15 U.S.C. § 4051 — Requirement of prior authorization

(a) General rule. Despite any other law, money appropriated to Commerce for an export-promotion program may be obligated or spent only if: (1) the appropriation was previously authorized by a law enacted on or after July 12, 1985; or (2) the total obligations and spending do not exceed an amount previously set by a law enacted on or after that date.

(b) Later authorization. If legislation enacted after the appropriation authorizes its obligation or spending, subsection (a)'s limit does not apply to the extent of that authorization.

(c) Specific supersession required. This section can be superseded only by a law enacted after July 12, 1985 that specifically repeals, changes, or supersedes it.

(d) Definition. For this subchapter, “export promotion program” means any Commerce activity designed to stimulate or help United States businesses market goods and services abroad in competition with businesses from other countries. It includes: (1) trade development, except trade-adjustment assistance, and sharing foreign marketing opportunities and other marketing information with United States producers, including expanding foreign markets for United States textiles, apparel, and other products; (2) regional and multilateral economic policies that improve United States trade and investment interests, and marketing services concerning foreign countries and regions; (3) exhibiting United States goods in other countries; (4) operating the United States and Foreign Commercial Service or a successor agency; and (5) the Market Development Cooperator Program under section 4723 and trade-show assistance under section 4724.

(e) Printing outside the United States. (1) Despite section 501 of title 44 and consistent with other applicable law, the Secretary of Commerce may authorize, for an export-promotion program: (A) printing, distributing, and selling documents outside the contiguous United States if doing so would be more efficient and the documents will be distributed mainly and sold only outside the United States; and (B) accepting private notices and advertisements connected with printing and distributing those documents. (2) Fees received under paragraph (1) must go into a separate account or accounts. Those accounts may directly pay the authorized activity's costs or repay or advance appropriations or other funds available for those activities.