	Introduction

The Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank, EXIM Bank, or the Bank) operates under a renewable charter, the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 (P.L. 79-173), as amended. The 112 th Congress considered several pieces of legislation related to Ex-Im Bank's authority, and ultimately passed a bill to extend the Ex-Im Bank's authority through FY2014 ( H.R. 2072 ). Background

		Overview of the Ex-Im Bank

The Ex-Im Bank is the official export credit agency (ECA) of the United States. 2072 ) raises the authority incrementally to $140 billion in FY2014. As members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), these countries are party to the OECD Arrangement on Official Supported Export Credits (the "OECD Arrangement"), which is intended to ensure that exporting takes place on a level playing field (see text box, "International Disciplines on Export Credit Activity"). This trend is also emerging in other sectors, such as in green energy projects. What follows are some data that may provide an indication of the levels of international export credit activity. Policy options include maintaining the Ex-Im Bank as an independent agency, reorganizing or privatizing the functions of the Bank, or terminating the Bank. Policy options related to reauthorization time length include
maintaining status quo, extending the Ex-Im Bank's authority for a few years at a time; extending the Bank's authority for a longer period of time; or providing the Bank with a "permanent" reauthorization. Revise the Ex-Im Bank's Policies

Congress could revise the Bank's policies related to the requirements and limitations on the Ex-Im Bank's credit and insurance activities. Congress also may seek to balance its interest in targeting Ex-Im Bank support for specific types of exports against the Bank's desire for flexibility in fulfilling its general mandate to support U.S. exports. These challenges give rise to additional potential options for Congress. As passed, H.R. The bill includes other provisions, including to: 
increase the Bank's lending authority to $120 billion in FY2012, $130 billion in FY2013, and $140 billion in FY2014—with the increase in lending authority for FY2013 and FY2014 contingent on the Bank maintaining a "default rate" of less than 2% and on submitting various reports; require the Bank to monitor and report to Congress on the "default rate" of its financing, and, in the event that the rate exceeds 2%, to submit a report to Congress on a plan to reduce it to less than 2%; require the Bank to provide a notice and comment period for Bank transactions exceeding $100 million; require the Secretary of the Treasury to initiate and pursue negotiations with other major exporting countries, including members of the OECD and non-OECD members, to substantially reduce—with the ultimate goal of eliminating—subsidized export financing and other forms of export subsidies; to negotiate with all countries to eliminate all aircraft export credit financing by state-sponsored entities covered by the OECD Aircraft Sector Understanding; and to provide annual reports to Congress on the progress of such negotiations; require the Bank to develop and make publicly available methodological guidelines to be used by the Bank in conducting economic impact analyses of its transactions; require the Bank to review its national content policy, taking into consideration factors such as whether the policy captures both the direct and indirect costs of U.S. production of goods and services, the competitiveness of Ex-Im Bank's national content policy relative to foreign ECAs, the impact on the U.S. manufacturing and services workforce, any recommendations of the Ex-Im Bank Advisory Committee, and the impact of the policy on incentives to create or maintain operations in the United States and to increase the level of U.S. jobs; direct the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to analyze the Ex-Im Bank's methodology for calculating how many U.S. jobs are created or maintained through Ex-Im Bank support; prohibit Ex-Im Bank from supporting transactions with persons unless they self-certify that they are not engaged in sanctionable activities with respect to Iran, related to the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996; the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010; and part 560 of Title 31 of the Code of Federal Regulations (commonly referred to as the "Iran Transactions Regulations"); require certification in the event that a person has engaged in sanctionable activity with respect to Iran, such that Ex-Im Bank financing would be prohibited unless the President has waived the imposition of sanctions on the person (such as for national interests reasons), pursuant to the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 ( P.L. Prior to final consideration of H.R.
The Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank, EXIM Bank, or the Bank), a self-sustaining agency, is the official U.S. export credit agency (ECA). It operates under a renewable charter, the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 (P.L. 79-173), as amended.
Potential issues for Congress in examining the Ex-Im Bank's authority include the following:
The economic rationale for the Bank, including the role of the federal government in export promotion and finance; Specific Bank policies, such as those relating to content, shipping, economic and environmental impact analysis, and tied aid, including how these policies balance U.S. export and other policy interests; Statutory requirements directing the Ex-Im Bank to support certain types of exports, such as exports of small businesses and "green" technology, including the tension that such requirements can create between desiring to support specific economic sectors and allowing the Ex-Im Bank flexibility to fulfill its mission to support U.S. exports and jobs; and International developments that may affect the Bank's work, such as the growing role of emerging economies' ECAs and the sufficiency of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Arrangement on Officially Supported Export Credits to "level the playing field" for U.S. exporters.
Potential options for Congress include, but are not limited to, the following areas:
Structure of the Bank. Congress could maintain the Ex-Im Bank as an independent agency, reorganize or privatize the functions of the Bank, or terminate the Bank. Length of reauthorization. Congress could extend the Bank's authority for a few years at a time (as in previous reauthorizations), for a longer period of time, or permanently reauthorize the Bank. Bank's policies. Congress could maintain the status quo, or revise the Bank's policies, such as those related to the requirements and limitations on the Ex-Im Bank's credit and insurance activities. International ECA context. Congress could seek to enhance international regulation of official export credit activity through the OECD or other mechanisms, or enhance the Ex-Im Bank's understanding of international export credit activity and trends.
Most recently, Congress passed H.R. 2072 to extend the Bank's authority through FY2014; previously, the Bank's authority was extended to May 31, 2012. H.R. 2072 also raises the Bank's lending authority incrementally from the previous $100 billion limit to $140 billion in FY2014, contingent on certain other requirements. In addition, H.R. 2072, among other things, includes provisions related to the Bank's domestic content policy and requirements to conduct international negotiations to reduce and eliminate official export credit activity. Prior to final action, the 112th Congress considered several other bills related to the Ex-Im Bank's authority.