,,ii ,calendar ,no4 #ccf #aafth         
,,congress  #ast ,session  ,h4 ,r4 #acc 
,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united 
,,states  ,january #aa1 #bjai,received2 
read twice and referred to the          
,committee on ,foreign ,relations       
,december #ag1 #bjai,reported by ,mr4   
,risch1 with an amendment,strike out all
 after the enacting clause and insert   
the part printed in italic  ,,an ,,act  
,to promote economic partnership and    
cooperation between the ,united ,states 
and ,mexico4  #a4 ,short title ,this    
,act may be cited as the ,united        
,states-,mexico ,economic ,partnership  
,act4  #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the
 following3  7#a7 ,the ,united ,states  
and ,mexico have benefitted from a      
bilateral1 mutually beneficial          
partnership focused on advancing the    
economic interests of both countries4   
7#b7 ,in #bjac1 ,mexico adopted major   
energy reforms that opened its energy   
sector to private investment1 increasing
 energy cooperation between ,mexico and 

the ,united ,states and opening new     
opportunities for ,united ,states energy
 engagement4  7#c7 ,on ,january #ah1    
#bjah1 the ,principal ,deputy ,assistant
 ,secretary for ,educational and        
,cultural ,affairs at the ,department of
 ,state stated1 ,our exchange programs  
build enduring relationships and        
networks to advance ,u4,s4 national     
interests and foreign policy goals '''  
,the role of our exchanges ''' in       
advancing ,u4,s4 national security and  
economic interests enjoys broad         
bipartisan support from ,congress and   
other stakeholders1 and provides a      
strong return on investment44  7#d7     
,according to the ,institute of         
,international ,education1 in the       
#bjae-bjaf academic year1 more than     
#ef1jjj ,united ,states students studied
 in other countries in the ,western     
,hemisphere region while more than      
#hd1jjj non-,united ,states students    
from the region studied in the ,united  
,states1 but only #e1jjj of those       

,united ,states students studied in     
,mexico and only #af1jjj of those       
non-,united ,states students were from  
,mexico4  7#e7 ,in ,march #bjaa1 the    
,united ,states launched the #ajj1jjj   
,strong in the ,americas ,initiative1   
which seeks to increase educational     
exchanges between the ,united ,states   
and other countries in the ,western     
,hemisphere region so that #ajj1jjj     
,united ,states students are studying in
 other countries in the ,western        
,hemisphere region and #ajj1jjj         
non-,united ,states students from the   
region are studying in the ,united      
,states per year by #bjbj4  7#f7 ,in    
,january #bjad1 the ,united ,states     
established the #ajj1jjj ,strong in the 
,americas ,innovation ,fund1 which seeks
 to realize the goals of the #ajj1jjj   
,strong in the ,americas ,initiative by 
facilitating a public-private           
partnership between the ,department of  
,state and nongovernmental              
organizations1 corporations1 and        

universities in the ,united ,states and 
other countries of the ,western         
,hemisphere region4  7#g7 ,to date1 the 
#ajj1jjj ,strong in the ,americas       
,innovation ,fund has awarded more than 
#ajj grants to more than #bej higher    
education institutions from #be         
countries in the ,western ,hemisphere   
region1 and has raised #i1jjj1jjj in    
investments1 #ge percent of which was   
from corporations1 foundations1 and     
regional governments4  #c4 ,statement of
 policy ,it is the policy of the ,united
 ,states-- 7#a7 to continue deepening   
economic cooperation between the ,united
 ,states and ,mexico2 and  7#b7 to seek 
to prioritize and expand educational and
 professional exchange programs with    
,mexico1 including through the framework
 of the #ajj1jjj ,strong in the         
,americas ,initiative4  #d4 ,strategy to
 prioritize and expand educational and  
professional exchange programs with     
,mexico  7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary
 of ,state shall develop a strategy to  

carry out the policy described in       
section #c1 to include prioritizing and 
expanding educational and professional  
exchange programs with ,mexico through  
the framework of the #ajj1jjj ,strong in
 the ,americas ,initiative4  7b7        
,elements ,the strategy required under  
subsection 7a7 shall-- 7#a7 encourage   
more academic exchanges between the     
,united ,states and ,mexico at the      
secondary1 post-secondary1 and          
post-graduate levels1 especially with   
communities and through academic        
institutions in the covered ,united     
,states-,mexico border region2  7#b7    
encourage ,united ,states and ,mexican  
academic institutions and businesses to 
collaborate to assist prospective and   
developing entrepreneurs in             
strengthening their business skills and 
promoting cooperation and joint business
 initiatives across the ,united ,states 
and ,mexico1 with a focus on initiatives
 in the covered ,united ,states-,mexico 
border region2  7#c7 promote energy     

infrastructure coordination and         
cooperation through support of          
vocational-level education1 internships1
 and exchanges between the ,united      
,states and ,mexico1 particularly in the
 region in which the ,eagle ,ford ,shale
 is located and in proximity to such    
region2 and  7#d7 assess the feasibility
 of fostering partnerships between      
universities in the ,united ,states and 
medical school and nursing programs in  
,mexico to ensure that medical school   
and nursing programs in ,mexico have    
comparable accreditation standards as   
medical school and nursing programs in  
the ,united ,states by the              
,accreditation and ,standards in        
,foreign ,medical ,education1 in        
addition to the ,accreditation          
,commission ,for ,education in ,nursing1
 so that medical students can pass      
medical licensing board exams1 and      
nursing students can pass nursing       
licensing exams1 in the ,united ,states4
  7c7 ,report ,not later than #ahj days 

