Increasing American Jobs Through Greater Exports to Africa Act of 2013

Bill: 113-s-718
Sponsor: Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]
Introduced: 2013-04-11 in the Senate
Policy area: Foreign Trade and International Finance
Subjects: Africa
Competitiveness, trade promotion, trade deficits
Congressional oversight
Customs enforcement
Department of Commerce
Diplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroad
Export-Import Bank of the United States
Federal officials
Foreign aid and international relief
Free trade and trade barriers
Government corporations and government-sponsored enterprises
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Multilateral development programs
Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC)
Small business
Trade agreements and negotiations
U.S. and foreign investments
Unemployment

Summary:
action_date: 2013-04-11
text: 
Increasing American Jobs Through Greater Exports to Africa Act of 2013 - Directs the President to establish a comprehensive U.S. strategy for public and private investment, trade, and development in Africa (including the Republic of South Sudan) that focuses, among other things, on: (1) increasing exports of U.S. goods and services to Africa by 200% in real dollar value within 10 years, (2) promoting the alignment of U.S. commercial interests with development priorities in Africa, (3) improving the competitiveness of U.S. businesses in Africa, (4) encouraging a greater understanding among U.S. business and financial communities of the opportunities Africa holds for U.S. exports, and (5) fostering partnership opportunities between U.S. and African small- and medium-sized enterprises.
 
Requires the President to designate a Special Africa Export Strategy Coordinator.
 
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Commerce and other high-level U.S. officials with responsibility for export promotion, financing, and development should conduct a joint trade mission to Africa.
 
Directs the Secretary to ensure that at least 10 total U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service officers are assigned to U.S. embassies in Africa for each of the first 5 fiscal years after enactment of this Act.
 
Requires the Secretary to assign at least one full-time officer to the office of the U.S. Executive Director at the World Bank and the African Development Bank to: (1) increase access of U.S. businesses to procurement contracts with the bank; and (2) facilitate access of such businesses to risk insurance, equity investments, consulting services, and lending provided by the bank.
 
Prescribes increases in the number of: (1) Export-Import Bank of the United States employees dedicated to expanding business development for Africa and assigned to bank field offices in Africa and the United States, and (2) Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) staff needed to promote stable and sustainable economic growth and development in Africa as well as to help U.S. businesses to expand into African markets.
 
Directs the President to develop a plan for standardized training of all U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service officers, Department of State economic officers, and U.S Agency for International Development (USAID) economic officers with respect to Bank, OPIC, Small Business Administration (SBA), and U.S. Trade and Development Agency programs and procedures.
 
Expresses the sense of Congress that foreign export credit agencies are providing non-Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) arrangement compliant financing in Africa that is trade distorting and threatens U.S. jobs.
 
Amends the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to direct the Bank to increase the amount of loans, guarantees, and insurance for projects in Africa. Requires the Bank to report annually to Congress if it has not used at least 10% of such loans, guarantees, and insurance for projects in Africa.
 
Directs the Bank to make Bank capitalization available annually for loans that counter trade distorting non-OECD arrangement compliant financing or preferential, tied aid, or other related non-market loans offered by other nations for which U.S. companies are also competing or interested in competing.
 
Amends the Small Business Act to require the Associate Administrator of Small Business for International Trade to work closely with the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee (TPCC), among others, in maintaining a trade distribution network. 
Directs the President to explore opportunities to negotiate bilateral, subregional, and regional agreements to encourage trade and eliminate nontariff barriers to trade between countries (including Africa), such as negotiating investor friendly double-taxation treaties and investment promotion agreements.

action_date: 2013-09-10
text: 
Increasing American Jobs Through Greater Exports to Africa Act of 2013 - (Sec. 4) Directs the President to establish a comprehensive U.S. strategy for public and private investment, trade, and development in Africa (including the Republic of South Sudan) that focuses, among other things, on: (1) increasing exports of U.S. goods and services to Africa by 200% in real dollar value within 10 years; (2) promoting the alignment of U.S. commercial interests with development priorities in Africa; (3) improving the competitiveness of U.S. businesses in Africa; (4) encouraging a greater understanding among U.S. business and financial communities of the opportunities Africa holds for U.S. exports; (5) fostering partnership opportunities between U.S. and African small- and medium-sized enterprises; and (6) monitoring market loan rates and the availability of capital for U.S. and foreign government investment in Africa, including predatory or market-distorting export financing policies of foreign governments.
 
