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[House Hearing, 118 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

                            EXAMINING GAO'S FINDINGS TO 
                            ADDRESS DATA GAPS AND IMPROVE
                             DATA COLLECTION IN THE 
                                    TERRITORIES

=======================================================================

                           OVERSIGHT HEARING

                               BEFORE THE

               SUBCOMMITTEE ON INDIAN AND INSULAR AFFAIRS

                                 of the

                     COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES
                     U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                    ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS

                             SECOND SESSION

                               __________

                        Thursday, June 13, 2024

                               __________

                           Serial No. 118-129

                               __________

       Printed for the use of the Committee on Natural Resources
       
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]       

        Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.govinfo.gov
                                   or
          Committee address: http://naturalresources.house.gov
          
                              __________

                   U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE                    
55-973 PDF                  WASHINGTON : 2024                    
          
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------            
                    COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES

                     BRUCE WESTERMAN, AR, Chairman
                    DOUG LAMBORN, CO, Vice Chairman
                  RAUL M. GRIJALVA, AZ, Ranking Member

Doug Lamborn, CO			Grace F. Napolitano, CA
Robert J. Wittman, VA			Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, 	
Tom McClintock, CA			    CNMI
Paul Gosar, AZ				Jared Huffman, CA
Garret Graves, LA			Ruben Gallego, AZ
Aumua Amata C. Radewagen, AS		Joe Neguse, CO
Doug LaMalfa, CA			Mike Levin, CA
Daniel Webster, FL			Katie Porter, CA
Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon, PR		Teresa Leger Fernandez, NM
Russ Fulcher, ID			Melanie A. Stansbury, NM
Pete Stauber, MN			Mary Sattler Peltola, AK
John R. Curtis, UT			Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, NY
Tom Tiffany, WI				Kevin Mullin, CA
Jerry Carl, AL				Val T. Hoyle, OR
Matt Rosendale, MT			Sydney Kamlager-Dove, CA
Lauren Boebert, CO			Seth Magaziner, RI
Cliff Bentz, OR				Nydia M. Velazquez, NY
Jen Kiggans, VA				Ed Case, HI
Jim Moylan, GU				Debbie Dingell, MI
Wesley P. Hunt, TX			Susie Lee, NV
Mike Collins, GA
Anna Paulina Luna, FL
John Duarte, CA
Harriet M. Hageman, WY

                    Vivian Moeglein, Staff Director
                      Tom Connally, Chief Counsel
                 Lora Snyder, Democratic Staff Director
                   http://naturalresources.house.gov
                                 ------                                

               SUBCOMMITTEE ON INDIAN AND INSULAR AFFAIRS

                     HARRIET M. HAGEMAN, WY, Chair

                JENNIFFER GONZALEZ-COLON, PR, Vice Chair

               TERESA LEGER FERNANDEZ, NM, Ranking Member

Aumua Amata C. Radewagen, AS         Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, 
Doug LaMalfa, CA                         CNMI
Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon, PR         Ruben Gallego, AZ
Jerry Carl, AL                       Nydia M. Velazquez, NY
Jim Moylan, GU                       Ed Case, HI
Bruce Westerman, AR, ex officio      Raul M. Grijalva, AZ, ex officio

                              -----------
                              
                               CONTENTS

                              ----------                              
                                                                   Page

Hearing held on Thursday, June 13, 2024..........................     1

Statement of Members:

    Hageman, Hon. Harriet M., a Representative in Congress from 
      the State of Wyoming.......................................     1

    Leger Fernandez, Hon. Teresa, a Representative in Congress 
      from the State of New Mexico...............................     3

Statement of Witnesses:

    Braybrooks, Melissa, Economist, Office of Insular Affairs, 
      U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, DC............     5
        Prepared statement of....................................     6
        Questions submitted for the record.......................     9

    Love-Grayer, Latesha, Director, International Affairs and 
      Trade, U.S. Government Accountability Office, Washington, 
      DC.........................................................    10
        Prepared statement of....................................    11
        Questions submitted for the record.......................    18

    Leon Guerrero, Lola, Director, Bureau of Statistics and 
      Plans, Government of Guam, Hagatna, Guam...................    20
        Prepared statement of....................................    22
        Questions submitted for the record.......................    28

    Orenstein-Cardona, Jacobo, Executive Assistant, Puerto Rico 
      Institute of Statistics, Government of Puerto Rico, San 
      Juan, Puerto Rico..........................................    28
        Prepared statement of....................................    30
        Questions submitted for the record.......................    33

    Levin, Michael, Managing Partner, PacificWeb LLC, Honolulu, 
      Hawaii.....................................................    34
        Prepared statement of....................................    36
        Questions submitted for the record.......................    40
                                     

 
 OVERSIGHT HEARING ON EXAMINING GAO'S FINDINGS TO ADDRESS DATA GAPS AND
                       IMPROVE DATA COLLECTION IN THE TERRITORIES

                              ----------                              

                        Thursday, June 13, 2024

                     U.S. House of Representatives

               Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs

                     Committee on Natural Resources

                             Washington, DC

                              ----------                              

    The Subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 11:05 a.m., in 
Room 1324, Longworth House Office Building, Hon. Harriet M. 
Hageman [Chairwoman of the Subcommittee] presiding.
    Present: Representatives Hageman, LaMalfa, Moylan, 
Westerman; Leger Fernandez, Sablan, and Velazquez.

    Ms. Hageman. The Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs 
will come to order.
    Without objection, the Chair is authorized to declare a 
recess of the Subcommittee at any time.
    The Subcommittee is meeting today to hear testimony on 
examining GAO's findings to address data gaps and improve data 
collection in the territories.
    Under Committee Rule 4(f), any oral opening statements at 
hearings are limited to the Chairman and the Ranking Minority 
Member. I, therefore, ask unanimous consent that all other 
Members' opening statements be made part of the hearing record 
if they are submitted in accordance with Committee Rule 3(o).
    Without objection, so ordered.
    I will now recognize myself for an opening statement.

 STATEMENT OF THE HON. HARRIET M. HAGEMAN, A REPRESENTATIVE IN 
               CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF WYOMING

    Ms. Hageman. Today's hearing is entitled, ``Examining GAO's 
Findings to Address Data Gaps and Improve Data Collection in 
the Territories.''
    On May 9, 2024, the Government Accountability Office 
published a report on gaps in Federal data for the five U.S. 
territories: American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, 
Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The GAO found that 
the U.S. Federal statistical products often contain data gaps 
for the territories.
    The U.S. territories are often excluded from or not fully 
included in Federal statistical data products. Even in 
instances where the U.S. territories are included in these 
products, there may be disparities in the timeliness and in the 
measurement of data quality when compared to the 50 U.S. states 
and the District of Columbia.
    Data impacts every facet of our life, from economic 
development to national security. Statistics provide analytics 
for planning, implementing, and assessing policy.
    The U.S. Federal Statistical System is a decentralized 
system with over 100 agencies, organizational units, and 
programs. The Federal Statistical System is led by the Chief 
Statistician of the United States within the Office of 
Management and Budget and the Interagency Council on 
Statistical Policy. The chief statistician also chairs the 
Interagency Council on Statistical Policy.
    Data gaps make it challenging to efficiently plan and 
implement policy. Inaccurate or unavailable data increases the 
risk of government waste. It also creates barriers for local 
communities from accessing critical Federal programs and 
opportunities. Quality and robust data, on the other hand, 
enables policymakers in the government to carry out targeted 
programs and ensure that laws are carried out in the manner 
that they were intended.
    Furthermore, it ensures that the local communities are 
represented when assessing the distribution of Federal 
resources. This is especially true for the U.S. territories, as 
they have unique needs due to their geographic location. Many 
of the territories rely heavily on U.S. Federal assistance, 
including access to Federal programs and grants.
    The U.S. territories are also highly prone to severe 
weather disasters that often require population and employment 
statistics to support recovery efforts. As many of the 
territorial governments do not have the capacity and 
infrastructure to collect data themselves, they have no choice 
but to rely upon Federal data, even if it may be severely 
outdated. The data gaps have restricted territory government 
operations and continue to present unnecessary barriers to 
economic growth.
    As the U.S. territories face greater economic challenges 
compared to the continental United States, it becomes ever more 
important to have access to quality data. Today, we will hear 
from agency officials, experts, and from the territories 
themselves to examine this issue closely and to fully 
understand what must be done to close this data gap.
    The U.S. territories deserve and need quality data to 
ensure that Federal and territorial policymakers have accurate 
information to best implement strategies for the benefit of 
their local communities. Finding ways to address the data gaps 
for the territories will not only positively benefit our fellow 
Americans in the U.S. territories, but also helps save U.S. 
taxpayer dollars.
    It would have been helpful to have the Chief Statistician 
of the United States here today to discuss what steps it is 
taking to ensure the principal statistical agencies taking to 
improve data collection in the U.S. territories since the 
publication of the GAO report. In its report, the GAO had 
specific recommendations for the Chief Statistician to develop 
better coordinated approaches to address data gaps in the U.S. 
territories. I am deeply troubled that the Office of Management 
and Budget lacked the capacity to prepare for this hearing. I 
am especially troubled, when considering the fact that they 
play a primary role in leading and coordinating the U.S. 
Federal Statistical System.
    This topic is of bipartisan interest to this Committee, and 
of great importance to the U.S. territories. It is my sincere 
hope that their absence from this hearing does not reflect a 
lack of interest in this critical issue.
    I would like to thank our witnesses who are with us today 
to discuss the findings of the GAO report, and I look forward 
to continuing this conversation about addressing the data gaps 
in the territories.

    The Chair now recognizes the Ranking Minority Member for a 
statement.

STATEMENT OF THE HON. TERESA LEGER FERNANDEZ, A REPRESENTATIVE 
            IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO

    Ms. Leger Fernandez. Thank you, Madam Chair, for working 
with us and holding this important hearing to address the need 
for timely data collection in the insular areas, a long-
standing concern, I know, of the islands.
    And thank you so very much for traveling to be with us to 
discuss these issues.
    As we have heard, the lack of available data has presented 
many obstacles to the islands and making decisions about their 
communities and economies. If we don't have the information, we 
cannot make informed decisions. It is a very simple 
proposition. Incomplete and inaccurate population, economic, 
labor force, and agricultural data leads to underfunding and 
under-representation of the territories in certain Federal 
programs.
    For example, the Georgetown Law Center on Poverty and 
Inequality published an issue brief in December 2022 
highlighting how insufficient data about the territories 
prevents policymakers from making informed decisions for 
residents on issues from education, health care, and emergency 
preparedness, issues that are key for your future prosperity 
and survivability in a changing climate.
    I want to commend GAO and, in particular, the authors of 
the report we are discussing today for their work to find 
inconsistent data collection methods for U.S. territories 
across Federal agencies, and how that impacts the territories.
    For example, in American Samoa, farmers may not be eligible 
for certain farm support programs due to issues with the 
address list utilized by the Census of Agriculture.
    A lack of vital statistics prevents American Samoa from 
participating in the Center for Disease Control and 
Prevention's Vital Statistics Cooperatives program, which 
provides funds in exchange for records of births and deaths.
    For the Northern Mariana Islands, territorial officials 
lack recurring economic indicators like employment statistics 
from BLS. As a result, local officials don't have access to 
updated data, and must collect it themselves.
    In Guam, the area census lacks reportable data for some of 
your smaller communities within the territory. As a result, 
those communities are excluded from data tools like the Social 
Vulnerability Index, which is used to identify groups that need 
the extra support such as emergency preparedness funding for 
natural disasters.
    In the U.S. Virgin Islands, local officials struggle to 
assess the effectiveness of COVID-19 resilience and recovery 
efforts due to the Virgin Islands' exclusion in the Census 
Bureau's Population Survey and Household Pulse Survey.
    In Puerto Rico, it is not included in the current 
population survey, and therefore lacks access to important 
labor force information, including data related to veterans and 
people with disabilities. Puerto Rico is also excluded from the 
Census Bureau's Census of Governments, limiting available 
information on government expenditures.
    To address this problem, Ranking Member Raul Grijalva and 
the five territorial delegates introduced H.R. 1400, the 
bipartisan Territorial Statistics Collection Equity Act. I am 
always pleased that this Committee is as bipartisan as it is in 
terms of finding solutions and working together for the issues 
that are presented here.
    This bill requires the Office of Management and Budget to 
develop and implement a plan for Federal agencies to collect 
and publish statistics regarding the U.S. territories in the 
same manner as statistics are collected and reported for the 
states, also a simple proposition. I look forward to working 
with you, Madam Chair, and the other members of the 
Subcommittee to move this bipartisan bill in a similar 
bipartisan manner to the way today's hearing was developed, 
which, once again, thank you very much for that.
    Thank you for yielding to me, and I look forward to hearing 
from our witnesses. I do apologize we have conflicting hearings 
today, so I am going to be popping in and out.
    With that, I yield back.