after the date of the enactment of this 
,act1 the ,secretary of ,state shall    
submit to ,congress a report on the     
strategy required under subsection 7a74 
#e4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7    
#ajj1jjj strong in the americas         
initiative ,the term #ajj1jjj ,strong in
 the ,americas ,initiative means the    
initiative established in ,march #bjaa  
by the ,united ,states ,government to   
increase educational exchanges in the   
,western ,hemisphere4  7#b7 ,covered    
united states-mexico border region ,the 
term covered ,united ,states-,mexico    
border region means those portions of   
the ,united ,states and ,mexico that are
 within #ajj kilometers of the          
international boundary between those    
countries4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act 
may be cited as the ,united             
,states-,mexico ,economic ,partnership  
,act4  #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the
 following3  7#a7 ,the ,united ,states  
and ,mexico have benefitted from a      
bilateral1 mutually beneficial          

partnership focused on advancing the    
economic interests of both countries4   
7#b7 ,in #bjac1 ,mexico adopted major   
energy reforms that opened its energy   
sector to private investment1 increasing
 energy cooperation between ,mexico and 
the ,united ,states and opening new     
opportunities for ,united ,states energy
 engagement4  7#c7 ,on ,january #ah1    
#bjah1 the ,principal ,deputy ,assistant
 ,secretary for ,educational and        
,cultural ,affairs at the ,department of
 ,state stated1 ,our exchange programs  
build enduring relationships and        
networks to advance ,u4,s4 national     
interests and foreign policy goals '''  
,the role of our exchanges ''' in       
advancing ,u4,s4 national security and  
economic interests enjoys broad         
bipartisan support from ,congress and   
other stakeholders1 and provides a      
strong return on investment44  7#d7     
,according to the ,institute of         
,international ,education1 in the       
#bjae-bjaf academic year1 more than     

#ef1jjj ,united ,states students studied
 in other countries in the ,western     
,hemisphere region while more than      
#hd1jjj non-,united ,states students    
from the region studied in the ,united  
,states1 but only #e1jjj of those       
,united ,states students studied in     
,mexico and only #af1jjj of those       
non-,united ,states students were from  
,mexico4  #c4 ,statement of policy ,it  
is the policy of the ,united ,states--  
7#a7 to continue deepening economic     
cooperation between the ,united ,states 
and ,mexico2  7#b7 to seek to prioritize
 and expand educational and professional
 exchange programs with ,mexico1        
including through frameworks such as the
 #ajj1jjj ,strong in the ,americas      
,initiative1 the ,young ,leaders of the 
,americas ,initiative1 ,jvenes en ,accin
 7,youth in ,action71 the ,fulbright    
,foreign ,student ,program1 and the     
,fulbright ,visiting ,scholar ,program2 
and  7#c7 to promote positive           
cross-border relations as a priority for

 advancing ,united ,states foreign      
policy and programs4  #d4 ,strategy to  
prioritize and expand educational and   
professional exchange programs with     
,mexico  7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary
 of ,state shall develop a strategy to  
carry out the policy described in       
section #c1 to include prioritizing and 
expanding educational and professional  
exchange programs with ,mexico through  
frameworks such as those referred to in 
section #c7b74  7b7 ,elements ,the      
strategy required under subsection 7a7  
shall-- 7#a7 encourage more academic    
exchanges between the ,united ,states   
and ,mexico at the secondary1           
post-secondary1 and post-graduate       
levels2  7#b7 encourage ,united ,states 
and ,mexican academic institutions and  
businesses to collaborate to assist     
prospective and developing entrepreneurs
 in strengthening their business skills 
and promoting cooperation and joint     
business initiatives across the ,united 
,states and ,mexico2  7#c7 promote      

energy infrastructure coordination and  
cooperation through support of          
vocational-level education1 internships1
 and exchanges between the ,united      
,states and ,mexico2 and  7#d7 assess   
the feasibility of fostering            
partnerships between universities in the
 ,united ,states and medical school and 
nursing programs in ,mexico to ensure   
that medical school and nursing programs
 in ,mexico have comparable             
accreditation standards as medical      
school and nursing programs in the      
,united ,states by the ,accreditation   
and ,standards in ,foreign ,medical     
,education1 in addition to the          
,accreditation ,commission ,for         
,education in ,nursing1 so that medical 
students can pass medical licensing     
board exams1 and nursing students can   
pass nursing licensing exams1 in the    
,united ,states4  7c7 ,briefing ,not    
later than #ahj days after the date of  
the enactment of this ,act1 the         
,secretary of ,state shall brief the    

appropriate congressional committees    
regarding the strategy required under   
subsection 7a74  #e4 ,definitions ,in   
this ,act1 the term appropriate         
congressional committees means-- 7#a7   
the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of
 the ,senate2 and  7#b7 the ,committee  
on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of   
,representatives4  #f4 ,sunset provision
 ,this ,act shall remain in effect until
 ,december #ca1 #bjbc4  ,december #ag1  
#bjai,reported with an amendment