,i  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #adbj  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,april #i1 #bjac ,mr4
 ,gallego 7for himself and ,mr4         
,crdenas7 introduced the following bill2
 which was referred to the ,committee on
 ,foreign ,affairs  ,a ,,bill  ,to      
authorize appropriations to the         
,secretary of ,commerce to establish    
public-private partnerships under the   
,market ,development ,cooperator        
,program of the ,international ,trade   
,administration1 and for other purposes4
  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be    
cited as the ,american ,export          
,promotion ,act of #bjac4  #b4          
,additional funding for the market      
development cooperator program of the   
,department of ,commerce  7a7 ,in       
general ,there is authorized to be      
appropriated to the ,secretary of       
,commerce1 for the period beginning on  
the date of the enactment of this ,act  
and ending on the last day of the #ahth 
month thereafter1 #d1jjj1jjj for the    

,manufacturing and ,services unit of the
 ,international ,trade ,administration--
  7#a7 to establish public-private      
partnerships under the ,market          
,development ,cooperator ,program of the
 ,international ,trade ,administration2 
and  7#b7 to underwrite a portion of the
 start-up costs for new projects carried
 out under that ,program to strengthen  
the competitiveness and market share of 
,united ,states industry1 not to exceed1
 for each such project1 the lesser of-- 
7,a7 #a_/c of the total start-up costs  
for the project2 or  7,b7 #ejj1jjj4  7b7
 ,requirements ,in obligating and       
expending the funds appropriated        
pursuant to subsection 7a71 the         
,secretary of ,commerce shall give      
preference--  7#a7 to activities that   
assist small- and medium-sized          
businesses in the ,united ,states2 and  
7#b7 to activities that the ,secretary  
determines will create or sustain the   
greatest number of jobs in the ,united  
,states or obtain the maximum return on 

investment4