    Ms. Hageman. Thank you. I will now introduce our witnesses.
    Ms. Melissa Braybrooks, Economist, Office of Insular and 
International Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior, 
Washington, DC; Ms. Latesha Love-Grayer, Director, 
International Affairs and Trade, U.S. Government Accountability 
Office, Washington, DC; Ms. Lola Leon Guerrero, Director, 
Bureau of Statistics and Plans, Government of Guam, Hagatna, 
Guam; Mr. Jacobo--did I get that right?
    Mr. Orenstein-Cardona. Yes, that is perfect.
    [Laughter.]
    Ms. Hageman. Not perfect. Close enough, right? Thank you. 
Jacobo Orenstein-Cardona, Executive Assistant, Puerto Rico 
Institute of Statistics, Government of Puerto Rico, San Juan, 
Puerto Rico; and Dr. Michael Levin, Managing Partner, 
PacificWeb LLC, Honolulu, Hawaii.
    Let me remind the witnesses that under Committee Rules, 
they must limit their oral statements to 5 minutes, but their 
entire statement will appear in the hearing record.
    To begin your testimony, please press the ``talk'' button 
on the microphone.
    And we use timing lights. When you begin, the light will 
turn green. When you have 1 minute left, the light will turn 
yellow. And at the end of your 5 minutes, the light will turn 
red, and I will ask you to please complete your statement.
    I will also allow all witnesses on the panel to testify 
before Member questioning.
    The Chair now recognizes Ms. Braybrooks for 5 minutes.

 STATEMENT OF MELISSA BRAYBROOKS, ECONOMIST, OFFICE OF INSULAR 
    AFFAIRS, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, WASHINGTON, DC

    Ms. Braybrooks. Thank you, Chair Hageman, Ranking Member 
Leger Fernandez, and other distinguished members of the 
Subcommittee. I am the Economist of the Office of Insular 
Affairs. It is an honor to be before you today as a 
representative of Assistant Secretary Cantor in the U.S. 
Department of the Interior.
    The Committee has my full testimony, but I would like to 
highlight some of the most important issues related to the data 
needs in the U.S. territories.
    The existing gaps in territorial data create and perpetuate 
inequities in how fellow Americans are served by our 
policymakers and programs, and places undue burden on 
territorial resources to solve. Accounting for all American 
communities in the collection and publication of Federal 
statistics is the foundation for being able to meet the 
public's needs and priorities, inform solutions, and measure 
performance of Federal programs and funding efficiently and 
effectively.
    Addressing Federal data gaps for U.S. territories is long 
overdue. Having recently spent several weeks in the U.S. 
territories discussing statistics, I would be remiss not to 
convey some of the impacts from these gaps that were shared 
with me.
    Insufficient data affects the private sector's ability to 
leverage outside investment and understand labor needs, the 
government's ability to make informed policy decisions such as 
forecasting revenue for budget purposes and the daily lives of 
Americans, be it minimum wage determinants or the ability to 
participate in mitigation of natural disaster risks. In a world 
increasingly driven by data, the U.S. territories and the 
Americans that live there are at risk of being left behind.
    GAO's recent report recognizes the Federal Government's 
historically fragmented approach to territorial data and 
statistics. As we evaluate GAO's recommendation and look to 
work with our Federal partners to address the root issues in a 
meaningful way, in order to ensure that the barriers don't 
serve as justifications for the gaps, OIA, or the Office of 
Insular Affairs, suggests that the Federal community consider 
the following.
    First, the goal should be to identify the priority data 
needs for the U.S. territories, and determine best options for 
achieving, not approach this issue assuming that what works for 
states is the best fit model for the U.S. territories.
    Second, understanding of exclusion as a symptom of 
statutory, administrative, or agency-level decisions is 
paramount. Without the context of why the gap exists, the how 
to solve is very challenging.
    Third, statistics are only as good as the source data that 
goes into it. The statistical discussion must be coupled with a 
focus on investment in territorial capacity and statistical 
infrastructure.
    Fourth, the Office of Insular Affairs' limited pool of 
technical assistance funds is not sustainable or sufficient for 
providing the data necessary to help inform decisions and 
support fiscal responsibility. The development of timely, 
robust territorial statistics is best met when the statistical 
agencies are working in equal partnership with organizations 
that can represent, advocate, and guide the unique territorial 
needs.
    Lastly, the Federal investment for territorial statistics 
should not be determined based on the size of these 
geographies. Rather, the Federal investment should take into 
consideration the integral role of the individuals, strategic 
locations, and cultural and ecological diversity that the U.S. 
territories contribute to the United States.
    The Office of Insular Affairs is committed to serve and 
help meet the priority needs of the people living in the U.S. 
territories. However, we are not positioned to solve the data 
problem alone, nor can the territories continue to carry the 
burden of addressing the gaps. As information and statistics 
play an ever more important role in informing evidence-based 
decisions on policy and funding resources, we must continue to 
actively participate in addressing these pervasive U.S. 
territorial data gaps in a meaningful way. If we do not, we 
risk perpetuating known territorial inequities, distorting 
decisions based on the limited statistics that are available, 
and further marginalizing communities that are important to the 
United States and are already too often overlooked.
    The Office of Insular Affairs appreciates the interest in 
this issue and looks forward to continuing to be an active part 
of the solution. Members of the Subcommittee, it is a pleasure 
to appear before you today, and I thank you for your time.

    [The prepared statement of Ms. Braybrooks follows:]
Prepared Statement of Melissa Braybrooks, Economist, Office of Insular 
                Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior

    Chair Hageman, Ranking Member Leger Fernandez, and members of the 
Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs, thank you for the 
opportunity to testify on the need for a coordinated Federal approach 
to address data gaps for U.S. territories. I am the economist of the 
Office of Insular Affairs (OIA) at the U.S. Department of the Interior 
(Department). OIA carries out the Secretary of the Interior's 
responsibilities for administering the Federal government's 
relationship with the territories of American Samoa, the Commonwealth 
of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Guam, and the United States 
Virgin Islands (USVI) (collectively, the territories).
    It is important to have adequate data for the territories because 
the existing data gaps that the U.S. territories experience create, and 
perpetuate, inequities in how these Americans are served by our 
policymakers and programs, and place undue burden on the U.S. 
territories to solve these information needs. Accounting for all 
American communities in the collection and publication of Federal 
statistics is the foundation for being able to meet the public's needs 
and priorities, inform solutions, and measure performance of Federal 
programs and activities efficiently and effectively. Addressing Federal 
data gaps for U.S. territories is long overdue.
    Nonetheless, historically there has been a lack of data for the 
territories due to variety of reasons. For example, the unique legal 
status of these territories, i.e., not being defined as states, has 
resulted in uneven treatment for how the U.S. makes policy and creates 
legal or administrative frameworks for Federal programs and activities, 
including the production of national statistics. Additionally, the 
territories' remote geographies can impact scope as a result of travel 
costs, time zone differences, and the lack of awareness of the U.S. 
territories. The result has been a piecemeal approach at the Federal 
level, which has resulted in data gaps in Federal statistics.
    These data gaps negatively impact the territories. Insufficient 
data affects the private sector's ability to leverage outside 
investment and understand labor needs and the government's ability to 
make informed policy decisions, like forecasting revenue for budget 
purposes. The daily lives of Americans in the territories are also 
negatively impacted--be it the ability to identify and participate in 
mitigation of natural disaster risks or minimum wage determinates. It 
is important to the territories and those living there to address these 
issues, and OIA welcomes all efforts to close persistent data gaps in a 
meaningful way.
GAO's Report on the Current Statistical Landscape

    In a world increasingly driven by data, the U.S. territories and 
the Americans that live there are at risk of being left behind. The 
U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently recognized the 
inequities in data and statistics that the U.S. territories face in a 
report titled, U.S. Territories: Coordinated Federal Approach Needed to 
Better Address Data Gaps.\1\ In order to address a problem, it is often 
helpful to first identify its scope and causes.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-24-106574.pdf
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    The GAO report identifies the information gaps and structural 
characteristics that, to date, have served as barriers to the inclusion 
of the U.S. territories in Federal statistics. To address this issue, 
the GAO recommends a coordinated, government-wide approach to examine 
the costs, benefits, and feasibility of including territories in 
statistical products. OIA looks forward to working with our Federal 
partners to evaluate GAO's recommendation, which would assess the 
Federal government's historically fragmented approach to U.S. 
territorial statistics that has led to an overburden on the territorial 
resources, duplication of efforts, and critical statistical gaps.
    As we evaluate GAO's recommendation and look to address this issue 
of gaps in territorial data with our Federal partners, consideration 
should be given to the fact that certain barriers--such as lack of 
local capacity--have persistently been used as the justification for 
these gaps and as justification for failing to address the root issues. 
Rather, instead of addressing the root issues, this misunderstanding of 
these island communities often leads federal agencies to try to force 
island territorial communities into continental State models--in other 
words, square pegs into round holes.

    To identify long-term solutions to address these historic data 
inequities, OIA suggests that other factors for consideration include:

  1.  Unique Territorial Needs Compared to Existing State Models: The 
            GAO report cites several examples of challenges that 
            statistical agencies face when trying to include the U.S. 
            territories into existing products, however, these examples 
            largely assume the state methodology to be the goal. The 
            territories possess fundamentally unique attributes driven 
            by culture, the ability of local capacity to create 
            information, and the uniqueness of their economies. These 
            factors require an open-minded approach that borrows from 
            known methodologies but also meets the unique situations of 
            the U.S. territories. Possible approaches include looking 
            beyond existing U.S. methodologies to borrow from 
            successful international models already in use across the 
            Pacific and the Caribbean islands, exploring hybrid 
            surveys, and recognizing the role of collaboration with 
            entities outside of the Federal statistical community.

  2.  Statutory, Administrative, and Agency-level Barriers of 
            Inclusion: Currently, there is no comprehensive 
            understanding for ``why'' the U.S. territories are excluded 
            from most Federal statistics. Without the context of the 
            ``why'', the ``how to solve'' becomes very challenging.

       Identifying if the territorial exclusion from each key 
            statistical product is a result of statute, administrative 
            (regulatory), or other (e.g., agency-level scope decisions, 
            funding, etc.) will enable us to identify what must be done 
            to remedy the inequity.

  3.  Local Capacity to Overcome Data Collection Challenges: Statistics 
            are only as good as the information that goes into them. As 
            such, the need for territorial statistics cannot be thought 
            of as a single investment, but rather must be coupled with 
            an evaluation of source data needs and investment in local 
            capacity. Such examples include guidance and resources to 
            support electronic infrastructure, survey frames, U.S. 
            standards and classification schemes, and capacity and 
            training. Local capacity should not be justification for 
            U.S. territorial exclusion.

  4.  Reliance on OIA Technical Assistance: To date, territorial gaps 
            in Federal statistics have been supplemented by technical 
            assistance funding from OIA (e.g., territorial CPI, GDP, 
            Household Income and Expenditure Survey, Visitor surveys, 
            Prevailing Wage Survey). Using OIA technical assistance as 
            the Federal strategy for supporting territorial statistics 
            is not sustainable or sufficient. The reliance on OIA 
            technical assistance to address the statistical needs of 
            the territories places the burden on the territories to 
            solve this data gap for themselves and diminishes the 
            ability to focus on the intended purpose of addressing 
            priority areas to foster development.

  5.  Federal and Territorial Cooperation: Including entities that can 
            represent, advocate, and guide the unique territorial needs 
            in the discussion regarding how to address this issue would 
            be helpful. In doing so, expertise on statistics would be 
            merged with authorities who can represent and meet the 
            unique territorial needs where they currently are. The 
            ideal execution of this partnership will require 
            statistical and territorial support entities to be equal 
            partners--allowing for open sharing of information and 
            methods.

  6.  Other Considerations:

          a.  Best Practices for Navigating Existing Data Gaps Today: 
        The recommendations focus on a coordinated evaluation for 
        addressing data gaps in the future. However, OIA believes it is 
        necessary to identify near- and medium-term guidance and 
        coordination around the realities of the available science. 
        Coordinated guidance and best practices (e.g., treatment of 
        null data, use of proxy indicators, etc.) ensures that data 
        producers and users today do not allow existing gaps to 
        inadvertently perpetuate inequalities.

          b.  Puerto Rico's Statistical Needs May Differ from the Other 
        U.S. Territories: Puerto Rico is included in more Federal 
        statistics and has experienced more coordinated efforts to 
        target the territories' data needs. Although there are several 
        data gaps that still need to be addressed for Puerto Rico, the 
        investment in the territory's statistical capacity and 
        inclusion in Federal statistics to date is different than that 
        of American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 
        Islands, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. As such, Puerto 
        Rico's next steps may differ from that of the other U.S. 
        territories.

          c.  The Value of the U.S. Territories is Beyond Their Size: 
        The population and land area of the territories should not be 
        used as a basis for determining Federal investment in 
        statistics. The value of the U.S. territories should capture 
        the comprehensive contributions that the U.S. territories 
        provide to the United States (e.g., economic contributions from 
        individuals, geographic location (defense), cultural diversity, 
        etc.).

