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15 U.S. Code § 649. Office of International Trade
(a) Establishment
(1) OfficeThere is established within the Administration an Office of International Trade which shall implement the programs pursuant to this section for the primary purposes of increasing—
(A)
the number of small business concerns that export; and
(B)
the volume of exports by small business concerns.
(2) Associate Administrator
The head of the Office shall be the Associate Administrator for International Trade, who shall be responsible to the Administrator.
(b) Trade distribution networkThe Associate Administrator, working in close cooperation with the Secretary of Commerce, the United States Trade Representative, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of State, the President of the Export-Import Bank of the United States, the Board of Directors of the United States International Development Finance Corporation, the Director of the United States Trade and Development Agency, and other relevant Federal agencies, small business development centers engaged in export promotion efforts, Export Assistance Centers, regional and district offices of the Administration, the small business community, and relevant State and local export promotion programs, shall—
(1) maintain a distribution network, using regional and district offices of the Administration, the small business development center network, networks of women’s business centers, the Service Corps of Retired Executives authorized by section 637(b)(1) of this title, and Export Assistance Centers, for programs relating to—
(A)
trade promotion;
(B)
trade finance;
(C)
trade adjustment assistance;
(D)
trade remedy assistance; and
(E)
trade data collection;
(2)
aggressively market the programs described in paragraph (1) and disseminate information, including computerized marketing data, to small business concerns on exporting trends, market-specific growth, industry trends, and international prospects for exports;
(3)
promote export assistance programs through the district and regional offices of the Administration, the small business development center network, Export Assistance Centers, the network of women’s business centers, chapters of the Service Corps of Retired Executives, State and local export promotion programs, and partners in the private sector; and
(4) give preference in hiring or approving the transfer of any employee into the Office or to a position described in subsection (c)(9) to otherwise qualified applicants who are fluent in a language in addition to English, to—
(A)
accompany small business concerns on foreign trade missions; and
(B)
translate documents, interpret conversations, and facilitate multilingual transactions, including by providing referral lists for translation services, if required.
(c) Promotion of sales opportunitiesThe Associate Administrator shall promote sales opportunities for small business goods and services abroad. To accomplish this objective the office shall—
(1) establish annual goals for the Office relating to—
(A)
enhancing the exporting capability of small business concerns and small manufacturers;
(B)
facilitating technology transfers;
(C)
enhancing programs and services to assist small business concerns and small manufacturers to compete effectively and efficiently in foreign markets;
(D)
increasing the ability of small business concerns to access capital; and
(E)
disseminating information concerning Federal, State, and private programs and initiatives;