AGOA and MCA Modernization Act
Latest action · Apr 23, 2018 Became Public Law No: 115-167.
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.
- IntroducedJul 27, 2017
- Passed HouseJan 17, 2018
- Passed SenateApr 9, 2018
- To the PresidentApr 11, 2018
- Became lawApr 23, 2018Public Law 115-167
Summary
African Growth and Opportunity Act and Millennium Challenge Act Modernization Act or the AGOA and MCA Modernization Act
This bill directs the President to establish a website for the collection and dissemination of information regarding the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).
The Department of State is urged to promote the use by eligible sub-Saharan African countries of the benefits available under the African Growth and Opportunity Act.
The President is urged to:
- facilitate trans-boundary trade among eligible sub-Saharan African countries;
- provide training for business and government trade officials on accessing AGOA benefits;
- provide capacity building for African entrepreneurs and trade associations on production strategies, quality standards, and market development;
- provide capacity building training to promote product diversification and value-added processing; and
- provide capacity building and technical assistance funding to help African businesses and institutions comply with U.S. counter-terrorism policies.
The Millennium Challenge Act of 2003 is amended to permit an eligible country that has entered into a Millennium Challenge Compact to enter into one additional concurrent compact under specified conditions. Regarding a subsequent nonconcurrent compact, a country's eligibility shall be based on significantly improved performance across the criteria relevant to selection for the preceding compact.
The bill establishes, beginning with FY2013, new assistance criteria for a low-income or a lower middle income candidate country eligible to enter into a Millennium Challenge Compact with the United States.
The Millennium Challenge Corporation shall: (1) before selecting a compact country, provide the Board of Directors with information regarding the country's treatment of civil society; and (2) submit an assessment of the feasibility of developing partnerships at the sub-national level within candidate countries.
Cosponsors 8
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jul 27, 2017 to Dec 7, 2017; 3 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-NJ | Christopher H. Smith | Original | Jul 27, 2017 |
| D-NY | Eliot L. Engel | Original | Jul 27, 2017 |
| D-CA | Karen Bass | Original | Jul 27, 2017 |
| D-AL | Terri A. Sewell | Aug 1, 2017 | |
| D-CA | Ted Lieu | Sep 13, 2017 | |
| R-WA | David G. Reichert | Oct 23, 2017 | |
| D-MA | Michael E. Capuano | Nov 2, 2017 | |
| D-NY | Jose E. Serrano | Dec 7, 2017 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Foreign Affairs Committee | Referred Jul 27, 2017Markup Sep 28, 2017Reported Jan 3, 2018 |
Actions 18
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Apr 23, 2018Signed by President.
- Apr 23, 2018Became Public Law No: 115-167.
- Apr 11, 2018Presented to President.
- Apr 10, 2018Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Apr 9, 2018Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S2015)
- Feb 6, 2018Read twice. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 304.
- Jan 18, 2018Received in the Senate.
- Jan 17, 2018Mr. Royce (CA) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Jan 17, 2018Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H430-435)
- Jan 17, 2018DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 3445.
- Jan 17, 2018Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H430-432)
- Jan 17, 2018Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- Jan 3, 2018Reported by the Committee on Foreign Affairs. H. Rept. 115-484.
- Jan 3, 2018Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 358.
- Sep 28, 2017Ordered to be Reported by Voice Vote.
- Sep 28, 2017Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- Jul 27, 2017Introduced in House
- Jul 27, 2017Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
In the Congressional Record 4
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.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | Debate and remarks S2015 | Mitch McConnell R-KY | Apr 9, 2018 |
| Extensions | Debate and remarks E61 | Sheila Jackson Lee D-TX | Jan 18, 2018 |
| House | Debate and remarks H430–H435Text printed H430–H432 | Albio Sires D-NJ, Christopher H. Smith R-NJ, Edward R. Royce R-CA, Karen Bass D-CA, Sheila Jackson Lee D-TX | Jan 17, 2018 |
| Extensions | Debate and remarks E1294 | Christopher H. Smith R-NJ | Sep 28, 2017 |
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.
Committee report
Congressional Budget Office cost estimate
- Oct 11, 2017H.R. 3445, AGOA and MCA Modernization ActAs ordered reported by the House Committee on Foreign Affairs on September 28, 2017
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 163, no. 127, July 27, 2017, page H6518.
Printed hearings 1
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serial No. 115-69 | VARIOUS MEASURES249 pages | Foreign Affairs Committee | Sep 28, 2017 |
CRS reports 7
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 7
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| R49187 | African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) | Report | Aug 14, 2026 |
| IF10149 | African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) | Resource | Feb 17, 2026 |
| R47197 | African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA): Overview and Issues for Congress | Report | May 3, 2023 |
| RL32427 | Millennium Challenge Corporation: Overview and Issues | Report | Oct 3, 2019 |
| R45458 | Foreign Aid in the 115th Congress: A Legislative Wrap-Up in Brief Archived | Report | Jan 11, 2019 |
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 832 | AGOA and MCA Modernization Act | Related bill | Oct 17, 2017 |
Titles 13
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title
- An act to enhance the transparency and accelerate the impact of programs under the African Growth and Opportunity Act and the Millennium Challenge Corporation, and for other purposes
- Short Title
- African Growth and Opportunity Act and Millennium Challenge Act Modernization Act
- Official Title as Introduced
- To enhance the transparency and accelerate the impact of programs under the African Growth and Opportunity Act and the Millennium Challenge Corporation, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- AGOA and MCA Modernization Act
- African Growth and Opportunity Act and Millennium Challenge Act Modernization Act
- Short Titles as Reported to House
- AGOA and MCA Modernization Act
- African Growth and Opportunity Act and Millennium Challenge Act Modernization Act
- Short Titles as Passed House
- AGOA and MCA Modernization Act
- African Growth and Opportunity Act and Millennium Challenge Act Modernization Act
- Short Titles as Passed Senate
- AGOA and MCA Modernization Act
- African Growth and Opportunity Act and Millennium Challenge Act Modernization Act
- Short Titles as Enacted
- AGOA and MCA Modernization Act
- African Growth and Opportunity Act and Millennium Challenge Act Modernization Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: International Affairs.
- Africa
- Business education
- Competitiveness, trade promotion, trade deficits
- Congressional oversight
- Diplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroad
- Foreign aid and international relief
- Government information and archives
- Government studies and investigations
- International Affairs
- Sovereignty, recognition, national governance and status
- Terrorism
Text 5
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- —Enrolled Bill
- Feb 6, 2018Placed on Calendar Senate
- Jan 17, 2018Engrossed in House
- Jan 3, 2018Reported in House
- Jul 27, 2017Introduced in House
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.