Conclusion

    OIA, in its role to serve and meet the needs of the people living 
in the U.S. territories, has been, and continues to be, committed to 
addressing the priority data needs that can help inform the decisions 
of the territorial and Federal stakeholders. OIA uses its limited 
resources to do so, but the Department is not positioned to solve this 
problem by itself, nor can the territories continue to carry the burden 
of addressing the gaps.
    As information and statistics play an ever more important role in 
identifying trends, measuring performance, and informing evidence-based 
decisions on policy and resources, we must continue to actively 
participate in addressing these U.S. territorial data gaps. If we do 
not, we perpetuate known territorial inequities, distorting policy 
decisions based on an overfocus on the slim data that does exist, and 
further marginalize communities already too often overlooked.
    OIA appreciates the interest in this issue and looks forward to 
continuing to be an active part of the solution.
    Chair Hageman, Ranking Member Leger Fernandez, it is a pleasure to 
appear before your Subcommittee today. Thank you for your time.

                                 ______
                                 
     Questions Submitted for the Record to Ms. Melissa Braybrooks, 
 Economist, Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior

Ms. Braybrooks did not submit responses to the Committee by the 
appropriate deadline for inclusion in the printed record.

            Questions Submitted by Representative Westerman

    Question 1. What is the Office of Insular Affair's assessment of 
each U.S. territory's capability to do its own data work and partner 
with federal statistical agencies?

    Question 2. Please clarify the Office of Insular Affair's specific 
role within the federal statistical system in supporting federal data 
collection for the U.S. territories.

    Question 3. During the hearing, when asked what the Department of 
the Interior's role is in the Interagency Council of Statistical 
Policy, you stated that DOI educates the Council on the Territories' 
situation.

    3a) a. Can you please expand on that point, what specifically is 
the Department of the Interior educating the Council on?

    3b) Is there any other role the Department of the Interior has on 
the Council? If so, what?

    Question 4. During the hearing, you mentioned that including the 
territories in the existing federal data products may not be the best 
idea, rather ``alternative ideas should be considered.''

    4a) Please provide examples of what alternative ideas the Office of 
Insular Affairs has considered or is considering. What are the pros and 
cons of these alternatives?

    Question 5. Has the Department of the Interior raised the issue of 
federal data gaps for the U.S. territories with the Interagency Council 
on Statistical Policy?

    5a) If so, how was this issue raised?

    5b) What was the response from the Chief Statistician?

    Question 6. According to the GAO report, there have been concerns 
within the U.S. territories that the gaps in federal data collection 
for them could prevent access to federal programs and grants that they 
would otherwise be eligible for.

    6a) Is this true?

    6b) If so, please provide specific instances where this has 
happened.

    Question 7. How would addressing the data gaps improve the Office 
of Insular Affairs operations and policy implementation in the U.S. 
territories?

    Question 8. In the 1990s through the mid-2000s, the Office of 
Insular Affairs proactively supported data collection for the U.S. 
territories. However, since then, it seems that the Office of Insular 
Affairs' support has diminished and changed to provide reactive grants.

    8a) Why has the Office of Insular Affairs switched from providing 
proactive support to reactive grants for data collection efforts in the 
U.S. territories?

    8b) Why does the Office of Insular Affairs' budget justifications 
suppress details about statistical technical assistance in the U.S. 
territories?

              Questions Submitted by Representative Sablan

    Question 1. In your testimony, you mention the possibility of 
exploring international survey models in use across the Pacific and the 
Caribbean islands and exploring hybrid surveys. Could you please 
describe these international surveys and how they could be used to 
improve data collection in the territories?

    Question 2. A 2018 report by the Census Bureau I requested declared 
it is infeasible to conduct the American Community Survey in the 
smaller territories. This was attributed to high costs, small 
populations, and the lack of home mail delivery in most areas. To 
replicate the ACS in the insular areas and yield reliable data, Census 
said they would need to conduct the long-form census every year, to 
everyone.

    This is clearly untenable, so as an alternative, I introduced 
legislation to have the Census Bureau conduct the census in the insular 
areas every five years. While not ideal or equivalent to the data 
collection frequency in the states and Puerto Rico, this would at least 
give us timelier data than we have now.

    Would conducting a census in the territories every five years help 
close current data gaps?

    Question 3. Would it help to conduct other surveys in the 
territories more frequently?

    Question 4. What other ways would be useful to improve our data 
collection efforts on our islands?

                                 ______
                                 

    Ms. Hageman. Thank you for your testimony. The Chair now 
recognizes Ms. Love-Grayer for 5 minutes.

   STATEMENT OF LATESHA LOVE-GRAYER, DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL 
   AFFAIRS AND TRADE, U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE, 
                         WASHINGTON, DC

    Ms. Love-Grayer. Chair Hageman, Ranking Member Leger 
Fernandez, and distinguished members of the Committee, thank 
you for the opportunity to discuss our work.
    Federal statistical products often contain gaps for the 
five inhabited U.S. territories. At each of the 13 principal 
statistical agencies, a majority of the products that we 
reviewed excluded at least one of the U.S. territories. Even 
when territories are included, as mentioned earlier, there are 
often disparities in the quality or the timeliness of the data 
that is collected in comparison to the United States.
    Several factors contribute to these data gaps. Laws 
governing agencies may differ or be ambiguous about whether 
territories should be included. Small populations in the 
territories can present confidentiality challenges when 
reporting on detailed data. Population estimation costs, as 
sample sizes increase, so do the costs. For example, if it is 
necessary to take a census of an entire territory, that becomes 
sometimes cost prohibitive.
    According to the Census Bureau, some territories' distances 
from the U.S. mainland create challenges to their ability to 
collect the data in person when that is necessary. Officials 
from several of the agencies that we cited also determined that 
there were other complications to collecting this data. For 
example, non-standard address lists and language barriers can 
complicate that data collection.
    The Department of the Interior also told us that if agency 
officials are accustomed to collecting data for the 50 states, 
they sometimes may simply be unaware that they can also include 
the territories.
    Despite these known gaps, very few agencies have conducted 
research on the costs, the benefits, or the feasibility of 
including territories in their data collection, and these data 
gaps can and often do have adverse effects, including on the 
decisions that are made both at the Federal and at the 
territorial government level.
    For example, as mentioned earlier, officials from American 
Samoa expressed concerns that some of their farmers may not be 
captured in Federal statistics due to issues with the list that 
the Census of Agriculture uses. This may mean that farmers who 
would otherwise be eligible for Federal farm benefits may not 
be.
    CNMI officials emphasized the absence of reoccurring 
economic indicators such as employment data from the Bureau of 
Labor Statistics, which complicates their ability to understand 
their labor force.
    Guam officials reported that not enough information 
collected in the Island Area Census on their smaller 
populations is a barrier to being able to include them and 
other statistical products like the Social Vulnerability Index.
    USVI officials, as noted earlier, also have had troubles 
assessing their recovery and their resilience from the pandemic 
because they do not have data that is collected by the census 
in the current population survey.
    And Puerto Rico also cannot obtain and use certain detailed 
information because they are also not included in the current 
population survey.
    According to some of these territories, they may not even 
apply to some of the Federal programs because they lack the 
data that is needed to apply.
    Territories are trying to mitigate these data gaps. 
American Samoa and USVI are trying to collect information that 
is similar to the information that is collected by the Bureau 
of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau. CNMI and Guam are 
updating their address lists. Puerto Rico is trying to improve 
how their GDP is calculated.
    And while these data collection needs may vary across the 
territories, there does need to be a more coordinated, 
government-wide approach for agencies to use in deciding 
whether and how to collect the data and report statistics from 
the territories. As a result, we recommended that OMB ensure 
the Chief Statistician develops a coordinated, government-wide 
approach for addressing these territorial data gaps. Doing so 
would improve the information that is available to decision 
makers at all levels of government, and would allow for us to 
make better decisions about the allocation of those resources 
and to evaluate the effectiveness of our programs.
    Chair Hageman, Ranking Member Leger Fernandez, and members 
of the Committee, this concludes my prepared statements. I 
would be pleased to answer any questions you may have.

    [The prepared statement of Ms. Love-Grayer follows:]
  Prepared Statement of Latesha Love-Grayer, Director, International 
        Affairs and Trade, U.S. Government Accountability Office

U.S. TERRITORIES: Coordinated Federal Approach Needed to Better Address 
                               Data Gaps

    Chair Hageman, Ranking Member Leger Fernandez, and Members of the 
Subcommittee:
    Thank you for the opportunity to discuss our work on gaps in data 
for the U.S. territories. Our comments today are based on our May 2024 
report entitled U.S. Territories: Coordinated Federal Approach Needed 
to Better Address Data Gaps.\1\ We were asked to report on gaps in 
federal statistics for the territories, the impact of such data gaps, 
and any administrative or legislative actions that can be taken to 
address them.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ GAO, U.S. Territories: Coordinated Federal Approach Needed to 
Better Address Data Gaps, GAO-24-106574 (Washington, D.C.: May 9, 
2024).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    The U.S. government needs evidence--including statistics--to guide 
decision-making, evaluate the effectiveness of programs, and determine 
where best to target resources. It is also expected to ensure the 
quality of the data used for these purposes.
    Public-facing federal statistical products often contain gaps in 
data for the five permanently inhabited U.S. territories: American 
Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Guam, 
the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI).\2\ 
At each of the 13 federal statistical agencies we reviewed (comprising 
the core of the federal statistical system), a majority of statistical 
products we examined excluded at least one of the territories.\3\ In 
products where the territories were included, we found disparities in 
the timeliness and in the measurement of quality of territorial data 
relative to the rest of the U.S.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \2\ The Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the 
Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau--the freely associated 
states--are independent countries and so are excluded from our scope.
    \3\ The 13 principal statistical agencies are the Bureaus of 
Economic Analysis, Justice Statistics, Labor Statistics, Transportation 
Statistics, and the Census; Economic Research Service; Energy 
Information Administration; Internal Revenue Service Statistics of 
Income; National Agricultural Statistics Service; National Center for 
Education Statistics; National Center for Health Statistics; National 
Center for Science and Engineering Statistics; and Social Security 
Administration Office of Research, Evaluation and Statistics.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Numerous factors prevent precise quantification of the effects of 
data gaps for federal funding to the territories. However, officials in 
these territories described a wide variety of resulting adverse 
effects, such as the inability to demonstrate need and eligibility for 
a range of federal support programs. Officials also underscored the 
difficulty in assessing the effectiveness of resilience and recovery 
efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, due to lack of data.
    To better understand data gaps and related issues, we collected 
lists of statistical products from the principal federal statistical 
agencies, analyzed authorizing statutes of those agencies, and 
interviewed territorial and federal statistical officials--including 
from the Office of the Chief Statistician of the United States--among 
other methodologies. This work was conducted in accordance with 
generally accepted government auditing standards. More details on our 
scope and methodology can be found in the full report.\4\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \4\ GAO-24-106574.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Background

    As we have previously reported, the five territories continue to 
face a range of economic challenges, including

     declining populations,

     high cost of energy and imported goods,

     increasing vulnerability to extreme weather, and

     undiversified economies.

    The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated some of these conditions in 
several territories by decreasing tourism.

    American Samoa, CNMI, Guam, and USVI are small island areas with 
small economies, as measured by gross domestic product (GDP). As of 
2020, all the territories but Puerto Rico had lower levels of GDP than 
Vermont--the state with the smallest GDP. Puerto Rico's GDP is larger 
than the GDP of 14 states. Reporting of GDP statistics for the 
territories is lagged relative to the rest of the U.S.
    Forming a key part of the federal statistical system are the 13 
principal statistical agencies--agencies whose missions are 
predominantly the collection, compilation, analysis, and dissemination 
of information for statistical purposes. The Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB), through the Office of the Chief Statistician of the 
United States, works with these agencies and other statistical 
officials to discuss and implement federal statistical policy through 
multiple consultative bodies such as the Interagency Council on 
Statistical Policy and the Federal Committee on Statistical 
Methodology.
Several Factors Contribute to Data Gaps in the Territories

    Geographic. According to Census Bureau officials we spoke with, 
some territories' distances from the U.S. mainland can make it 
difficult for dependable and timely in-person data collection if 
agencies do not have staff permanently assigned to the territories. The 
Census Bureau's evolution in data collection for the stateside 
decennial census shows that technology and automation can help overcome 
geographic challenges.\5\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \5\ GAO, 2020 Census: Innovations Helped with Implementation, but 
Bureau Can Do More to Realize Future Benefits, GAO-21-478 (Washington, 
D.C.: June 14, 2021).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    As figure 1 shows, Puerto Rico and USVI in the Caribbean Sea are 
much closer to the headquarters of most federal agencies than are the 
Pacific territories. We found that Puerto Rico and USVI appeared as 
often as the Pacific territories--or more frequently--in all but one 
agency's lists of statistical products we received.

