H.R. 4532

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4532 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4532

To direct the Secretary of State to develop a strategy on efforts to 
strengthen subnational cooperation between the United States and 
Mexico, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

July 17, 2025

Mr. Stanton (for himself and Mr. Kean) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To direct the Secretary of State to develop a strategy on efforts to 
strengthen subnational cooperation between the United States and 
Mexico, and for other purposes.

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 ``American Cooperation with Our 
Neighbors Act''.

SEC. 2. SUBNATIONAL COOPERATION STRATEGY.

(a) In General.--Not later than 270 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in coordination with the 
Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
Development, shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 
Senate a strategy on efforts to strengthen subnational cooperation 
between the United States and Mexico for the purposes of--
(1) enhancing law enforcement cooperation and local, State, 
and Federal security forces cooperation at a subnational level 
for the purpose of curbing fentanyl trafficking and other 
synthetic opioids, including activities such as--
(A) bolstering technical assistance and 
coordination for law enforcement agencies and local, 
State, and Federal security forces;
(B) carrying out exchange programs for the purposes 
of professional development; and
(C) enhancing data sharing, as appropriate;
(2) bolstering subnational dialogue and capacity building 
between Federal and local governments, civil society, faith-
based organizations, and business community leaders and 
integrating issues faced by local communities, including with 
respect to trafficking of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids; 
and
(3) strengthening capacity building and provide resources 
for border towns and organizations within those towns that 
attempt to meet the needs of communities.
(b) Update.--Not later than 2 years after the date of the 
submission of the strategy under subsection (a), the President shall 
submit to the congressional committees specified in subsection (a) an 
update containing an assessment of the implementation and effectiveness 
of the strategy, lessons learned from the past year with respect to the 
strategy, and planned changes to the strategy.
(c) Form.--The strategy under subsection (a), and the update under 
subsection (b), shall be submitted in unclassified form.
(d) Limitation on Data Sharing.--
(1) Limitation.--The Secretary of State may not carry out 
any project, program, or activity that implements the strategy 
under subsection (a) for the purpose specified in paragraph 
(1)(C) of such subsection until the Secretary submits to the 
appropriate congressional committees a notification regarding 
the data intended to be shared with foreign countries pursuant 
to such strategy.
(2) Appropriate congressional committees.--In this 
subsection, the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' 
means--
(A) the Committee on the Judiciary, the Committee 
on Homeland Security, the Committee on Foreign Affairs, 
and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of 
the House of Representatives; and
(B) the Committee on the Judiciary, the Committee 
on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, the 
Committee on Foreign Relations, and the Select 
Committee on Intelligence of the Senate.

SEC. 3. DEPARTMENT OF STATE REVIEW OF ACCESS TO FINANCE IN CARICOM 
MEMBER STATES.

(a) Review.--The Secretary of State, in consultation with the 
Secretary of Treasury, shall conduct a review to determine any steps, 
balancing costs and benefits, that the Secretaries could take to expand 
financial access to the member states of the Caribbean Community 
(CARICOM), including through a review of--
(1) enforcement of international laws and compliance 
standards;
(2) reporting requirements pertaining to narcotics 
trafficking and illicit finance thereof;
(3) possible expansion of embassies and consulates in the 
region; and
(4) programming or lack thereof pertaining to access to 
capital in the region.
(b) Report.--The Secretary shall submit to the appropriate 
congressional committees a report on the findings of the Secretary 
pertaining to the review under subsection (a).
(c) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--In this section, 
the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on 
Financial Services of the House of Representatives; and
(2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on 
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate.
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