WASHINGTON, D.C. - The State Trade and Export Promotion, or STEP, grant program, which supports state international trade activities, has been reauthorized through 2020. The State International Development Organizations, an affiliate of The Council of State Governments, provided assistance to Congress and federal trade agencies in developing the STEP reauthorization language included in Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015, signed into law by President Obama on Feb. 24. Through the U.S. Small Business Administration, STEP provides matching grants each year to states to help U.S. small businesses begin exporting and increase the value of their exports. The grants also support state efforts to help small businesses participate in international trade missions. “The STEP program has been instrumental in our shared mission to help more small businesses sell their products or services in the global marketplace,” said Andy Karellas, director of federal affairs for SIDO. “Those exports help support and create thousands of good-paying jobs in the states.” In addition to reauthorizing the STEP program, the legislation calls for the development of a framework to improve coordination between federal trade promotion offices and states in an effort to help small businesses navigate the numerous federal and state export promotion resources that are available to them.  “In the state trade promotion world, every state is different,” Karellas said. “Each state has a unique set of capabilities and resources, including federal trade agencies. This first of its kind state-federal plan will help increase the efficiency and coordination among agencies.”  The Small Business Administration also will be required to conduct analyses on the impact of possible trade agreements, which will increase opportunities for small businesses to provide input on these trade agreements and their impact on America’s small firms. The State International Development Organizations Inc., or SIDO, is the premiere U.S. organization dedicated to supporting state international trade agencies. It is the only national organization focused exclusively on state international trade development. The Council of State Governments is the nation’s only organization serving all three branches of state government. CSG is a region-based forum that fosters the exchange of insights and ideas to help state officials shape public policy.