[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

    Statistical. Small populations in the territories can present 
confidentiality concerns when reporting detailed data and can affect 
the ability of agencies to calculate precise estimates, according to 
officials with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Census 
Bureau. Figure 2 illustrates a hypothetical example of how 
jurisdictions with relatively smaller populations require higher 
sampling percentages than relatively larger jurisdictions to achieve 
the same margin of error. Higher sampling requirements for a given 
level of precision do not preclude the use of sampling in a territory 
with a smaller population, but they do raise the associated costs.

[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

    Note: For this figure, we use a hypothetical example to 
demonstrate what percent of the respective populations would need to be 
sampled to attain the same level of precision (i.e., the same margin of 
error). Our calculation assumed an error rate of 0.5, a design effect 
of 2, and a confidence level of 95 percent.

    Cost. Estimation costs increase as sample size increases. The 
Census Bureau in 2018 cited the cost of needing to do a full census of 
the territories (except Puerto Rico) in lieu of sampling as a primary 
barrier to including them in the American Community Survey (ACS). The 
ACS provides detailed demographic statistics used in a large number of 
federal formula grant programs. The Census Bureau administers the 
Puerto Rico Community Survey, which collects and produces companion 
data to the ACS.

    Statutory. Statutes that govern and fund principal statistical 
agencies may differ or be ambiguous about the requirement to collect 
data from the territories. For example, the authorizing statute for the 
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) does not specify whether to include 
the territories in data collection efforts.\6\ Absent any additional 
guidance from OMB, variation exists in how territories are treated in 
BLS's statistical products. For instance, Guam is not included in the 
Current Employment Statistics program due to a lack of unemployment 
insurance program data, which are a key data source for the product. 
However, Puerto Rico is included in the Current Employment Statistics 
program and requires reporting of such data under local law.\7\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \6\ 29 U.S.C. Sec. Sec. 1-2.
    \7\ 3 L.P.R.A. Sec. Sec. 308, 309, 315.

    Technical. According to officials from OMB and multiple statistical 
agencies, several factors can complicate data collection: non-
standardized address formats in the territories, difficulty integrating 
federal information technology with that of the territories, language 
barriers, and use of paper surveys. In addition, some statistical 
products have topics that may not be applicable to the territories, 
such as those that measure geography-specific agricultural commodities 
or energy sources.
    Additionally, agencies attributed some of the data gaps to 
limitations in source data within the territories. For example, Census 
Bureau officials told us that the lack of a robust and up-to-date 
address list in the territories reduces the bureau's ability to include 
territories in certain mail-based surveys.
    Department of the Interior officials added that federal statistical 
products may sometimes exclude territories in cases where officials at 
statistical agencies are accustomed to limiting the scope of their 
products to the 50 states and are not aware that they could also 
include the territories.
Gaps in Data Have Various Adverse Effects on Territories

    Numerous factors prevent policymakers from precisely quantifying 
the effects of data gaps for federal funding to the territories. 
However, territories cited a variety of ways in which data gaps 
significantly affect their jurisdictions. For example:

     American Samoa officials expressed concern that 
            subsistence farming is not fully captured due to underlying 
            issues with the address list the Census of Agriculture 
            relies on, which may mean that its farmers are not eligible 
            for certain farm support programs.

     CNMI officials emphasized the absence of recurring 
            economic indicators, such as certain employment statistics 
            from BLS.

     Officials from Guam said that not enough reportable data 
            in the Island Areas Census for some of the territory's 
            smaller communities prevent those communities from being 
            included in other composite statistics, such as the Social 
            Vulnerability Index. Officials noted that this affects 
            their ability to identify communities of need before, 
            during, and after natural disasters and affects how 
            decisions are made to allocate emergency preparedness 
            funding.

     USVI officials indicated that since they are not included 
            in the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey (done in 
            concert with BLS) and Household Pulse Survey, they had 
            difficulties assessing the effectiveness of local 
            resilience and recovery efforts during the pandemic.

     Officials from Puerto Rico described not being able to 
            obtain and use certain detailed labor-force information 
            because of not being included in the Current Population 
            Survey.

    According to Guam and USVI officials, territories may in some cases 
simply not seek or be able to apply for opportunities for federal funds 
allocations because they are not included in a statistical product or 
lack the local data sources needed to apply. In some cases, territories 
are still able to participate in a federal program even when data from 
a statistical product are not available. For example, despite not being 
part of the ACS, American Samoa, Guam, CNMI, and USVI have separately 
been included in an equivalent Community Development Block Grant 
Insular Areas Program.\8\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \8\ The Community Development Block Grant Program reserves $7 
million annually for American Samoa, Guam, CNMI, and USVI which is 
distributed based on their relative populations, while program funds 
are allocated to states and Puerto Rico based on separate formulas. See 
42 U.S.C. Sec. 5302(a)(24); 42 U.S.C. Sec. 5306(a)(2).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Data gaps can also affect the mechanisms agencies use to allocate 
funds to the territories. For example, federal Supplemental Nutrition 
Assistance Program payments to Guam and USVI are adjusted to reflect 
the cost of food in these territories based on federal poverty and 
consumer price data that are not collected the same way as for the 50 
states.\9\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \9\ 7 U.S.C. Sec. Sec. 2012-2014; 42 U.S.C. Sec. 9902(2).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Overall, our body of work examining assistance to the territories 
has, at times, illustrated that limitations in federal data collected 
in the territories can adversely affect the federal government's 
ability to make informed decisions about the distribution of resources. 
As one example, in May 2024, we reported that the Department of 
Veterans Affairs (VA) uses a model to estimate the size of the veteran 
population (by certain demographic characteristics and across 
geographic areas through fiscal year 2050) to inform resource 
allocation and outreach needs.\10\ However, because one of the major 
data sources is the Census Bureau's American Community Survey, which 
does not include data on territories except Puerto Rico, the VA lacks 
assurance that its estimates are accurate for territory veterans. We 
reported that for at least two of the territories, federal estimates 
were about or less than half of what the territories estimated to be 
accurate. We recommended that the Secretary of VA identify the extent 
to which known data limitations impact the accuracy of population 
estimates for veterans living in the U.S. territories and freely 
associated states, and VA agreed with the recommendation.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \10\ GAO, Veterans Affairs: Actions Needed to Improve Access to 
Care in the U.S. Territories and Freely Associated States, GAO-24-
106364 (Washington, D.C.: May 23, 2024). VA's model uses three main 
data sources: VA's U.S. Veteran Eligibility Trends and Statistics 
database, Department of Defense separation projections, and the U.S. 
Census Bureau's American Community Survey. According to VA, the U.S. 
Veteran Eligibility Trends and Statistics database likely includes 
information on veterans from all U.S. territories and the freely 
associated states, but the other two major data sources--Department of 
Defense separation projections and the American Community Survey--do 
not. We did not review any local data sets to assess their accuracy or 
reliability because it was not within the scope of our review.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Territories, with Federal Support, Have Made Efforts to Mitigate Data 
        Gaps through Local Data Collection

    We found that territories have taken steps to mitigate federal data 
gaps. For example, officials from both American Samoa and USVI 
described local efforts to collect data equivalent to data collected by 
BLS and the Census Bureau, respectively. Officials from CNMI and Guam 
described efforts to update their address lists in order to enhance the 
quality of their participation in the Island Areas Censuses, while 
officials from Puerto Rico described local efforts to improve how their 
GDP is calculated.
    Improved statistical efforts are part of activities the Department 
of the Interior's Office of Insular Affairs funds through a technical 
assistance program for the territories (other than Puerto Rico, for 
which the department does not have administrative responsibility). This 
program allocated a total of over $60 million from fiscal years 2019 
through 2023 for activities such as Guam's effort to update its 
Household Income and Expenditures Survey.
Federal Efforts to Collect and Report Data on the Territories Are 
        Limited and Uncoordinated

    OMB is responsible for coordinating the federal statistical system 
to ensure its effectiveness and efficiency.\11\ However, there is not a 
coordinated, government-wide approach for agencies to use in deciding 
whether to collect data and report statistics from territories in 
federal statistical products. For example, OMB has not developed 
guidance or directives that explicitly address data collection in the 
territories. Moreover, despite the pervasive nature of data gaps in the 
territories, we found that agencies other than the Bureau of Economic 
Analysis and Census Bureau generally have not researched the costs, 
benefits, and feasibility of expanding the scope of their statistical 
products to include the territories.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \11\ 44 U.S.C. Sec. 3504(e)(1), (7).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    As a result, we recommended that OMB ensure the Chief Statistician 
develops a coordinated, government-wide approach for federal 
statistical agencies to use in examining and addressing territorial 
data gaps. Doing so would improve the transparency of statistical 
decisions. Improved data collection for the territories could also 
better inform decision-makers about how to allocate resources to the 
territories and how to evaluate the effectiveness of those investments.
    OMB neither agreed nor disagreed with our recommendation but 
provided technical comments to our draft report, which we incorporated 
as appropriate. The causes of data gaps in the U.S. territories are 
multifaceted. We believe our recommendation will help spur federal 
attention and facilitate a more comprehensive approach to understanding 
and addressing the territories' data needs.

    Chairman Hageman, Ranking Member Leger Fernandez, and Members of 
the Subcommittee, this completes my prepared statement. I would be 
pleased to respond to any questions that you may have at this time.

                                 *****
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

Ms. Love-Grayer submitted her prepared statement as a GAO 
report. The full GAO report can be viewed at:

https://www.gao.gov/assets/870/869419.pdf

                                ------                                

Questions Submitted for the Record to Ms. Latesha Love-Grayer, Director 
  of International Affairs and Trade, Government Accountability Office

Ms. Love-Grayer did not submit responses to the Committee by the 
appropriate deadline for inclusion in the printed record.

            Questions Submitted by Representative Westerman

    Question 1. What role can be interested outside groups play in 
helping to address territorial data gaps?

    Question 2. Why can't the federal statistical agencies already 
close the data gaps in the U.S. territories?

    Question 3. Your report and written testimony list the various 
economic challenges the U.S. territories face.

    3a) Can you explain the connection between these challenges and the 
need for good data?

    Question 4. What steps can federal statistical agencies take now, 
without waiting for additional funding or authorizations?

    Question 5. Your written statement notes that there have been few 
efforts by statistical agencies to research the costs, benefits, and 
feasibility of expanding statistical coverage in the U.S. territories.

    5a) For those few efforts that have been made, what were the 
results?

    Question 6. Your written statement notes that statistical agencies 
sometimes exclude territories from data collection because ``they are 
accustomed to limiting the scope of their products to the 50 states and 
are not aware that they could also include the U.S. territories.''

    6a) Can you elaborate on this point? Do you have any examples?

    Question 7. What did each territory identify as their specific need 
to improve their statistical operations?

    Question 8. What did each territory identify as their most 
important existing gap in federal statistics coverage?

    Question 9. Aside from the Office of the Chief Statistician, are 
the other federal statistical agencies aware of the gaps in data 
collection for the U.S. territories?

    9a) Do they agree that this is a serious issue?

    Question 10. In the GAO report, it was stated that federal agencies 
attributed some of the data gaps to limitations in source data within 
the U.S. territories.

    10a) What limitations does each territory have?

    10b) Would addressing the data gaps at a federal level be 
sufficient or would this also require the U.S. territories to address 
some of these limitations? Why?

    Question 11. Do federal agencies have cost estimates and 
feasibility assessments for including the U.S. territories in their 
statistical products?

    11a) If so, what are they?

    Question 12. Why do some federal statistic products collect 
territory for one or some territories, but exclude the rest?

    Question 13. Why does Puerto Rico receive more coverage in federal 
data collection than the other territories?

    Question 14 How does addressing these data gaps sooner rather than 
later save American taxpayer dollars and improve fiscal responsibility 
in the long run?

          Questions Submitted by Representative Gonzalez-Colon

    Question 1. In its report, GAO recommended that the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) should ensure the Chief Statistician 
develops a government-wide approach for federal statistical agencies to 
use to examine the costs, benefits, and feasibility of including 
territories in statistical products and, as appropriate, identify ways 
to address data gaps.