(Sec. 5) Requires the President to designate a Special Africa Export Strategy Coordinator to: (1) oversee the development and implementation of that strategy, and (2) coordinate with the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee (TPCC), the interagency African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) committees, and development agencies with respect to developing and implementing the strategy.
 
(Sec. 6) Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Commerce and other high-level U.S. officials with responsibility for export promotion, financing, and development should conduct a joint trade mission to Africa.
 
(Sec. 7) Directs the Secretary to ensure that at least 10 total U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service officers are assigned to U.S. embassies in Africa for each of the first 5 fiscal years after enactment of this Act.
 
Requires the Secretary to assign at least one full-time officer to the office of the U.S. Executive Director at the World Bank and the African Development Bank to: (1) increase access of U.S. businesses to procurement contracts with the bank; and (2) facilitate access of such businesses to risk insurance, equity investments, consulting services, and lending provided by the bank.
 
Prescribes increases in the number of: (1) Export-Import Bank of the United States employees dedicated to expanding business development for Africa, and (2) Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) staff needed to promote stable and sustainable economic growth and development in Africa as well as to help U.S. businesses to expand into African markets.
 
Requires the Bank to maintain an appropriate number of employees assigned to Bank field offices in the United States.
 
Prohibits any construction of this section as permitting the reduction of Department of Commerce, Department of State, Export Import Bank, or OPIC personnel or the alteration of planned personnel increases in other regions, except where a personnel decrease was previously anticipated or where decreased export opportunities justify personnel reductions. 
 
(Sec. 8) Directs the President to develop a plan for standardized training of all U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service officers, Department of State economic officers, and U.S Agency for International Development (USAID) economic officers with respect to Bank, OPIC, Small Business Administration (SBA), and U.S. Trade and Development Agency programs and procedures.
 
Requires the President to ensure that, within one year after enactment of this Act, all U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service officers stationed overseas or, in countries to which no such officers are assigned, State Department economic officers stationed in such countries receive this training. 
 
(Sec. 9) Expresses the sense of Congress that foreign export credit agencies are providing non-Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) arrangement compliant financing in Africa that is trade distorting and threatens U.S. jobs.
 
Amends the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to direct the Bank to increase the amount it finances to Africa over the prior year's financing for each of the first five fiscal years after enactment of this Act. Requires the Bank to report annually to Congress if it has not used at least 10% of its lending capabilitiesfor projects in Africa.
 
Directs the Bank to make Bank capitalization available annually for loans that counter trade distorting non-OECD arrangement compliant financing or preferential, tied aid, or other related non-market loans offered by other nations for which U.S. companies are also competing or interested in competing.
 
(Sec. 10) Amends the Small Business Act to require the Associate Administrator of Small Business for International Trade to: (1) work closely with the TPCC, among others, in maintaining a trade distribution network; and (2) promote export assistance programs through the regional offices of the Export-Import Bank. 
(Sec. 11) Directs the President to explore opportunities to negotiate bilateral, subregional, and regional agreements to encourage trade and eliminate nontariff barriers to trade between countries (including Africa), such as negotiating investor friendly double-taxation treaties and investment promotion agreements.
 
Requires the President to ensure that any existing agreement between the United States and an African country is being implemented in a manner that maximizes the positive effects for U.S. trade, export, and labor interests as well as the economic development of the countries in Africa. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2013-09-10
text: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 181.
action_date: 2013-09-10
text: Committee on Foreign Relations. Reported by Senator Menendez with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 113-103.
action_date: 2013-09-10
text: Committee on Foreign Relations. Reported by Senator Menendez with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 113-103.
action_date: 2013-06-25
text: Committee on Foreign Relations. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
action_date: 2013-04-11
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. (text of measure as introduced: CR S2595-2597)
action_date: 2013-04-11
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S2593-2594)
action_date: 2013-04-11
text: Introduced in Senate