§ 5823 — Funding For Export Promotion Activities And Capital Projects

(a) The President is encouraged to use a portion of the funds made available for the independent states of the former Soviet Union under chapter 11 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 [22 U.S.C. 2295 et seq.]— (1) to fund the export promotion, finance, and related activities carried out pursuant to subsection (b)(1), including activities relating to the export of intermediary goods; and (2) to fund capital projects, including projects for telecommunications, environmental cleanup, power production, and energy related projects. (b) The Secretary of Commerce, as Chair of the Trade Promotion Coordination Committee, should, in conjunction with other members of that committee, design and implement programs to provide adequate commercial and technical assistance to United States businesses seeking markets in the independent states of the former Soviet Union, including the following: (1) Increasing the United States and Foreign Commercial Service presence in the independent states, in particular in the Russian Far Eastern cities of Vladivostok and Khabarovsk. (2) Preparing profiles of export opportunities for United States businesses in the independent states and providing other technical assistance. (3) Utilizing the Market Development Cooperator Program under section 4723 of title 15. (4) Developing programs specifically for the purpose of assisting small- and medium-sized businesses in entering commercial markets of the independent states. In carrying out this paragraph, the Secretary of Commerce, to the extent possible, should work directly with private sector organizations with proven experience in trade and economic relations with the independent states. (5) Supporting projects undertaken by the United States business community on the basis of partnership, joint venture, contractual, or other cooperative agreements with appropriate entities in the independent states. (6) Supporting export finance programs, feasibility studies, political risk insurance, and other related programs through increased funding and flexibility in the implementation of such programs. (7) Supporting the Business Information Service (BISNIS) and its related programs.