    Could you discuss why, in GAO's view, a whole-of-government 
approach such as this one is necessary to understand and address 
federal data gaps impacting the territories? How would this help 
address the lack of coordination GAO identified in its report?

    Question 2. When GAO recommends that the Chief Statistician should 
develop a coordinated, government-wide approach, what do you envision 
that approach would look like in practice? Would it be OMB developing 
and publishing a Statistical Policy Directive, or distributing general 
guidance for all 13 principal statistical agencies? Or a potential plan 
with short-, medium-, and long-term objectives?

    Question 3. In my and my office's conversations with federal 
agencies like the Census Bureau, one of the major obstacles that is 
always raised when it comes to expanding statistical programs to 
include Puerto Rico is costs or the need for additional funding.

    However, sometimes these statistical products or surveys are 
sponsored by two agencies--such as the Current Population Survey, which 
is jointly sponsored by the Census and the Bureau of Labor Statistics--
or carried out by one agency but sponsored by another--such as the 
American Housing Survey, which is conducted by the Census but sponsored 
by HUD. This means that costs are shared between multiple agencies, and 
efforts to expand a particular survey or product to include Puerto Rico 
or the other territories would require interagency cooperation and 
agreements.

    Could you discuss how OMB would be best positioned to address 
situations like this one?

    Question 4. As GAO notes in its report, OMB neither agreed nor 
disagreed with its recommendation on developing a coordinated, 
government-wide approach. Since the report's release, has GAO heard 
from OMB or had any follow-up conversations with them as to whether 
they are taking actions to implement the recommendation? Is GAO 
concerned that OMB will not implement the recommendation, given they 
neither agreed nor disagreed with it?

    Question 5. Now that the report is released, what comes next? How 
will GAO monitor compliance with its recommendation? For instance, how 
frequently do you intend to engage with OMB moving forward, if at all?

    Question 6. In its report, GAO mentions that OMB officials shared 
that there are plans to open a new data center in Puerto Rico as part 
of the Federal Statistical Research Data Center Program. Would you be 
able to provide or share additional information on these plans?

    Question 7. One of the major concerns with federal data gaps is 
their potential impact on how federal funding is allocated to the 
territories. Could you discuss what GAO found regarding this issue? 
Were you able to identify instances of federal programs allocating 
funding to the territories differently because of the lack of data?

              Questions Submitted by Representative Sablan

    Question 1. In our discussion of sample sizes and associated costs, 
you stated that in smaller populations the cost per person is higher 
when collecting data. Could you tell us why the cost per person would 
be different? Could you tell us what the cost per person sampled would 
be in each of the U.S. territories for a representative sample? And 
could you tell us what the cost per person would be to collect that 
same sample in representatives states (Alaska, Hawai'i, Wyoming, 
Kentucky, California, for instance)?

    Question 2. How is household or individual data typically collected 
by the federal government? Are there best practices or technologies--in 
use by the federal government, in use by other governments or 
institutions worldwide, or emerging--that can make such collection more 
accurate, more efficient, less costly? Are such technologies available 
for use in the U.S. territories?

    Question 3. Could artificial intelligence play a role in 
extrapolating information about the U.S. territories that could be used 
as a reliable stand-in for data that may be collected directly or by 
other means in the rest of the United States?

    Question 4. Prior to statehood in 1959, what data collected by the 
federal government in the 48 states was not collected in Alaska and 
Hawai'i?

    Question 5. For agencies and departments GAO surveyed, which have 
policies on record or are statutorily barred from collecting data in 
the U.S. territories? And what are those policies or statutes, if any?

    Question 6. What data compiled by the federal government originates 
from state data collections and what data is collected directly by the 
federal government itself?

            Questions Submitted by Representative Velazquez

    Question 1. Did your audit consider data gaps related to the use 
and impact of federal funding allocations to Puerto Rico, including 
funds for emergency response and/or post-disaster recovery and 
reconstruction? If so, what is GAO's evaluation of the available data? 
How does it differ from data gaps in tracking the use and impact of 
recurring federal funds?

    Question 2. Non-profit organizations, community-based entities, and 
scholars have contributed to highlighting Puerto Rico's primary needs 
through data collection, analysis, and publications. However, GAO's 
audit relies heavily on the insight of public officials for its data 
gaps assessment. To what extent do the gaps identified by GAO address 
the primary needs at the community level in Puerto Rico, and what can 
be done to ensure that the voices and needs of people on the ground are 
present in federal data?

    Question 3. Resources are an important aspect when talking about 
collecting, analyzing, and disseminating data. In the case of Puerto 
Rico, recent austerity measures hinder these abilities. To that end, 
could you provide some information as to why the $60 million allocated 
to other territories for improving their data were not available to 
Puerto Rico? What specific technologies are needed in Puerto Rico to 
address internal limitations?

    Question 4. According to your presentation, Department of the 
Interior (DOI) officials were unaware they could include U.S. 
territories in their data. What specific actions could be taken by the 
Office and Management and Budget (OMB) to address this situation?

    Question 5. GAO stated in its report that a mix of cost, 
geographic, technical and other issues have contributed to the 
exclusion of the U.S. territories from federal statistical products. Do 
you consider this lack of data a leading contributing factor to the 
neglect of federal agency attention to the needs of the territories?

                                 ______
                                 

    Ms. Hageman. Thank you for your testimony. The Chair now 
recognizes Ms. Leon Guerrero for 5 minutes.

STATEMENT OF LOLA LEON GUERRERO, DIRECTOR, BUREAU OF STATISTICS 
          AND PLANS, GOVERNMENT OF GUAM, HAGATNA, GUAM

    Ms. Leon Guerrero. Good morning, Chairman Hageman, Ranking 
Member Fernandez, and distinguished members of the 
Subcommittee. It is an honor to appear before you and the 
Members to provide Guam's testimony on examining GAO's findings 
to address data gaps and improve data collection in the 
territories.
    I will present testimony on the critical issue of data 
equity and the exclusion of the U.S. territories from many 
Federal statistical products, unlike Puerto Rico and the 50 
states. This exclusion leaves Guam reliant on administrative 
data and periodic local and Federal surveys to meet community 
needs.
    Data collection is crucial for insight to key topics, 
predicting trends, and developing sound policies. This is 
especially important for island economies like Guam, which 
depend on tourism, military spending, and Federal funding. 
Despite extensive data collection efforts, we face challenges 
due to limited resources and skilled personnel impacting our 
ability to obtain meaningful data. I commend the GAO for 
highlighting these issues.
    Consistent, reliable, and up-to-date demographic, social, 
and economic information is essential for effective government 
planning and resource allocation. The Bureau of Statistics plan 
supports recommendations to address data equity for the U.S. 
territories.
    Examples of data inequities and disparities. Exclusion from 
surveys. U.S. territories do not participate on ongoing Federal 
surveys, such as the American Community Survey, the current 
population surveys, consumer expenditure surveys, and other 
surveys conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and other 
Federal programs. Instead, the U.S. territories rely on the 
decennial census to obtain critical housing and population 
statistics. While the decennial census provides comprehensive 
information for the U.S. territories, the lack of current 
statistics hinders the territories' ability to address 
immediate and long-term issues accordingly.
    On the decennial census, the census provides critical data 
on Guam's demographics, socio-economic, and housing 
characteristics every 10 years. However, limitations in 
outdated information impacts funding allocation formulas for 
territories, as well as for planning purposes. For instance, 
the 2020 census had fewer details than the 2010 census. We have 
villages without demographic data, no detail on military 
members and their households, which affects data on income and 
housing conditions.
    On the IMPLAN. IMPLAN is an economic modeling software the 
Department of Labor's Chief Economist uses. We were informed 
IMPLAN is no longer generating data sets for American Samoa, 
Guam, and CNMI, due to changes in the U.S. Census Bureau's 
disclosure policies. This affects our ability to estimate 
economic impacts accurately.
    On the gross domestic product, this is funded by the U.S. 
Department of the Interior and contracted to the Census Bureau. 
We were recently informed that the funding for the GDP is 
temporarily suspended or paused due to the cost. OIA officials 
were on our island to review and address Guam's existing 
administrative and economic data to produce the GDP and 
economic statistics.
    On the Justice40 initiative's climate and justice screening 
tool. Under the Justice40 initiatives, the climate and economic 
justice screening tool lacks sufficient data for Guam in most 
categories, which affects our ability to qualify for funding 
under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction 
Act for disadvantaged communities.
    On hazard mitigation, territories face challenges in 
meeting FEMA's data requirements for hazard mitigation plans 
due to inadequate data and tools. The FEMA's National Risk 
Index Mapping and FEMA's hazards programs are not populated 
with the data and layers for American Samoa, Guam, and CNMI as 
they are for the states, USVI, and Puerto Rico. These tools 
provide the type of mapping, data, and reporting needed for a 
hazard mitigation plans.
    Since they are not readily available to Guam, we have had 
to develop the mapping and tools and the reporting on our own. 
This is not a simple task, and this involves developing a 
Social Vulnerability Index for Guam, building stock for Guam, 
GIS tools, and much more. While Guam is able to accomplish 
this, it should not be necessary, and the territories should 
not be held to the same standards as the states for Federal 
funding opportunities when they are not given the same 
resources and tools to make them eligible.
    On the Social Vulnerability Index. Guam developed its SVI 
using CDC's methodology, but there is missing data from the 
2020 census which hinders updates crucial for disaster 
management.
    Recommendation. To address these issues, we need 
legislative mandates and funding to share consistent data 
collection and support for the territories on guidance from 
other Federal agencies on acceptable methodologies to follow to 
obtain data where the territories are excluded.
    Most importantly, improved coordination with the Office of 
the Chief Statistician of Federal Agencies to include the U.S. 
territories in the major statistical products is crucial to 
bridging these gaps and enhancing data collections in the U.S. 
territories.
    Thank you for the opportunity to present Guam's 
perspective.

    [The prepared statement of Ms. Leon Guerrero follows:]
   Prepared Statement of Lola E. Leon Guerrero, Director, Bureau of 
                Statistics and Plans, Government of Guam

    Good morning! Chairwoman Hageman, Ranking Member Fernandez, and 
distinguished members of the Subcommittee, it is an honor to appear 
before you and the members to provide Guam's testimony on ``Examining 
GAO's Findings to Address Data Gaps and Improve Data Collection in the 
Territories''.
    I am presenting testimony to address the critical issue pertaining 
to the lack of data equity and exclusion of the U.S. Territories in 
many of the federal statistical products that is afforded to Puerto 
Rico and the 50 states. This exclusion leaves Guam and the U.S. 
Territories with limited access to current information and are left to 
rely on administrative data and/or local and federal resources to 
conduct periodic data collection and surveys to address the priority 
needs of the community.
    Data collection is fundamental to gaining and drawing valuable 
insights on critical topics, predicting trends, preventing risks, 
making informed decisions and in developing critical and sound policy. 
Good data is especially important for island economies with limited 
resources and who are dependent on external factors such as tourism and 
federal spending for sustained economic growth. Guam, being the 
farthest western-most territory, and second in land area, is dependent 
on three pillars for economic growth: tourism, military spending and 
federal funding. Although extensive data is collected, relevant labor 
market and population files are not often readily available to 
facilitate data analysis. The lack of resources to facilitate the data 
capture along with the skilled data technicians or analysts to define, 
analyze, and evaluate the process are challenges faced by U.S. 
Territories to obtaining meaningful data.
    I commend GAO for addressing this long-standing issue recognizing 
the unique challenges the U.S. Territories face when making decisions. 
Whether we live in small island communities, populous states, or 
nations, we are all driven by data and the absence of consistent, 
reliable and up-to-date demographic, social and economic information 
impacts the government's ability to plan effectively and secure the 
resources needed for a sustainable future.
    The Bureau of Statistics and Plans (BSP) is in support of the 
recommendations to the subcommittee regarding the lack of data equity 
for the U.S. Territories. We recognize that the U.S. Territories do not 
participate in the ongoing surveys conducted in the United States 
including the American Community Survey (ACS), the Current Population 
Survey (CPS), Consumer Expenditures Survey, Current Employment 
Statistics Survey, and other surveys conducted by the Bureau of Labor 
Statistics and other federal programs. As such, the U.S. Territories 
rely on the once a decade census to obtain critical housing and 
population statistics.
    While the decennial census provides comprehensive information for 
the U.S. Territories, the lack of current statistics does not present a 
clear picture of the current condition of the U.S. Territories to 
address immediate and long-term issues accordingly.

    Presented are some examples pertaining to the data inequities and 
disparities regarding the exclusion of the U.S. Territories from the 
federal statistical data products.

