I 
112TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4221 
To create jobs in the United States by increasing United States exports 
to Africa by at least 200 percent in real dollar value within 10 years, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 20, 2012 
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey (for himself and Mr. RUSH) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and 
in addition to the Committees on Financial Services, Ways and Means, 
and Small Business, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 
the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To create jobs in the United States by increasing United 
States exports to Africa by at least 200 percent in real 
dollar value within 10 years, 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 ‘‘Increasing American 
Jobs Through Greater Exports to Africa Act of 2012’’. 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
03:45 Mar 21, 2012
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4221.IH
H4221
pwalker on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find-
ings: 
(1) Export growth helps United States business 
grow and create American jobs. In 2010, 60 percent 
of American exports came from small- and medium- 
sized businesses. 
(2) On January 31, 2011, the President man-
dated an executive review across agencies to deter-
mine where the United States Government could be-
come more competitive and helpful to business, in-
cluding help with promoting exports. 
(3) Several United States Government agencies 
are involved in export promotion. Coordination of 
the efforts of these agencies through the Trade Pro-
motion Coordinating Committee lacks sufficient stra-
tegic implementation and accountability. 
(4) Many other countries have trade promotion 
programs that aggressively compete against United 
States exports in Africa and around the world. For 
example, in 2010, medium- and long-term official ex-
port credit general volumes from the Group of 7 
countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, 
the United Kingdom, and the United States) totaled 
$65,400,000,000. Germany provided the largest level 
of support at $22,500,000,000, followed by France 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
03:45 Mar 21, 2012
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4221.IH
H4221
pwalker on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
at $17,400,000,000 and the United States at 
$13,000,000,000. Official export credit support by 
emerging market economies such as Brazil, China, 
and India are significant as well. 
(5) Between 2008 and 2010, China alone pro-
vided more than $110,000,000,000 in loans to the 
developing world, and, in 2009, China surpassed the 
United States as the leading trade partner of Afri-
can countries. The Export-Import Bank of the 
United States substantially increased lending to 
United States businesses focused on Africa from 
$400,000,000 
in 
2009 
to 
an 
anticipated 
$1,000,000,000 in 2011, but the Export-Import 
Bank of China dwarfed this effort with an estimated 
$12,000,000,000 worth of financing. 
(6) Other countries such as India, Turkey, Rus-
sia, and Brazil are also aggressively seeking markets 
in Africa using their national export banks to pro-
vide concessional assistance. 
(7) The Chinese practice of concessional financ-
ing runs contrary to the principles of the Organiza-
tion of Economic Co-operation and Development re-
lated to open market rates, undermines naturally 
competitive rates, and can allow governments in Af-
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
03:45 Mar 21, 2012
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4221.IH
H4221
pwalker on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
rica to overlook the troubling record on labor prac-
tices, human rights, and environmental impact. 
(8) The African continent is undergoing a pe-
riod of rapid growth and middle class development, 
as seen from major indicators such as Internet use 
and clean water access. In 2000, only 6.7 percent of 
the population of Africa had access to the Internet. 
In 2009, 27.1 percent of the population had Internet 
access. Seventy-eight percent of Africa’s rural popu-
lation now has access to clean water. 
(9) Economists have designated Africa as the 
‘‘next frontier market’’, with profitability and growth 
rates among many African firms exceeding global 
averages in recent years. Countries in Africa have a 
collective spending power of almost $9,000,000,000 
and 
a 
gross 
domestic 
product 
of 
$1,600,000,000,000, which are projected to double 
in the next 10 years. 
(10) Sub-Saharan Africa is projected to have 
the fastest growing economies in the world over the 
next 5 years, with 7 of the 10 fastest growing econo-
mies located in sub-Saharan Africa. 
(11) When countries such as China assist with 
large-scale government projects, they also gain an 
upper hand in relations with African leaders and ac-
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
03:45 Mar 21, 2012
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4221.IH
H4221
pwalker on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
cess to valuable commodities such as oil and copper, 
typically without regard to environmental, human 
rights, labor, or governance standards. 
(12) Unless the United States can offer com-
petitive financing for its firms in Africa, it will be 
deprived of opportunities to participate in African 
efforts to close the continent’s significant infrastruc-
ture 
gap 
that 
amounts 
to 
an 
estimated 
$100,000,000,000. 
(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to create 
jobs in the United States by expanding programs that will 
result in increasing United States exports to Africa by 200 
percent in real dollar value within 10 years. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) AFRICA.—The term ‘‘Africa’’ refers to the 
entire continent of Africa and its 54 countries, in-
cluding the Republic of South Sudan. 
(2) AFRICAN
DIASPORA.—The term ‘‘African 
diaspora’’ means the people of African origin living 
in the United States, irrespective of their citizenship 
and nationality, who are willing to contribute to the 
development of Africa. 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
03:45 Mar 21, 2012
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4221.IH
H4221
pwalker on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
(3) AGOA.—The term ‘‘AGOA’’ means the Af-
rican Growth and Opportunity Act (19 U.S.C. 3701 
et seq.). 
(4) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com-
mittees’’ means— 
(A) the Committee on Appropriations, the 
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban 
Affairs, and the Committee on Foreign Rela-
tions of the Senate; and 
(B) the Committee on Appropriations, the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce, the Com-
mittee on Financial Services, the Committee on 
Foreign Affairs, and the Committee on Ways 
and Means of the House of Representatives. 
(5) DEVELOPMENT AGENCIES.—The term ‘‘de-
velopment agencies’’ includes the Department of 
State, including the United States Agency for Inter-
national Development (USAID), the Millennium 
Challenge Corporation (MCC), the Overseas Private 
Investment Corporation (OPIC), and the United 
States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA). 
(6) TRADE
POLICY
STAFF
COMMITTEE.—The 
term ‘‘Trade Policy Staff Committee’’ means the 
Trade Policy Staff Committee established pursuant 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
03:45 Mar 21, 2012
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4221.IH
H4221
pwalker on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with BILLS