Title: Championing American Business Through Diplomacy Act of 2018
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
Championing American Business Through Diplomacy Act of 2018
This bill establishes within the Department of State an Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs, and establishes that a principal duty of a diplomatic mission to a foreign country is the promotion of U.S. economic and business interests in that country.


[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7153 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7153

   To foster commercial relations with foreign countries and support 
 American business interests abroad in the conduct of foreign policy, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 16, 2018

 Mr. McCaul (for himself and Mr. Schweikert) introduced the following 
      bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To foster commercial relations with foreign countries and support 
 American business interests abroad in the conduct of foreign policy, 
                        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 ``Championing American Business 
Through Diplomacy Act of 2018''.

SEC. 2. ECONOMIC DIPLOMACY WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE.

    Subsection (c) of section 1 of the State Department Basic 
Authorities Act of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 2651a) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph (4); and
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following new 
        paragraph:
            ``(3) Assistant secretary for economic and business 
        affairs.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Subject to the numerical 
                limitation specified in paragraph (1), there is 
                authorized to be established in the Department of State 
                an Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and 
                Business Affairs who shall be responsible to the 
                Secretary of State for matters pertaining to 
                international economics and business matters in the 
                conduct of foreign policy.
                    ``(B) Matters contemplated.--The matters referred 
                to in subparagraph (A) include the following:
                            ``(i) International trade and investment 
                        policy.
                            ``(ii) International finance, development, 
                        and debt policy.
                            ``(iii) Economic sanctions and combating 
                        terrorist financing.
                            ``(iv) International transportation policy.
                            ``(v) Support for United States businesses.
                            ``(vi) Economic policy analysis, public 
                        diplomacy, and private sector outreach.
                            ``(vii) Such other related duties as the 
                        Secretary may from time to time designate.''.

SEC. 3. CHIEF OF MISSION RESPONSIBILITIES.

    Section 207 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 3927) is 
amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(d) Promotion of United States Economic Interests.--Each chief of 
mission to a foreign country shall have as a principal duty the 
promotion of United States economic and business interests in such 
country.''.

SEC. 4. INCREASED TRAINING IN ECONOMIC AND COMMERCIAL DIPLOMACY.

    Section 708 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 4028) is 
amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(d) Economic Diplomacy.--The Secretary of State, with the 
assistance of other relevant officials of the Department of State, such 
as the Assistant Secretary for Economic and Business Affairs, shall 
establish as part of the standard training provided for officers of the 
Service, including chiefs of mission and deputy chiefs of mission, 
training on matters related to economic and commercial diplomacy, with 
particular attention to market access for United States businesses, 
commercial advocacy, and United States foreign economic policy.''.

SEC. 5. REPORT FROM EACH MISSION ON MATTERS OF COMMERCIAL RELATIONS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act annually thereafter, the chief of mission at each 
United States embassy shall submit to the Secretary of State a report 
on the specific actions taken during the previous year to foster 
commercial relations and safeguard United States business interests in 
the country or region in which each such chief of mission serves.
    (b) Matters To Be Included.--Each report required under subsection 
(a) shall include the following:
            (1) A list that includes the specific business sectors and 
        the number of companies by sector that each United States 
        embassy aided over the course of the previous year in fostering 
        commercial relations in the relevant country or region.
            (2) A description of actions each United States embassy 
        took to aid the business sectors identified under paragraph 
        (1).
            (3) An assessment of fields with respect to which each 
        United States embassy can improve the ability of each such 
        embassy to foster commercial relations and safeguard United 
        States business interests in the relevant country or region.
            (4) Information about significant foreign competition to 
        United States businesses in the relevant country or region, 
        including state-directed investments by authoritarian 
        governments and United States strategic competitors in such 
        country or region, and whether or not such investments pose 
        risks to United States foreign policy and national security 
        interests in such country or region.
    (c) Report to Congress.--The Secretary of State, upon receiving 
each report required under subsection (a) from each chief of mission, 
shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate an 
annual report on activities, including with appropriate examples, by 
the Department of State to promote United States business interests 
abroad, as well as actions and investments by foreign competitors that 
are determined to be risks to United States foreign policy and national 
security interests.
    (d) Form of Report.--The report described in subsection (c) shall 
be in unclassified form but may include classified annexes.

SEC. 6. REPORT ON UNIFIED INVESTMENT CLIMATE STATEMENT AND COUNTRY 
              COMMERCIAL GUIDE.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of State and the Secretary of 
Commerce shall jointly produce and make publicly available on an 
internet website of the Department of State and the Department of 
Commerce, respectively, an annual country-specific report regarding 
topics to foster commercial relations with foreign countries and 
safeguard United States business interests abroad, including with 
regard to United States exports and investments, including by small- 
and medium-size enterprises.
    (b) Matters To Be Included.--Each report required under subsection 
(a) shall include the following with respect to each country covered by 
each such report:
            (1) Information about doing business in each country.
            (2) Background information about each country's political 
        environment.
            (3) Information about selling United States products and 
        services in each country.
            (4) Leading sectors for United States exports and 
        investment in each country.
            (5) Information about trade regulations, customs, and 
        standards in each country, such as--
                    (A) information on import tariffs; and
                    (B) documentation about which United States 
                businesses should be aware when exporting, including 
                any prohibited items or temporary entry procedures.
            (6) Investment climate statements describing each country's 
        openness to foreign investments, such as information relating 
        to each country's--
                    (A) investment policies;
                    (B) market barriers;
                    (C) business risks;
                    (D) legal and regulatory system, including dispute 
                resolution;
                    (E) level of public and private sector corruption;
                    (F) level of political violence;
                    (G) labor issues; and
                    (H) protection of property rights.
            (7) Information about trade and project financing in each 
        country, such as each country's--
                    (A) banking and financial system, and how United 
                States businesses typically get paid;
                    (B) foreign exchange controls; and
                    (C) important sources of funding for project 
                financing.
            (8) Relevant business travel information and business 
        customs in each country.
            (9) Information about United States embassy services and 
        personnel available to United States businesses to support 
        their activities in each country.

SEC. 7. REPORT BY COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES.

    (a) In General.--Not later than two years after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 
shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a 
report on United States economic and commercial diplomacy.
    (b) Matters To Be Included.--The report required under subsection 
(a) shall include an assessment of the following:
            (1) What is known about the effectiveness of United States 
        economic and commercial diplomacy in influencing foreign 
        governments and supporting United States businesses abroad, 
        including by small- and medium-sized enterprises.
            (2) Coordination between the Department of State and the 
        Department of Commerce with respect to United States economic 
        and commercial diplomacy.
            (3) The effectiveness of training provided pursuant to 
        subsection (d) of section 708 of the Foreign Service Act of 
        1980 (as added by section 4 of this Act) on matters relating to 
        economic and commercial diplomacy.
            (4) Recommendations to improve United States economic and 
        commercial diplomacy.
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