    Decennial Census. The Decennial Census data provides a major source 
of comprehensive information about Guam's demographic, socio-economic 
and housing characteristics. Because Guam receives this data once every 
10 years, the more detailed the information that is made available, the 
better the understanding of the housing and population make-up for 
Guam.
    The U.S. Census Bureau reported a population decline between 2010 
and 2020 for Guam and the territories. The population decline from 2010 
and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the 2020 Census results 
draws serious concerns for the government of Guam. While we recognize 
that there are limitations to the census data, we are concerned how the 
data will impact funding allocation formulas for the island and the 
territories. We have villages without demographic data, no detail on 
military members and their households, and there is less detail than in 
the 2010 Census of Guam. For example, the Bureau of Statistics and 
Plans notes the impact of data tables released by the Census Bureau 
reporting ``N'' cases in a number of municipalities (villages) as it 
pertains to certain data like income. This signifies that the ``data is 
not available for selected geographic areas due to concerns with 
statistical reliability.''
    Many agencies rely on income data to determine eligibility for 
programs (i.e. HUD's Community Development Block Grant (CBDG) relies on 
low/moderate income data to determine if an area meets the criteria of 
having at least 51-percent of the population meeting HUD's definition 
of those falling in the low to moderate income category.) For the 
island areas, the decennial Census is used to determine low/moderate 
income (LMI) areas. As such, these ``eligible'' areas do not change 
until the next decennial census. HUD works directly with the Census 
Bureau to prepare the LMI eligible areas of which 51-percent of the 
residents are low-moderate income individuals or households. HUD, 
however, does allow a jurisdiction to conduct income surveys to 
determine the percentage of LMI persons in the service area. HUD 
provides guidelines to do this. Like HUD, other federal agencies should 
provide guidance on acceptable methodologies to follow to obtain data 
that is acceptable to justify funding requests.
    In preparations for the decennial census, Guam worked closely with 
Census Bureau officials in reviewing and updating census topics, 
questionnaire content, geography and the like. With respect to the 
census questionnaire, I want to point out that several census questions 
in Guam's ``long form'' were removed for the 2020 Guam Census, and 
these questions include ``use of battery-operated radios, air-
conditioning, main type of material used for the roof, and main type of 
material used for the foundation.'' The Bureau of Statistics and Plans 
requested to retain the census questions; however, our request was not 
considered, and the questions were removed in the 2020 Guam Census. The 
use of battery-operated radios is critical in times of emergency when 
there is a loss of power, internet and telecommunication services. This 
was evident in May 2023 when Guam was struck with Category 4, Typhoon 
Mawar, and internet and phone communication were lost. Residents lacked 
information about the condition of the storm and impact to the 
municipalities, flooded areas where roads were impassable, when the 
power and water will be restored, and where services can be obtained. 
It is important to note the Guam Homeland Security/Office of Civil 
Defense lists battery-powered radios and NOAA weather radios as part of 
the emergency supply list to Get Guam Ready in preparation for an 
emergency or natural disaster. This and the other topics specific to 
the Island Areas needs are necessary for emergency preparations and 
response planning and to determine the level of housing structure 
conditions on Guam.
    In addition, we had requested for the release of the Public Use 
Microdata Sample (PUMS) for Guam based on the 2020 Census of Guam; 
however, the PUMS is not listed as part of the 2020 Island Areas Data 
Products release schedule, and we are unclear if the Census Bureau will 
make available the PUMS at a later date. The 10-percent sample of 
housing and population records allows users to run specified 
tabulations at the Guam level. The PUMS is a useful data application 
tool that allows the data user to run frequencies and cross any 
variable by other population and housing variables. In this regard, the 
user can run cross tabulations and frequencies at the Guam (island-
wide) level when information is not available from the standard set of 
tables released by the Census Bureau.
    The Census Bureau serves as ``the primary U.S. government source of 
population estimates and projections for the U.S. Island Areas.'' 
Because many government and civic organizations use population 
projections for program planning and application for federal 
assistance, we have requested the Census Bureau to provide projection 
updates. Currently, we are waiting for the Bureau officials to update 
the population projections since the release of the detailed results 
from the 2020 Census of Guam.
    We recognize that the Census statistics that Guam receives serves 
as the most valuable, comprehensive resource and reference tool used by 
government, community officials, students and the public for research, 
planning, and for access to federal funding opportunities. Having to 
rely on a once a decade census data set leaves little for our policy 
and community leaders to work with to effectively plan and lead our 
island for the next 10 years. Presently, Guam does not have the 
resources to bridge the gap. Had the territories been able to 
participate in the ongoing federal statistical surveys such as the 
American Community Survey (ACS), Current Population Survey (CPS) and 
Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES), federal funds could have been better 
allocated to meet the present and ever-changing needs of our 
communities.

    IMPLAN. IMPLAN is the leading provider of economic impact data and 
analytical software and utilizes an economic modeling technique called 
Input-Output analysis. Through US EDA funding, BSP procured a one year 
subscription for the Department of Labor. Last year, my office was 
informed that due to a change in the disclosure policy in the U.S. 
Census Bureau, the IMPLAN data sets will ``no longer be generating data 
sets for American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern 
Mariana Islands (CNMI).'' This economic software contains populated 
data elements from a variety of federal sources that is available in 
the United States and can be used to estimate economic impact of past 
or existing economic conditions of an area. The intent is to use 
existing data sets in the economic model software from federal or state 
sources as well as input other locally obtained data to calculate the 
effects to local industries or income change to the economy. The IMPLAN 
data sets are available for the 50 states, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and 
Puerto Rico, but are not available to the territories of American 
Samoa, Guam, and CNMI. This lack of the IMPLAN data sets for the three 
territories may adversely impact grant projects and programs that use 
IMPLAN to analyze and forecast impacts of proposed economic development 
events influenced by changes in economic conditions.

    Economic Census. The Economic Census is a census of every paid 
employee in the United States and territories. Conducted once every 5 
years in the years ending in ``2'' and ``7'', the Economic Census for 
the Island Areas is funded by the U.S. Department of Interior and 
contracted to the Census Bureau to conduct the census of all business 
establishments in the area. Historically, the Economic Census has been 
funded by the Department of Interior. We understand that former Guam 
delegate, Madeleine Bordallo, during her tenure had drafted legislation 
for Congress to mandate the Census Bureau to conduct the mandatory 
census of economic activity for the territories. However, we are not 
aware that legislation has ever been enacted to legally mandate the 
Census Bureau to fund and conduct the Economic Census for the 
territories. Moreover, the Government of Guam had been informed by 
Interior officials that they will be suspending its contract with the 
Census Bureau in this matter due to financial limitations. Currently, 
Interior officials have been coordinating with Guam officials to review 
and assess administrative and economic data to produce GDP and other 
economic statistics. Again, the U.S. Territories do not have the 
adequate representation nor funding resources to ensure this survey 
continues so that our local government officials and business sector 
maintain access to critical economic statistics necessary to make sound 
business decisions and to promote economic development initiatives.

    Justice40 Initiative--Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool 
(CEJST). The Biden Administration created the Justice40 Initiative to 
address the decades of underinvestment in disadvantaged communities. It 
requires forty percent of the overall benefits of certain Federal 
climate change, clean energy, affordable and sustainable housing and 
other investments covered programs under the Bipartisan Infrastructure 
Law (BIL) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding opportunities to 
flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by 
underinvestment and overburdened by pollution. The CESJT was created 
with an interactive map and uses datasets that are indicators of 
burdens in eight categories (climate, energy, health, housing, legacy 
pollution, transportation, water and wastewater, and workforce 
development). However, the CEJST does not illustrate nor provides for a 
no-burden threshold metrics for Guam in 7 of the 8 categories. It only 
applies for workforce development and is specific to unemployment. Most 
of the data used to make the underserved determination were from 
surveys and databases that Guam was not included in. These include but 
are not limited to the ACS, FEMA National Risk Index, US Department of 
Energy LEAD Tool, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 
places data, and HUD Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy 
dataset. In reference to the sources used for the CEJST, again the 
majority of the sources are not available for American Samoa, Guam, the 
Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
    There are 70 data points used to determine ``disadvantaged'' 
eligible categories where there was insufficient data for Guam. The 
only data qualified as sufficient for Guam applied primarily to income, 
race, and educational attainment. This meant that categories related to 
Climate Change, Environmental Hazards, Energy Burden, Health Risks, and 
proximity to hazardous facilities were not categories that Guam would 
apply for under the BIL and IRA funding opportunities. These are 
categories that Guam's census tracts should qualify as disadvantaged, 
however, Guam did not meet the criteria. Since FEMA is also following 
this for the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) requirements that apply 
to resilience funds, Guam is going to have issues with those FEMA 
programs as well.

    Hazard Mitigation. Data inequities for the territories also impact 
emergency management and hazard mitigation. To be eligible for Hazard 
Mitigation and Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities 
Grants, Guam must have an active and FEMA approved Hazard Mitigation 
Plan. This plan needs to be renewed every 5 years. A major component of 
developing this plan is hazard mapping, and a spatial vulnerability 
analysis of hazards to government assets and vulnerable populations. 
Like EPA's CJEST, FEMA's National Risk Index Mapping and FEMA's Hazus 
Program are not populated with the data and layers for American Samoa, 
Guam, and CNMI as they are for the states, USVI, and Puerto Rico.
    These tools provide the type of mapping, data and reporting needed 
for a Hazard Mitigation Plan for the states. Since they are not readily 
available to Guam, we have had to develop the mapping, the tools, and 
the reporting on our own. This is not a simple task since this involved 
developing a Social Vulnerability Index for Guam, building stock for 
Guam, GIS tools, and much more. While Guam was able to accomplish this, 
it should not be necessary, and the territories should not be held to 
the same standard as the states for federal funding opportunities when 
they are not given the same resources and tools to make them eligible.

    Social Vulnerability Index (SVI). The Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 
Social Vulnerability Index (hereafter, CDC/ATSDR SVI or SVI) developed 
this tool (SVI) to identify and provide emergency response to 
vulnerable communities. This tool serves as a database and mapping 
application designed to identify and quantify communities experiencing 
social vulnerability (demographic and socioeconomic factors such as 
poverty, lack of access to transportation, and crowded housing) based 
on data collected from the American Community Survey. Because Guam does 
not participate in the ACS, Guam developed and calculated its Social 
Vulnerability Index using CDC methodology and an adjusted SVI using 
CDC-modified method incorporating additional Guam-specific 
characteristics on housing structure and other relevant indicators 
specific to the island. In 2021, Guam released the ``Calculating the 
Social Vulnerability Index for Guam'' report using the data from the 
2010 Guam Census to rank and identify the most vulnerable communities 
on the island. The Guam SVI results serve as an important step in 
providing reliable insights on how to solve community issues. The 
information helps to increase knowledge and awareness of vulnerable 
communities and inform strategies for disaster management. Specific 
census subjects such as building materials used for walls and roof, 
telephone service availability, access to computer/laptop and internet 
use, and battery-operated radios provide critical planning and support 
service information needed for areas prone to natural disasters 
including hard-to-reach areas and wooden and metal housing structures. 
Of interest to note is that the 2020 Census of Guam results will not 
include data on building materials, air conditioning, and access to 
battery-operated radios which could have contributed to updating Guam's 
Social Vulnerability Index. As such, critical data distinct to the 
island areas will not be available.

    Equal Employment Opportunity Plan (EEOP). Under the U.S. Department 
of Justice, grant recipients are required to develop an Equal 
Employment Opportunity Plan which is a workforce report for funding 
authorized by the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. 
The EEOP's purpose is to ensure that recipients of financial assistance 
from the Justice Department are providing full and equal participation 
of women, men and minority individuals regardless of sex, race or 
national origin in employment opportunities in the criminal justice 
system. To help recipients comply with the EEOP regulations, recipients 
utilize the online EEOP Utilization Report that collects and analyzes 
key employment data, organized by race, national origin and sex.
    Although the U.S. Census Bureau has collected extensive data on 
Guam, the relevant labor market files for preparing an EEOP Utilization 
Report are not readily available and are published several years 
following the decennial census. The Bureau of Statistics and Plans 
analyzes and collects labor market statistics, however, the Bureau of 
Statistics and Plans and its US DOJ subrecipients cannot use the US 
DOJ, Office for Civil Rights Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) 
Reporting System (EEOP online system) for developing the EEOP Report 
because the Bureau of Statistics and Plans uses racial and national 
origin categories that are more extensive than the ones used in the 
EEOP Report. The disparity in the data reported cannot be measured in a 
systematic manner to ensure accuracy and facilitate data analysis. 
Since the data collected is meant to provide content for data analysis, 
the information must be of the highest quality for it to be of value. 
Thus, it is important the Census Bureau include the PUMS in the 2020 
Island Areas Data Products to release as Guam utilizes the PUMS to 
prepare the community workforce utilization report.

