Title: Championing American Business Through Diplomacy Act of 2019
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
Championing American Business Through Diplomacy Act of 2019
This bill establishes within the Department of State an Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Matters, and establishes that a principal duty of a diplomatic mission to a foreign country is the promotion of U.S. economic and commercial interests in that country.
The Assistant Secretary shall be responsible for matters relating to international economics and business matters in foreign policy.
The State Department shall train various Foreign Service officers, as part of their standard training, on matters including economic and commercial diplomacy, with a particular focus on market access, commercial advocacy, and increasing awareness of U.S. government assistance available to businesses.
The President shall initiate negotiations with countries to establish international standards for government-supported infrastructure investment overseas. The negotiations shall cover issues including the sovereignty of countries receiving investment, anti-corruption, and environmental standards.
The bill calls for various reports to Congress, including a State Department report about each mission's activities to promote U.S. economic and business interests, and a State Department and Department of Commerce report on commercial relations with foreign countries, including information on each country or region's political environment and investment climate.


[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1704 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1704

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


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 13, 2019

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To foster commercial relations with foreign countries and support 
United States economic and 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 2019''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) According to the 2017 National Security Strategy of the 
        United States of America, ``Retaining our position as the 
        world's preeminent economic actor strengthens our ability to 
        use the tools of economic diplomacy for the good of Americans 
        and others.''.
            (2) A November 7, 2018, cable from Secretary of State 
        Michael R. Pompeo to all diplomatic and consular posts--
        ``Boosting Commercial Diplomacy Around the World''--stated that 
        ``helping American companies is a foreign policy priority . . . 
        Promoting broad-based, responsible, and sustainable economic 
        growth helps to stabilize regions and creates new and growing 
        markets for U.S. companies. A transparent and level playing 
        field for U.S. investment in these countries counters real and 
        growing challenges such as China's Belt and Road initiative.''.
            (3) In the January-February 2019 issue of The Foreign 
        Service Journal, Ambassador Barbara Stephenson, the President 
        of the American Foreign Service Association, wrote ``Foreign 
        Service support for American business . . . is a major reason 
        why the U.S. Foreign Service was created.''.

SEC. 3. 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 
        matters.--
                    ``(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 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, economic 
                        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 and private 
                        sector outreach.
                            ``(vii) International data privacy and 
                        innovation policies.
                            ``(viii) Such other related duties as the 
                        Secretary may from time to time designate.''.

SEC. 4. 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 commercial interests in such 
country.''.

SEC. 5. 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 and Commercial Diplomacy.--The Secretary of State, 
with the assistance of other relevant officials and the private sector, 
shall establish as part of the standard training provided for economic 
and commercial officers of the Foreign Service, chiefs of mission, and 
deputy chiefs of mission, training on matters related to economic and 
commercial diplomacy, with particular attention to market access and 
other elements of an enabling framework for United States businesses, 
commercial advocacy, and United States foreign economic policy, in 
addition to awareness about the support of the United States Government 
available to United States businesses, including support provided by 
the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Commerce, the Export-
Import Bank of the United States, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, 
the Trade and Development Agency, the Department of the Treasury, the 
United States Agency for International Development, and the United 
States International Development Finance Corporation.''.

SEC. 6. REPORT FROM EACH MISSION ON MATTERS OF COMMERCIAL RELATIONS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act and annually thereafter, the chief of mission at 
each bilateral diplomatic mission of the United States and the Director 
of the American Institute in Taiwan shall submit to the Secretary of 
State the following:
            (1) Data and other information regarding actions taken by 
        each such mission or Institute during the previous year to 
        foster commercial relations and safeguard United States 
        economic and business interests in the country or region in 
        which each such chief of mission and the Director serves.
            (2) Each such mission's and Institute's anticipated 
        economic and commercial priorities for the coming year.
    (b) Report to Congress.--The Secretary of State, after receiving 
the information required under subsection (a), shall submit to the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a report, disaggregated by 
country or region, on activities and initiatives, including with 
appropriate examples, to create an enabling environment and otherwise 
promote United States economic and business interests in each such 
country or region, as well as information about significant foreign 
competition to United States businesses in the relevant country or 
region, including state-directed investments by foreign governments and 
United States strategic competitors in such country or region.

SEC. 7. 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 a United 
States Government internet website an annual country- and region-
specific report regarding commercial relations with foreign countries 
and regions and safeguarding United States economic and 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 or region 
covered by each such report:
            (1) Information about doing business in each country or 
        region.
            (2) Background information about each country's or region's 
        political environment.
            (3) Information about selling United States products and 
        services in each country or region.
            (4) Leading sectors for United States exports and 
        investment in each country or region.
            (5) Information about trade regulations, customs, and 
        standards in each country or region, 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 
        or region's openness to foreign investments, such as 
        information relating to each country's or region'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 and instability;
                    (G) adherence to internationally recognized core 
                labor standards; and
                    (H) protection of property rights.
            (7) Information about trade and project financing in each 
        country or region, such as each country's or region'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 or region.
            (9) Information about services and personnel of the 
        diplomatic mission of the United States available to United 
        States businesses to support their activities in each country 
        or region.
            (10) Any significant trade or commercial agreement that 
        exists between the United States and each country or region.
            (11) A point of contact at the diplomatic or consular 
        mission of the United States in each country or region for 
        United States businesses.

SEC. 8. IMPROVING AWARENESS OF UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT TOOLS AND 
              SERVICES TO SUPPORT UNITED STATES BUSINESSES OVERSEAS.

    The Secretary of State and the Secretary of Commerce shall take 
actions to improve United States businesses' awareness of United States 
Government tools and services to assist such businesses overseas, 
especially small and medium-sized enterprises, including by 
coordinating with State trade agencies, Export Assistance Centers, and 
Small Businesses Development Centers.

SEC. 9. NEGOTIATIONS TO ESTABLISH INTERNATIONAL QUALITY INFRASTRUCTURE 
              INVESTMENT STANDARDS.

    (a) In General.--The President, acting through the Secretary of 
State, and in coordination with other relevant Federal agency heads, 
shall initiate and pursue negotiations with countries to establish 
international standards for government-supported quality infrastructure 
investment overseas, including with respect to the following:
            (1) Respect for the sovereignty of countries in which 
        infrastructure investments are made.
            (2) Anti-corruption.
            (3) Fiscal and debt sustainability.
            (4) Environmental, social and governance safeguards.
            (5) Local labor.
            (6) Transparency.
    (b) Report on Progress of Negotiations.--Not later than one year 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the President shall provide a 
briefing to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate on 
the progress of any negotiations described in subsection (a).

SEC. 10. 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.
            (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) The status and effectiveness of actions taken by the 
        Secretary of State under section 7 of this Act regarding 
        commercial relations with foreign countries and regions and 
        safeguarding United States economic and business interests 
        abroad.
            (5) Recommendations to improve United States economic and 
        commercial diplomacy.
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