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S. 267Senate116th Congress (2019-2021)In Committee

North American Development Bank Improvement Act of 2019

A bill to provide for a general capital increase for the North American Development Bank, and for other purposes.

Sponsored by John CornynSen. John Cornyn (R-TX)
Introduced January 29, 2019

AI-Generated Summary

Updated April 14, 2026 at 1:06 AM UTC

The North American Development Bank Improvement Act of 2019 authorizes the U.S. Treasury to increase the United States' capital stake in the North American Development Bank by purchasing 150,000 additional shares, subject to appropriations. It directs the U.S. representatives on the bank’s board to prioritize financing for water‑related environmental projects, cross‑border natural‑gas infrastructure, and improvements to land border crossings. The bill also calls for faster, more efficient project certification and requires the bank to develop and report on performance measures.

Key Provisions

  • Treasury may subscribe for and pay for 150,000 extra shares of the bank’s capital stock, limited by future appropriations.
  • U.S. board representatives must use their vote to support projects that improve water pollution control, wastewater treatment, water conservation, solid‑waste management, natural‑gas pipelines and power plants, and border‑crossing infrastructure.
  • The bank must streamline and accelerate project certification, including single certifications for revolving facilities, programmatic certification for small projects, and expedited approval for certain public‑sector projects.
  • The bank must develop annual performance measures showing how its projects meet its mission and add value to the U.S.–Mexico border region, and the Treasury must report progress to Congress with the President’s budget.

Legislative Activity

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1 earlier action
SenateIntro Referral Latest Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

Foreign Relations Committee

January 29, 2019

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SenateIntro Referral

Introduced in Senate

January 29, 2019

SenateIntro Referral

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

Foreign Relations Committee

January 29, 2019

Bill Text

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Introduced in SenateIssued January 29, 2019

II

116th CONGRESS

1st Session

S. 267

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

January 29, 2019

Mr. Cornyn (for himself, Mrs. Feinstein, Ms. McSally, and Ms. Sinema) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

A BILL

To provide for a general capital increase for the North American Development Bank, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the North American Development Bank Improvement Act of 2019.

2.

General capital increase

Part 2 of subtitle D of title V of Public Law 103–182 (22 U.S.C. 290m et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

547.

First capital increase

(a)

Subscription authorized

The Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to subscribe on behalf of the United States to, and make payment for, 150,000 additional shares of the capital stock of the Bank.

(b)

Limitation

Any subscription by the United States to the capital stock of the Bank shall be effective only to such extent and in such amounts as are provided in advance in appropriations Acts.

.

3.

Policy goals

(a)

In general

In addition to projects within the mission and scope of the North American Development Bank on the day before the date of the enactment of this Act and pursuant to section 2 of article II of the Charter, the Secretary of the Treasury shall direct the representatives of the United States to the Board of Directors of the Bank to use the voice and vote of the United States to support the financing of projects related to—

(1)

environmental infrastructure relating to water pollution, wastewater treatment, water conservation, municipal solid waste, and related matters;

(2)

natural gas, including natural gas pipelines and combined cycle power plants, with major emphasis on cross-border energy distribution and consumption and the energy security of the United States and Mexico; and

(3)

the expansion or new construction of international land border crossings to help facilitate the flow of goods and people across the international land border between the United States and Mexico while reducing wait times at border crossings and improving air quality by reducing pollution related to vehicular and commercial traffic.

(b)

Charter defined

In this section, the term Charter means the Agreement Concerning the Establishment of a Border Environment Cooperation Commission and a North American Development Bank, signed at Washington and Mexico November 16 and 18, 1993, and entered into force January 1, 1994 (TIAS 12516), between the United States and Mexico.

4.

Efficiencies and streamlining

The Secretary of the Treasury shall direct the representatives of the United States to the Board of Directors of the North American Development Bank to use the voice and vote of the United States to seek to require the Bank to develop and implement efficiency improvements to streamline and accelerate the project certification and financing process, including through initiatives such as single certifications for revolving facilities, programmatic certification of similar groups of small projects, expansion of internal authority to approve qualified projects below certain monetary thresholds, and expedited certification for public sector projects subject to lender bidding processes.

5.

Performance measures

(a)

In general

The Secretary of the Treasury shall direct the representatives of the United States to the Board of Directors of the North American Development Bank to use the voice and vote of the United States to seek to require the Bank to develop performance measures that—

(1)

demonstrate how projects and financing approved by the Bank are meeting the Bank’s mission and providing added value to the region near the international land border between the United States and Mexico; and

(2)

are reviewed and updated not less frequently than annually.

(b)

Report to Congress

The Secretary of the Treasury shall submit to Congress, with the submission to Congress of the budget of the President for a fiscal year under section 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code, a report on progress in imposing the performance measures described in subsection (a).