§ 4723a. United States Commercial Centers
(a)
Establishment
The Secretary of Commerce, in his or her role as chairperson of the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee, is authorized and encouraged to establish United States Commercial Centers (hereinafter in this section referred to as “Centers”) in Asia, in Latin America, and in Africa.
(b)
Purpose of Centers
The purpose of the Centers shall be to provide additional resources for the promotion of exports of United States goods and services to the host countries, by familiarizing United States exporters with the industries, markets, and customs of the host countries, thus facilitating commercial ties and trade.
(c)
Functions of Centers
Each Center shall—
(2)
provide, on a user-fee basis, preliminary technical and clerical assistance, language translation, and administrative assistance, and information regarding the legal systems, laws, regulations, and procedures of the host country, to United States exporters seeking to do business in the host country; and
(d)
Specific services to be provided
To carry out its objectives, each Center shall make available the following (on a user-fee basis):
(1)
Business facilities
Business facilities, including exhibition space, conference rooms, office space (including telephones and other basic office equipment), and, where warranted by impeding deficiencies in the public system, high quality international telecommunications facilities.
(2)
Business services
Business support services, including language translation services, clerical services, and a commercial library containing a comprehensive collection of reference materials covering United States and host country industries and markets.
(e)
Other trade promotion activities
Each Center shall also promote United States export trade by—
(f)
Staffing of Centers
Each Center shall be staffed by members of the United States and Foreign Commercial Service, participants in the Market Development Cooperator Program established under section
4723 of this title, other employees of the Department of Commerce, and employees of appropriate executive branch departments and agencies which are members of the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee.
(g)
Center facilities and their relationship to United States Department of Commerce operations in host countries
(1)
Physical accommodations for the Centers
The Secretary of Commerce shall locate each Center in the primary commercial city of the host country. The Secretary shall acquire office space, exhibition space, and other facilities and equipment that are necessary for each Center to perform its functions. To the extent feasible, each Center shall be located in the central commercial district of the host city.
(2)
Consolidation of Department of Commerce operations in host countries
For the purpose of obtaining maximum effectiveness and efficiency and to the extent consistent with the purposes of the Centers, the Secretary of Commerce is encouraged to place all personnel of the Department of Commerce who are assigned to the city in which a Center is located in the same facilities as those in which the Center conducts its activities.
(h)
Use of Market Development Cooperator Program
The Secretary of Commerce shall, to the greatest extent feasible, use the Market Development Cooperator Program established under section
4723 of this title to assist in carrying out the purposes of the Centers established under this section.
(i)
Authorization of appropriations
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Commerce to carry out this section $8,000,000 for fiscal year 1993, and $5,500,000 for fiscal year 1994. Funds made available under this subsection may be used for the acquisition of real property.
(k)
Definitions
For purposes of this section—
(1)
the term “United States exporter” means—
(B)
a corporation, partnership, or other association created under the laws of the United States or of any State, or
(C)
a foreign corporation, partnership, or other association, more than 95 percent of which is owned by persons described in subparagraphs (A) and (B),
that exports, or seeks to export, goods or services produced in the United States;