Description:
H.R. 133 would require the Department of State to develop and implement a strategy to increase economic cooperation with Mexico and to expand educational and professional exchange programs with that country. It also would require the department to report to the Congress on that strategy. The requirements of the act would expire at the end of calendar year 2023. The department provides grants for exchange programs with Mexico, which complement contributions from private-sector entities, educational institutions, and other governments. Those exchange programs provide opportunities for students from the United States, Mexico, and other nations in the Western Hemisphere 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 10 new grants each year of $25,000 each, in partnership with private institutions and educational institutions in that country. The department would hire two employees (one in Washington, D.C. and one in Mexico) to award and supervise the grants. In total, CBO estimates that implementing the grant program and satisfying the reporting requirement would cost less than $500,000 each year and total $2 million over the 2020-2024 period; such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
