Description:
H.R. 1567 would require the Department of State to develop and implement a strategy to deepen economic cooperation with Mexico and to expand educational and cultural exchange programs with that country. It also would require the department to report to the Congress on that strategy. The department supports exchange programs with Mexico through grants from the 100,000 Strong in Americas Initiative. Those grants are combined with contributions from private-sector entities, educational institutions, and other governments to facilitate opportunities for students from the United States and other Western Hemisphere nations to train and study abroad in the region. On the basis of information from the department about how it would expand existing programs in Mexico, CBO estimates that it would make new grants in partnership with private institutions and educational institutions in Mexico. The department would hire two employees (one in Washington, D.C., and one in Mexico) to manage the program; 10 grants of $25,000 each would be made annually. In total, CBO estimates that implementing the grant program and satisfying the reporting requirement would cost less than $500,000 a year and total $2 million over the 2019-2023 period; such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds. Enacting H.R. 1567 would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply. CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 1567 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2029. H.R. 1567 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