    National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). In FY 2016, the 
FBI formally announced its intention to sunset the Uniform Crime Report 
(UCR) program's traditional Summary Reporting System (SRS) and replace 
it with National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) by January 1, 
2021. By statute, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), Justice 
Assistance Grant (JAG) awards are calculated using summary part 1 
violent crime data from the FBI's UCR program. Specifically, the 
formula allocations for JAG rely heavily on the ratio of ``the average 
number of part 1 violent crimes of the UCR of the FBI reported by such 
State for the three most recent years reported by such State to the 
average annual number of such crimes reported by all States for such 
years'' (34 U.S.C. 10156(a)(1)(B)). Guam achieved NIBRS certification 
in 2022, however, challenges are experienced with the mobile field 
reporting and the continued manual reviews to properly categorize crime 
offenses using the NIBRS offense code and related arrest information of 
the offense. As such, potential limitations may result in the 
underreporting of crimes, limited coverage of certain demographics, and 
reliance on self-reported data. Recorded crime statistics may not 
provide reliable measures in the levels or trends in crime and 
victimization making it difficult to create appropriate law enforcement 
budgets, programs and policies. With the transition to NIBRS, the Byrne 
JAG formula calculations will be based on NIBRS reporting. Without 
reliable and accurate statistics, it would be difficult to create 
appropriate law enforcement budgets or resource allocation to help 
determine which programs or communities will receive criminal justice 
grants.

    US Bureau of Labor Statistics Programs. According to the Guam 
Department of Labor, the specific statement about Guam's participation 
in US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) programs is in error. It states 
that Guam does not participate in the US BLS Current Employment 
Statistics (CES) program because of the nonexistence of a permanent 
unemployment insurance program. That is incorrect.
    Guam is legally eligible to apply for the US BLS CES program and 
was seriously considered at one time years ago. Guam BLS reviewed the 
Cooperative Federal/State statistical programs with the BLS regional 
office in depth. According to the Chief Economist of the Guam 
Department of Labor, Guam decided to not submit an application for this 
cooperative program because 1) Data collection is done primarily 
centrally by phone and the call center hours did not align with Guam's 
business hours; 2) The BLS program is monthly whereas the Guam version 
is quarterly (DOL did not believe there was a need for monthly data for 
Guam and the workload for the department and employers did not seem to 
be justifiable); and 3) The US CES BLS timelines for CES requirements 
are very short and frequent. The DOL would have great difficulty and 
stress in attempting to meet the requirements without a lot of funding 
beyond the program allocations. Further, it would require more regional 
and national office support. It would not be impossible to operate the 
US CES program with a lot of support, but with the existing 
circumstances it would be unrealistic.
    Guam does not participate in the Quarterly Census of Employment and 
Wages (QCEW) program because of a lack of an Unemployment Insurance 
(UI) program. Guam also does not participate in the Local Area 
Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program because of the lack of the UI 
and lack of the US Current Population Survey (CPS) and Current 
Employment Statistics (CES) survey. The Unemployment Insurance program 
database is needed to operate the QCEW and Local Area Unemployment 
Statistics LAUS programs.
    Guam did begin to apply for the US BLS program and began 
participating in the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics 
(OES), now OEWS, program and added the Census of Occupational 
Fatalities (CFOI) program to the existing Survey of Occupational 
Injuries and Illness (SOII) program. Some federal statistical programs 
are handled exclusively by the Federal Government and others are 
Cooperative Federal/State programs in which the US BLS provides program 
guidelines, software and administration with local government 
participation to collect data and provide input to the statistical 
program.
    The Current Population Survey (CPS) is a household survey to 
collect information as a component to the LAUS unemployment model 
estimates. It is a US DOL BLS program which contracts the Census Bureau 
to collect unemployment information in the 50 states, the USVI and 
Puerto Rico. This is not conducted in Guam. In such absence the Guam 
Department of Labor, BLS conducts a similar locally funded survey to 
collect information and publish unemployment rates for Guam. Inclusion 
of Guam in the US CPS and/or technical support for the survey could 
enhance the quality and timeliness of the data for Guam.
    The US Consumer Price Indexes produced by the US DOL BLS collect 
price information in select US cities, but not Guam. Guam funds and 
conducts its own consumer price index survey program with support from 
DOI for periodic market basket adjustments with the Household Incomes 
and Expenditures survey (HIES). Guam is presently conducting the HIES 
in efforts to update the consumer price index and contribute to the GDP 
for Guam. The last HIES was conducted in 2005 and there are new items 
that exist in the market that would need to be identified and 
classified. This project was made possible through technical assistance 
funding from the Department of the Interior. US BLS technical and 
administrative support could make this program more precise and 
comparable with the US price indexes.
    Increasingly a great deal of information exists in Government and 
private sector databases. Increasing the use of already collected 
administrative data should be a primary focus for tremendous 
improvements in quality and quantity of statistical data rather than 
imposing the costs and burdens of survey collected data.
    A prime opportunity for this is with the CPI market basket updates. 
Instead of hundreds or thousands of households determining the quantity 
of goods consumed, the availability of comprehensive, electronically 
obtained trade import statistics would provide more accurate and timely 
adjustments to consumption patterns. This is a unique opportunity for 
the islands as virtually all of the major volumes of imports are 
documented at the ports of entry, air and shipping. Additionally 
updated price information could be obtained in mass electronically from 
various vendors, government and private without survey workers shopping 
for relatively few items to check their prices periodically. This would 
improve the real--inflation adjusted GDP figures.
    Similarly, adding electronic income tax filing capacity beyond the 
basic forms would provide more current, more detailed information on 
the economy and serve as inputs for the GDP estimates. These items on 
the business tax form include wages, profits, expense rents and expense 
categories such as capital investments. Some of these items are not 
manually typed into the Tax computers as it is too expensive and not 
required for refund administration.
    A US legislative mandate to task and fund the US Bureau of Economic 
Analysis (BEA) to produce GDP estimates for the Island Areas would 
produce institutional stability and consistency to the production of 
GDP estimates. Freeing up DOI funds could make them available to 
support technical improvements to the data production systems so that 
the statistical information inputs for these reports would be more 
accurate and timelier.
    If a federal government agency was able to share or provide 
technical information or systems for secure, confidential, 
electronically reported and collected data to the Island Areas, that 
would assist expedite the transition from paper data collection through 
mail, fax, email, phone and personal visits. This would reduce the 
collection cost for respondents and the island areas. It would also 
avoid data entry costs and provide instant error checking and 
correction by pointing out missing or invalid items. The federal 
government has transitioned to such electronic web-based reporting 
systems for its own data collection with the Economic Census and with 
US BLS survey programs such as the Occupational Employment and Wage 
Statistics (OEWS) program.
    These are just some of the examples and challenges that Guam and 
the territories face to make decisions based on limited information, 
resources and/or access to limited federal data sets. We agree that 
improved coordination and cooperation with the Office of the Chief 
Statistician of the United States is necessary to address this long-
standing issue and ensure adequate representation of the U.S. 
Territories in federal data collection programs and statistical 
products. On behalf of Governor Lou Leon Guerrero, we look forward to 
working with federal agencies to address the data gaps and improve data 
collection efforts in the U.S. Territories.
    Again, I thank the Chair and Ranking Member for the opportunity to 
appear before you today and I look forward to your questions.

                                 ______
                                 
Questions Submitted for the Record to Ms. Lola Leon Guerrero, Director, 
           Bureau of Statistics and Plans, Government of Guam

Ms. Leon Guerrero did not submit responses to the Committee by the 
appropriate deadline for inclusion in the printed record.

            Questions Submitted by Representative Westerman

    Question 1. What data gaps are the most immediate concern for Guam 
and why?

    Question 2. Does the Government of Guam currently have the capacity 
to fill gaps in data on Guam by collecting its own data?

    2a) Please elaborate why or why not?

    Question 3. Guam is particularly prone to severe weather incidents.

    3a) How do gaps in federal data collection for Guam affect disaster 
recovery efforts?

    Question 4. Why is important for the federal government to address 
the gaps in data collection for Guam sooner rather than later?

    Question 5. During the hearing, an idea for a pilot program or 
demonstration program for federal data collection in the territories 
being run by the territories themselves was brought up. You mentioned 
that you would support that idea if there were the federal resources to 
do so.

    5a) Please clarify, would you support Guam managing federal data 
collection via a pilot program or demonstration?

    5b) Why or why not?

    5c) What specific federal resources do you think are needed for 
this idea to be successful?

    5d) Are there any other factors you see as being needed for this 
idea to be successful?

                                 ______
                                 

    Ms. Hageman. Thank you for your testimony. The Chair now 
recognizes Mr. Orenstein-Cardona for 5 minutes.

  STATEMENT OF JACOBO ORENSTEIN-CARDONA, EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT, 
PUERTO RICO INSTITUTE OF STATISTICS, GOVERNMENT OF PUERTO RICO, 
                     SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO

    Mr. Orenstein-Cardona. Good morning.
    High-quality statistics are fundamental to a functioning 
democracy because they provide a factual foundation for 
informed decision making. In a democratic society, the ability 
of citizens to make educated choices about their governance and 
policies is paramount.
    Moreover, high-quality statistics help in the allocation of 
government resources, as they indicate where investment is 
needed most, whether in education, health care, infrastructure, 
or other areas. They also promote a culture of accountability, 
where public officials are answerable for their decisions and 
the resulting outcomes. In addition, complete and standardized 
statistics facilitate comparability between different 
jurisdictions.
    The Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics, or PRIS, is an 
independent public agency of the Government of Puerto Rico. It 
works tirelessly to ensure universal and timely access to 
comprehensive and reliable statistics on Puerto Rico. PRIS has 
been instrumental in correcting Puerto Rico's mortality 
statistics, eliminating an upward bias in Puerto Rico's 
consumer price index, identifying millions of dollars in 
recurring cost savings for the Government of Puerto Rico, and 
documenting a statistical bias of the formulas used by the 
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Additionally, price 
represents the Government of Puerto Rico for statistical 
purposes before Federal agencies and acts as an effective 
intermediary.
    Despite the fundamental importance of statistics, Federal 
statistical products often contain gaps in data for Puerto 
Rico. These gaps limit the local and Federal Government's 
understanding of the jurisdiction's needs, and how to best 
distribute resources and evaluate the effectiveness of public 
policy interventions. For example, for estimates of Puerto 
Rico's gross domestic product, the Bureau of Economic Analysis 
relies heavily on information provided by Puerto Rico 
Government agencies to fill as best as possible several gaps in 
Federal statistical agency data.
    PRIS has encountered specific and significant gaps of 
statistical information regarding Puerto Rico in Federal 
statistical products in diverse topics such as employment, 
unemployment, and labor force characteristics, local government 
expenditures, timely and quarterly GDP calculations, statistics 
about the educational system, infrastructure such as motor 
vehicle registration and building permits, child abuse, the 
economic impact of the high rate of homicides, and statistics 
regarding the penal system.
    This is by no means an exhaustive list of topics for which 
Puerto Rico lacks complete, standardized, reliable, timely, and 
accessible statistics due to not being included in Federal 
statistical products. However, we would like to emphasize two 
key Federal statistical products or programs in which we 
consider vital for Puerto Rico to be included.
    The first one is the current Population Survey conducted by 
the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau, 
which provides comparable and reliable information regarding 
employment statistics. This information becomes particularly 
salient following natural disasters and adverse events such as 
Hurricane Maria in 2017 and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
    The second product or program is the Census of Governments, 
conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, which provides information 
regarding expenditures at all levels of government.
    PRIS supports the Government Accountability Office's recent 
report that recommends that the Director of the Office of 
Management and Budget should ensure that its Chief Statistician 
develop a coordinated, government-wide approach for Federal 
statistical agencies to use in consultation with the U.S. 
territories and other stakeholders to examine the costs, 
benefits, and feasibility of including territories and 
statistical products and, as appropriate, identify ways to 
address any data gaps.
    To improve statistical reliability, Puerto Rico should be 
included in more Federal statistical products, complementing 
local efforts to mitigate data gaps. This would permit 
comparability with other U.S. jurisdictions. It is crucial to 
fill the existing Federal statistical gaps to ensure that 
Puerto Rico's social and economic needs are correctly 
understood and addressed effectively. Greater inclusion in 
Federal statistical products would provide Puerto Rico with 
valuable data that would inform a wide range of decisions, from 
disaster response to economic planning, and lead to more 
accurate resource allocation and policy making.
    Through collaboration with Federal and local governments, 
PRIS can serve as an intermediary and significantly contribute 
to the inclusion of Puerto Rico in Federal statistical 
products. Thank you for your time.

