 
Virgin Islands, and 
(4) 1 shall be dedicated for Guam and Amer-
ican Samoa, 
with each such mission being comprised primarily of 
United States businesses whose principal place of business 
is in the State or other place listed in paragraphs (2) 
through (4) for which the trade mission is dedicated. No 
fee may be charged to any United States business for par-
ticipating in any such trade mission.
SEC. 6. INCREASING PARTICIPATION IN GLOBAL MARKETS 
OF SMALL- AND MEDIUM-SIZED BUSINESSES. 
The Secretary of Commerce shall, not later than 180 
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, submit 
to the Congress— 
(1) budget, staffing, and reorganization require-
ments of the Department of Commerce and, with the 
concurrence of the Administrator of the Small Busi-
ness Administration, of the Small Business Adminis-
tration, in order to substantially increase the ability 
of small businesses and medium-sized businesses in 
the United States to compete in global markets; and 
(2) an overall United States trade promotion 
strategy, with achievable annual action plans, that 
aggressively markets small businesses and medium- 
sized businesses in the United States to expanding 
overseas markets and directly supports, through 
trade missions and related activities, the efforts of 
the individual States (and the District of Columbia) 
toward achieving this goal. 
SEC. 7. DEVELOPMENT OF EXPORT DATABASE AND OTHER 
TRADE PROMOTION ACTIVITIES. 
(a) DATABASE.—The Secretary of Commerce shall— 
(1) conduct a comprehensive review, reorganiza-
tion, and expansion of the Web site www.export.gov
(or any successor Web site) of the Department of 
Commerce in order to— 
(A) increase the usability and scope of the 
Web site; and 
(B) ensure that each USFCS office loca-
tion has an interactive Web site that is inter-
operable with www.export.gov; and 
(2)(A) create and maintain a database of 
United States exporters; 
(B) provide United States exporters with the 
ability to elect to be included in the database; and 
(C) report to Congress on methods other Fed-
eral agencies may use to assist United States busi-
nesses interested in developing export markets in ac-
cessing the database; and 
(3) after reviewing successful trade promotion 
activities of other countries with which the United 
States competes in global markets, make such modi-
fications to the operations of the Department of 
Commerce in carrying out export promotion pro-
grams, including modifications to Internet access, as 
are necessary to more effectively assist in matching 
business opportunities abroad to potential suppliers 
in the United States, and to support closing of
transactions, arranging of financing, and delivery of 
goods or services. 
SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) EXPORT PROMOTION PROGRAM.—The term 
‘‘export promotion program’’ has the meaning given 
that term in section 201(d) of the Export Adminis-
tration Amendments Act of 1985 (15 U.S.C. 
4051(d)). 
(2) SMALL BUSINESS.—The term ‘‘small busi-
ness’’ means any small business concern as defined 
under section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 
U.S.C. 632). 
(3) UNITED
STATES
BUSINESS.—The term 
‘‘United States business’’ has the meaning given 
that term in section 2304(e) of the Export Enhance-
ment Act of 1988 (15 U.S.C. 4724(e)). 
(4) UNITED
STATES
EXPORTER.—The term 
‘‘United States exporter’’ has the meaning given 
that term in section 2301(j) of the Export Enhance-
ment Act of 1988 (15 U.S.C. 4721(j)). 
(5) USFCS.—The term ‘‘USFCS’’ means the 
United States and Foreign Commercial Service of 
the Department of Commerce.
(6) 
UNITED
STATES
PERSON.—The 
term 
‘‘United States person’’ has the meaning given that 
term in section 2306(c) of the Export Enhancement 
Act of 1988 (15 U.S.C. 4725(c)). 
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