The Cultural Trade Promotion Act aims to boost exports from microenterprises and creative industries, improve international shipping access for small businesses, and integrate creative sectors into trade and tourism promotion efforts.
Brian Schatz
Senator
HI
The Cultural Trade Promotion Act aims to boost exports from microenterprises and creative industries by including them in export promotion efforts, improving access to international shipping, and focusing the Trade and Development Agency's work on creative sectors. It also ensures representation for creative industries on the United States Travel and Tourism Advisory Board. This act amends the Export Enhancement Act of 1988 and Section 661(a) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to include and support microenterprises and creative industries. The bill also directs collaboration to improve international shipping services and includes Native Hawaiian arts, crafts, and businesses in export promotion programs.
New Bill Aims to Boost Exports for Microbusinesses, Creative Industries, and Native Artists
The Cultural Trade Promotion Act sets out to amend existing trade laws, giving a leg up to microenterprises and businesses in the 'creative industries' looking to sell their goods and services internationally. The core idea is to integrate these smaller players, including Native Hawaiian artists and craftspeople, more formally into U.S. export promotion efforts.
Expanding the Export Playbook
So, what does this actually mean? The bill directs the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service—the folks who help American companies navigate international markets—to specifically include microentrepreneurs (think very small businesses, often sole proprietors or those with just a few employees) and 'creative industries' in their support programs (Sec 3). 'Creative industries' is defined pretty broadly, covering everything from design and crafts to music, visual arts, and expressions of Native or local culture (Sec 2). This could mean a local graphic designer, a musician, or a maker of traditional crafts might find more government resources available to help them find customers overseas, similar to the support already offered to larger small and medium-sized businesses.
Smoothing Out Shipping and Shining a Global Spotlight
Getting products to international customers can be a major headache for small operations. Recognizing this, the bill calls for collaboration between the Department of Commerce and the Postmaster General to improve access to reliable and speedy international shipping options specifically for microenterprises and small businesses (Sec 4). Additionally, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (TDA), which typically funds feasibility studies for large infrastructure projects abroad, is directed to add 'creative industries and occupations' to its focus areas, alongside its existing environmental mandate (Sec 5). This could potentially open doors for U.S. creative expertise on international projects.
A Seat at the Table and Cultural Focus
The legislation also ensures the creative sector has a voice in shaping U.S. tourism strategy by mandating a permanent spot for a representative of creative industries on the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board (Sec 6). Furthermore, it explicitly adds Native Hawaiian arts, crafts, and businesses to the list of groups receiving export promotion assistance, putting them on par with existing provisions for American Indian businesses (Sec 3). While the goal is to broaden economic opportunities for these groups, the practical success will likely depend on how effectively agencies translate these directives into tangible support and navigate the broad definition of 'creative industries' to reach the intended businesses.