HR 1777 · 113th Congress 2013โ€“2015, ended

Increasing American Jobs Through Greater Exports to Africa Act of 2013

Latest action · Nov 21, 2013 Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee (Amended) by Unanimous Consent .

Progress

Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.

  1. IntroducedApr 26, 2013
  2. Passed HouseNot reached
  3. Passed SenateNot reached
  4. To the PresidentNot reached
  5. Became lawNot reached

Summary

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.

Cosponsors 2

Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on Apr 26, 2013.

SeatCosponsorSigned on
D-ILBobby L. RushOriginalApr 26, 2013
D-CAKaren BassOriginalApr 26, 2013

Committees 4

Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.

ChamberCommitteeWhat it did
HouseForeign Affairs Committee
Referred Apr 26, 2013
Africa Subcommittee
Referred Jun 7, 2013Markup Nov 21, 2013Reported Nov 21, 2013
Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade Subcommittee
Referred Jun 7, 2013
HouseWays and Means Committee
Referred Apr 26, 2013
Trade Subcommittee
Referred Jun 3, 2013
HouseSmall Business Committee
Referred Apr 26, 2013
HouseFinancial Services Committee
Referred Apr 26, 2013

Actions 8

Everything that happened, newest first.

  1. Nov 21, 2013Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
  2. Nov 21, 2013Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee (Amended) by Unanimous Consent .
  3. Jun 7, 2013Referred to the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations.
  4. Jun 7, 2013Referred to the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade.
  5. Jun 3, 2013Referred to the Subcommittee on Trade.
  6. May 8, 2013Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E616-617)
  7. Apr 26, 2013Introduced in House
  8. Apr 26, 2013Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Small Business, and Financial Services, 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.

In the Congressional Record 2

Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.

WhereIn the RecordMembersDate
ExtensionsDebate and remarks E704Bobby L. Rush D-ILMay 20, 2013
ExtensionsDebate and remarks E616Christopher H. Smith R-NJMay 8, 2013

Research

What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.

Constitutional authority

Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant to the following: Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution

The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the page H2394.

Printed hearings 2

Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.

NumberHearingCommitteeHeld
Serial No. 113-122INCREASING AMERICAN JOBS THROUGH GREATER EXPORTS TO AFRICA ACT OF 201350 pagesForeign Affairs CommitteeNov 21, 2013
Serial No. 113-57INCREASING AMERICAN JOBS THROUGH GREATER EXPORTS TO AFRICA81 pagesForeign Affairs CommitteeMay 7, 2013

CRS reports 3

Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.

Cite it 3

Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.

ProductTitleKindPublished
R43173African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA): Background and Reauthorization ArchivedReportJun 16, 2015
R43655U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit: Frequently Asked Questions and Background ArchivedReportJul 31, 2014
IN10015Trade Africa Initiative ArchivedInsightApr 10, 2014

Related bills 1

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

BillTitleRelationshipLatest action
S 718Increasing American Jobs Through Greater Exports to Africa Act of 2013Identical billSep 10, 2013

Titles 2

Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.

Official Title as Introduced
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.
Short Titles as Introduced
Increasing American Jobs Through Greater Exports to Africa Act of 2013

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Foreign Trade and International Finance.

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

  1. Apr 26, 2013Introduced in House

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Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.