Regional Export Promotion Act of 2026

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4820 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4820

 To amend the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to codify and expand the
  Regional Export Promotion Program of the Export-Import Bank of the
                             United States.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 17, 2026

Ms. Alsobrooks (for herself and Mr. McCormick) introduced the following
 bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking,
                       Housing, and Urban Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 To amend the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to codify and expand the
  Regional Export Promotion Program of the Export-Import Bank of the
                             United States.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Regional Export Promotion Act of
2026''.

SEC. 2. CODIFICATION OF REGIONAL EXPORT PROMOTION PROGRAM.

    Section 2 of the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 (12 U.S.C. 635) is
amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(m) Regional Export Promotion Program.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Bank shall carry out a Regional
        Export Promotion Program (in this subsection referred to as the
        `Program') under which the Bank works in partnership with
        eligible members from regions of the United States to expand
        export opportunities for businesses in those regions.
            ``(2) Eligible members.--For purposes of the Program,
        eligible members are State, county, and local nonprofit
        economic development entities, including--
                    ``(A) State, county, and city governments;
                    ``(B) local nonprofit economic development entities
                funded through institutions of higher education;
                    ``(C) small business development centers
                established pursuant to section 21 of the Small
                Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648); and
                    ``(D) world trade centers.''.

SEC. 3. PILOT PROGRAM TO EXPAND FOCUS OF REGIONAL EXPORT PROMOTION
              PROGRAM ON SMALL BUSINESSES.

    (a) In General.--Subsection (m) of section 2 of the Export-Import
Bank Act of 1945, as added by section 2, is further amended by adding
at the end the following:
            ``(3) Pilot program to expand focus of program on small
        businesses.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Bank shall implement a pilot
                program to expand the Program to increase the footprint
                of the Bank in regions with high concentrations of
                small business concerns.
                    ``(B) Priority for certain entities.--In selecting
                new partners for the Program under the pilot program
                required by subparagraph (A), the Bank shall prioritize
                entering into agreements with--
                            ``(i) State and local economic development
                        agencies serving HUBZones (as defined in
                        section 31(b) of the Small Business Act (15
                        U.S.C. 657a(b)));
                            ``(ii) community development financial
                        institutions (as defined in section 103 of the
                        Community Development Banking and Financial
                        Institutions Act of 1994 (12 U.S.C. 4702));
                            ``(iii) minority depository institutions
                        (as defined in section 308 of the Financial
                        Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement
                        Act of 1989 (Public Law 101-73; 12 U.S.C. 1463
                        note));
                            ``(iv) local chambers of commerce; and
                            ``(v) local community banks and credit
                        unions.
                    ``(C) Assistance.--Under the pilot program required
                by subparagraph (A), the Bank shall provide--
                            ``(i) specialized training and marketing
                        collateral;
                            ``(ii) short-term export credit insurance
                        products specifically designed for small
                        business accounts; and
                            ``(iii) in the case of entities that have
                        not used products of the Bank before,
                        streamlined application processes.
                    ``(D) Duration.--The pilot program required by
                subparagraph (A) shall terminate on the date that is 5
                years after the pilot program commences.
                    ``(E) Small business concern defined.--In this
                subsection, the term `small business concern' has the
                meaning given that term in section 3 of the Small
                Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632).''.
    (b) Report to Congress.--Not later than one year after the
commencement of the pilot program required by paragraph (3) of section
2(m) of the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945, as added by subsection (a),
and annually thereafter for 5 years, the President of the Export-Import
Bank of the United States shall submit to the Committee on Banking,
Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Financial
Services of the House of Representatives a report--
            (1) detailing the number of new regular partners of the
        Bank developed under the pilot program, disaggregated by entity
        type;
            (2) detailing the total volume and dollar amount of Bank
        products utilized by small business concerns (as defined in
        section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632)) as a
        direct result of referrals from those partners;
            (3) assessing the elements of the pilot program that were
        most successful and the elements that could use improvement;
        and
            (4) making recommendations with respect to whether new
        appropriations or other funding for the pilot program would be
        helpful or would have made the pilot program more successful.
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