To amend the African Growth and Opportunity Act to require the development of a plan for each sub-Saharan African country for negotiating and entering into free trade agreements.

SA 1312. Mr. INHOFE (for himself and Mr. Coons) submitted an
amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA 1221 proposed by Mr.
Hatch to the bill H.R. 1314, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986
to provide for a right to an administrative appeal relating to adverse
determinations of tax-exempt status of certain organizations; as
follows:

At the appropriate place, insert the following:

SEC. __. FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS WITH SUB-SAHARAN AFRICAN
COUNTRIES.

(a) Plan Requirements and Reporting.--Section 116 of the
African Growth and Opportunity Act (19 U.S.C. 3723) is
amended by striking subsections (b) and (c) and inserting the
following:
``(b) Plan Requirement.--
``(1) In general.--The President shall develop a plan for
the purpose of negotiating and entering into one or more free
trade agreements with all sub-Saharan African countries and
ranking countries or groups of countries in order of
readiness.
``(2) Elements of plan.--The plan required by paragraph (1)
shall include, for each sub-Saharan African country, the
following:
``(A) The steps such sub-Saharan African country needs to
be equipped and ready to enter into a free trade agreement
with the United States, including the development of a
bilateral investment treaty.
``(B) Milestones for accomplishing each step identified in
(A) for each sub-Saharan African country, with the goal of
establishing a free trade agreement with each sub-Saharan
African country not later than 10 years after the date of the
enactment of the Trade Act of 2015.
``(C) A description of the resources required to assist
each sub-Saharan African country in accomplishing each
milestone described in subparagraph (B).
``(D) The extent to which steps described in subparagraph
(A), the milestones described in subparagraph (B), and
resources described in subparagraph (C) may be accomplished
through regional or subregional organizations in sub-Saharan
Africa, including the East African Community, the Economic
Community of West African States, the Common Market for
Eastern and Southern Africa, and the Economic Community of
Central African States.
``(E) Procedures to ensure the following:
``(i) Adequate consultation with Congress and the private
sector during the negotiations.
``(ii) Consultation with Congress regarding all matters
relating to implementation of the agreement or agreements.
``(iii) Approval by Congress of the agreement or
agreements.
``(iv) Adequate consultations with the relevant African
governments and African regional and subregional
intergovernmental organizations during the negotiation of the
agreement or agreements.
``(c) Reporting Requirement.--Not later than 12 months
after the date of the enactment of the Trade Act of 2015, the
President shall prepare and transmit to Congress a report
containing the plan developed pursuant to subsection (b).''.
(b) Eligible Countries.--Section 104(a)(1) of the African
Growth and Opportunity Act (19 U.S.C. 3703(a)(1)) is
amended--
(1) in subparagraph (E), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(2) in subparagraph (F), by adding ``and'' at the end; and
(3) by inserting after subparagraph (F) the following:
``(G) a free trade agreement with the United States, in
accordance with section 116(b);''.
(c) Millennium Challenge Compacts.--After the date of the
enactment of this Act, the United States Trade Representative
and Administrator of the United States Agency for
International Development shall consult and coordinate with
the Chief Executive Officer of the Millennium Challenge
Corporation regarding countries that have entered into a
Millennium Challenge Compact pursuant to section 609 of the
Millennium Challenge Act of 2003 (22 U.S.C. 7708) that have
been declared eligible to enter into such a Compact for the
purpose of developing and carrying out the plan required by
subsection (b) of section 116 of the African Growth and
Opportunity Act (19 U.S.C. 3723), as amended by subsection
(a).
(d) Coordination of USAID With Free Trade Agreement
Policy.--
(1) Authorization of funds.--Funds made available to the
United States Agency for International Development under
section 496 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C.
2293) may be used in consultation with the United States
Trade Representative--
(A) to carry out subsection (b) of section 116 of the
African Growth and Opportunity Act (19 U.S.C. 3723), as
amended by subsection (a), including for the deployment of
resources in individual eligible countries to assist such
country in the development of institutional capacities to
carry out such subsection (b); and
(B) to coordinate the efforts of the United States to
establish free trade agreements in accordance with the policy
set out in subsection (a) of such section 116.
(2) Definitions.--In this subsection:
(A) Eligible country.--The term ``eligible country'' means
a sub-Saharan African country that receives--
(i) benefits under for the African Growth and Opportunity
Act (19 U.S.C. 3701 et seq.); and
(ii) funding from the United States Agency for
International Development.
(B) Sub-saharan african country.--The term ``sub-Saharan
African country'' has the meaning given that term in section
107 of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (19 U.S.C.
3706).
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