Title 15, Commerce and TradeRelease 119-110

§4906 Establishment of Data Bank

Title 15 › CHAPTER 75 — NATIONAL TRADE DATA BANK › § 4906

Last updated Sep 23, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary of Commerce must create and run a Data Bank within 2 years after August 23, 1988. The Data Bank will have two parts: the International Economic Data System and the Export Promotion Data System. The International Economic Data System will give current and past trade and economic facts the Secretary finds useful after consulting under section 4904. It will not name people or companies in transactions. It covers eight types of data, including imports and exports (aggregate, by industry, by product or service, market reach, and export destinations), international services, capital market figures like interest and average exchange rates, foreign direct investment into the U.S., labor market facts (wages, unemployment, productivity), foreign trade policies (barriers and export finance), U.S. import/export details by State at the product level, and any other federal economic or trade data the Secretary finds useful. The Export Promotion Data System will collect and share information most useful to U.S. exporters and export-promoting agencies, protect confidential business details, and use electronic means to distribute data. It will track and provide specific business leads, sector profiles (market size, distribution, competition, laws and standards, key officials and trade groups), country overviews (economy, business practices, tariffs, import and licensing rules, intellectual property rules), export financing, barter/countertrade, and other similar useful information.

Full Legal Text

Title 15, §4906

Commerce and Trade, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Establishment

Within 2 years after August 23, 1988, the Secretary of Commerce shall establish the Data Bank. The Secretary shall manage the Data Bank. The Data Bank shall consist of two data systems, to be designated the International Economic Data System, as described in subsection (b) and the Export Promotion Data System, as described in subsection (c).

(b)International Economic Data System

The International Economic Data System shall include current and historical information determined by the Secretary to be useful (after the consultation required by section 4904 of this title) to policymakers and analysts concerned with international economics and trade and which shall include data compiled or obtained by appropriate executive agencies. Such information shall not identify parties to transactions. Such information may include data for the United States and countries with which the United States has important economic relations including—

(1)data on imports and exports, including—

(A)aggregate import and export data for the United States and for each foreign country;

(B)industry-specific import and export data for each foreign country;

(C)product and service specific import and export data for the United States;

(D)market penetration information; and

(E)foreign destinations for exports of the United States;

(2)data on international service transactions;

(3)information on international capital markets, including—

(A)interest rates; and

(B)average exchange rates;

(4)information on foreign direct investment in the United States economy;

(5)international labor market information, including—

(A)wage rates for major industries;

(B)international unemployment rates; and

(C)trends in international labor productivity;

(6)information on foreign government policies affecting trade, including—

(A)trade barriers; and

(B)export financing policies;

(7)import and export data for the United States on a State-by-State basis aggregated at the product level including—

(A)data concerning the country shipping the import, the State of first destination, and the original part of entry for imports of goods and, to the extent possible, services; and

(B)data concerning the State of the exporter, the port of departure, and the country of first destination for export of goods and, to the extent possible, services; and

(8)any other economic and trade data collected by the Federal Government that the Secretary determines to be useful in carrying out the purposes of this chapter.

(c)Export Promotion Data System

The export promotion data system shall include data and information collected by the Federal Government on the industrial sectors and markets of foreign countries which are determined by the Secretary (after consultation required by section 4904 of this title) to be of the greatest interest to United States business firms that are engaged in export-related activities and to Federal and State agencies that promote exports, while providing for the confidentiality of proprietary business information, and shall be designed to use the most effective means of disseminating data and information electronically through the Department, or Department-designated offices, or through other available data bases in an accurate and timely manner. Such data system shall monitor, organize, and disseminate selected information on—

(1)specific business opportunities in foreign countries;

(2)specific industrial sectors within foreign countries with high export potential such as—

(A)size of the market;

(B)distribution of products;

(C)competition;

(D)significant applicable laws, regulations, specifications, and standards;

(E)appropriate government officials; and

(F)trade associations and other contact points; and

(3)foreign countries generally, such as—

(A)the general economic conditions;

(B)common business practices;

(C)significant tariff and trade barriers; and

(D)other significant laws and regulations regarding imports, licensing, and the protection of intellectual property;

(4)export financing information, including the availability, through public sources of funds for United States exporters and foreign competitors;

(5)transactions involving barter and countertrade; and

(6)any other similar information, that the Secretary determines to be useful in carrying out the purposes of this chapter.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

15 U.S.C. § 4906

Title 15, Commerce and Trade

Last Updated

Sep 23, 2026

Release point: 119-110