    [The prepared statement of Mr. Orenstein-Cardona follows:]
Prepared Statement of Jacobo M. Orenstein-Cardona, Executive Assistant, 
                  Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics

    High-quality statistics are fundamental to a functioning democracy 
because they provide a factual foundation for informed decision-making 
and public debate. In a democratic society, the ability of citizens to 
make educated choices about their governance and policies is paramount. 
Reliable and accurate statistics ensure that these choices are based on 
evidence rather than conjecture or misinformation. They enable voters 
to assess the performance of their government, understand economic and 
social trends, and hold elected officials accountable. Moreover, high-
quality statistics help in the allocation of government resources, as 
they indicate where investment is needed most, whether in education, 
healthcare, infrastructure, or other areas. High-quality statistics are 
also complete and standardized, permitting comparisons between 
different jurisdictions.
    Furthermore, in the context of governance, high-quality statistics 
are crucial for transparency and trust. They allow for the monitoring 
of government actions and the measurement of policy outcomes against 
stated objectives. This transparency fosters trust between the 
government and the governed, as citizens can see the direct impact of 
their participation in the democratic process. It also promotes a 
culture of accountability, where public officials are answerable for 
their decisions and the resulting outcomes. In essence, high-quality 
statistics are not just numbers; they are the pillars that uphold the 
principles of democracy, enabling it to function with integrity and 
responsiveness to the needs of its people.

    The Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics (PRIS) is an independent 
public entity of the Government of Puerto Rico with authority over the 
statistical policy of Puerto Rico's public entities. It works 
tirelessly to ensure universal and timely access to comprehensive and 
reliable statistics on Puerto Rico. PRIS has been instrumental in 
correcting Puerto Rico's mortality statistics, eliminating an upward 
bias in Puerto Rico's Consumer Price Index, identifying millions of 
dollars in recurrent cost savings for the Government of Puerto Rico, 
and documenting a statistical bias in the formulas used by the Centers 
for Medicare and Medicaid Services. PRIS also maintains a publicly 
available database of statistical products generated by local 
government and facilitates access to federal data sources. 
Continuously, PRIS advises the Legislature and the Governor of Puerto 
Rico on statistical issues and answers statistical petitions presented 
by key stakeholders and the general public. Additionally, PRIS 
represents the government of Puerto Rico for statistical purposes 
before federal agencies and acts as an effective intermediary.
    Despite the fundamental importance of statistics, there exist 
significant federal statistical gaps with respect to Puerto Rico. 
Federal statistical products often contain gaps in data for Puerto 
Rico. These gaps limit understanding of the conditions and resource 
needs of Puerto Rico. Filling these gaps is critical for Puerto Rico. 
These gaps limit the local and Federal government's understanding of 
the jurisdiction's needs and how to best distribute resources and 
evaluate the effectiveness of policy interventions. For example, for 
estimates of Puerto Rico's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the Bureau of 
Economic Analysis (BEA) relies heavily on information provided by 
Puerto Rico government agencies to fill, as best possible, several gaps 
in federal statistical agency data.\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ BEA, Technical Report: Gross Domestic Product for Puerto Rico, 
2021 (Washington, D.C.: July 31, 2023): https://www.bea.gov/sites/
default/files/2023-07/prgdp0723-tech.pdf

    PRIS has encountered specific and significant gaps of statistical 
information regarding Puerto Rico in federal statistical products in 
diverse topics such as: employment, unemployment and labor force 
characteristics,\2\ local government expenditures,\3\ timely and 
quarterly GDP calculations,\4\ statistics about the educational 
system,\5\ infrastructure, such as motor vehicle registration \6\ and 
building permits,\7\ child abuse,\8\ the economic impact of the high 
rate of homicides,\9\ and statistics regarding the penal system.\10\ 
This is by no means an exhaustive list of topics for which Puerto Rico 
lacks complete, standardized, reliable, timely and accessible 
statistics due to not being included in federal statistical products.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \2\ Current Population Survey, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau 
and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: https://www.census.gov/
programs-surveys/cps.html.
    \3\ Census of Governments, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau: 
https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/cog/about.html.
    \4\ The Bureau of Economic Analysis reports GDP data annually for 
Puerto Rico, but quarterly for States.
    \5\ Puerto Rico is not fully included in the National Center for 
Education Statistics' National Assessment of Educational Progress, also 
known as The Nation's Report Card: https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/
ndecore/xplore/nde.
    \6\ Federal Highway Administration State motor vehicle 
registration: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics/
2021/mv1.cfm.
    \7\ Building Permits Survey, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau: 
https://www.census.gov/construction/bps/index.html.
    \8\ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's child abuse 
statistics: https://www.cdc.gov/child-abuse-neglect/programs/
index.html.
    \9\ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Web-based Injury 
Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS): https://
wisqars.cdc.gov.
    \10\ National Prisoner Statistics, conducted by the Bureau of 
Justice Statistics: https://bjs.ojp.gov/data-collection/national-
prisoner-statistics-nps-program#publications-0.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    However, we would like to emphasize two key federal statistical 
products, or programs, in which we consider it vital for Puerto Rico to 
be included. The first one is the Current Population Survey, conducted 
by the U.S. Census Bureau in conjunction with the Bureau of Labor 
Statistics, which provides comparable and reliable information 
regarding employment statistics. This information becomes particularly 
salient following natural disasters and adverse events, such as 
Hurricane Maria in 2017 and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The second 
product, or program, is the Census of Governments, conducted by the 
U.S. Census Bureau, which provides information regarding expenditures 
at all levels of government. The data collected from the Census of 
Governments are crucial for federal agencies, state and local 
governments, and researchers to measure economic and financial 
performance, develop programs and budgets, assess financial conditions, 
and conduct public policy research. These two statistical products, or 
programs, are essential for Puerto Rico's sustained economic 
development, including helping to resolve Puerto Rico's high level of 
public indebtedness.

    In general, PRIS supports the findings of the General 
Accountability Office's recent report.\11\ We proceed to share the 
following comments regarding these findings.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \11\ GAO, U.S. Territories: Coordinated Federal Approach Needed to 
Better Address Data Gaps, GAO-24-106574 (Washington, D.C.: May 9, 
2024): https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-24-106574.pdf.

     It is important to note, as does the report, that Puerto 
            Rico has almost 3.3 million residents which represents a 
            population greater than 21 states and a land area close to 
            the size of Connecticut. Additionally, Puerto Rico's GDP in 
            2021 was greater than 14 states, as can be gathered from 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
            Figure 2 of the report.

     We observed the total number of federal statistical 
            products provided by the 13 principal statistical agencies 
            as listed in appendix I of the report. We calculated that 
            there are a total of 449 federal statistical products and 
            Puerto Rico is only included in 81 products (18%). 
            Particularly notable is the case of the National 
            Agricultural Statistics Service which produces 52 
            statistical products, and of that amount, Puerto Rico (as 
            well as the rest of the territories) is included in only 1 
            product. This is concerning given that agriculture is an 
            important sector of the economy but has faced immense 
            challenges in the last few decades. PRIS has studied and 
            generated a website that offers information on all 
            agricultural products produced by Puerto Rico from 1990 to 
            2019.\12\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \12\ Please refer to: https://estadisticas.pr/en/Agricultura.

     It is understandable that a mix of cost, geographic, 
            technical, and other issues contribute to the federal 
            statistical gaps with respect to U.S. territories, 
            including Puerto Rico. However, it is of upmost importance 
            to accurately specify and characterize these issues to be 
            able to address them and thereby strive to increase Puerto 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
            Rico's inclusion in federal statistical products.

     Puerto Rico does face enormous economic challenges, which 
            are similar to the other 4 permanently inhabited 
            territories. As indicated in the report, these challenges 
            include outmigration, the high cost of energy and imported 
            goods, vulnerability to extreme weather, an undiversified 
            economy, dependance on tourism and its vulnerability to 
            natural disasters and adverse events (such as the COVID-19 
            pandemic), governmental indebtedness, and shrinking 
            governmental revenues. This highlights the need for Puerto 
            Rico to be included in federal statistical products in 
            order to accurately measure these challenges and formulate 
            effective public policies thereby enabling increased 
            investment in the jurisdiction.

     We agree that technology and automation can help overcome 
            geographic challenges associated with in-person data 
            collection.

     The problem of the lack of use of standardized address 
            formats can limit Puerto Rico's inclusion in federal 
            statistical products, but the local government, with the 
            assistance of the U.S. Census Bureau, is currently working 
            to address this challenge.

     The U.S. Census Bureau's Puerto Rico Community Survey does 
            include topics on employment, veteran, and disability 
            status, but not to the extent and level of detail provided 
            by the Current Population Survey, especially with its 
            Supplemental Surveys.\13\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \13\ Please refer to: https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/
about/supplemental-surveys .html.

     We concur that numerous factors prevent precisely 
            quantifying the effects of data gaps on federal funding to 
            the territories, including Puerto Rico. However, an effort 
            involving federal agencies and local government must be 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
            attempted to measure the extent of these effects.

     We recognize that there exist current initiatives on 
            behalf of federal statistical agencies to address existing 
            data gaps, including the upcoming establishment of a 
            Federal Statistical Research Data Center in Puerto Rico. 
            Local government also strives to respond to Puerto Rico's 
            statistical needs. However, we agree that a concerted 
            federal government effort, in collaboration with local 
            government, is necessary to effectively address statistical 
            data gaps. Furthermore, the inclusion of Puerto Rico in a 
            greater number of federal statistical products would ensure 
            that data is collected independently, rigorously and 
            enabling comparability with other U.S. jurisdictions.

    PRIS supports the recommendation of the General Accountability 
Office that the Director of the Office of Management and Budget should 
ensure that its Chief Statistician develop a ``coordinated, government-
wide approach for federal statistical agencies to use, in consultation 
with the U.S. territories and other stakeholders, to examine the costs, 
benefits, and feasibility of including territories in statistical 
products and, as appropriate, identify ways to address any data gaps.'' 
To improve statistical reliability, Puerto Rico should be included in 
more federal statistical products, complementing local efforts to 
mitigate data gaps. This would permit comparability with other U.S. 
jurisdictions.

    It is crucial to fill the existing federal statistical gaps to 
ensure that Puerto Rico's social and economic needs are correctly 
understood and addressed effectively. Greater inclusion in federal 
statistical products would provide Puerto Rico with valuable data that 
would inform a wide range of decisions, from disaster response to 
economic planning. It would also ensure that Puerto Rico is equitably 
represented in federal statistical products, which would lead to more 
accurate resource allocation and policy making. Through collaboration 
with federal and local governments, PRIS can serve as an intermediary 
and significantly contribute to the inclusion of Puerto Rico in federal 
statistical products.

                                 ______
                                 
  Questions Submitted for the Record to Mr. Jacobo Orenstein-Cardona, 
       Executive Assistant, Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics,
                       Government of Puerto Rico

Mr. Orenstein-Cardona did not submit responses to the Committee by the 
appropriate deadline for inclusion in the printed record.

            Questions Submitted by Representative Westerman

    Question 1. Does the Government of Puerto Rico currently have the 
capacity to fill gaps in data on Puerto Rico by collecting its own 
data?

    1a) Please elaborate why or why not?

    Question 2. In your written statement, you mention that increasing 
automation and technology usage for Puerto Rico's data collection can 
help overcome geographical challenges.

    2a) Has your office used automation for data collection? Please 
elaborate how, and what have been the results?

    Question 3. Puerto Rico is particularly prone to severe weather 
incidents.

    3a) How do gaps in federal data collection for Puerto Rico affect 
disaster recovery efforts?

    Question 4. Why is important for the federal government to address 
the gaps in data collection for Puerto Rico sooner rather than later?

    Question 5. As a witness from a U.S. territory, you see and feel 
firsthand the impacts that stem from the gaps in federal data 
collection for the U.S. territories.

    5a) How has the lack of or outdated data affected Puerto Rico's 
government and local communities?

    Question 6. During the hearing, an idea for a pilot program or 
demonstration program for federal data collection in the territories 
being run by the territories themselves was brought up. You mentioned 
that you would support that idea if there was the federal resources and 
territorial outreach to do so.

    6a) Please clarify, would you support Puerto Rico managing federal 
data collection via a pilot program or demonstration?

    6b) Why or why not?

    6c) What specific federal resources and territorial outreach do you 
think is needed for this idea to be successful?

    6d) Are there any other factors you see as being needed for this 
idea to be successful?

          Questions Submitted by Representative Gonzalez-Colon

    Question 1. You mention in your testimony that the Puerto Rico 
Institute of Statistics ``has encountered specific and significant gaps 
of statistical information regarding Puerto Rico in federal statistical 
products in diverse topics. . .''. How did the Puerto Rico Institute of 
Statistics encounter these gaps?

    Question 2. One of the federal statistical products Puerto Rico is 
currently excluded from is the Current Population Survey, which is 
jointly sponsored by the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor 
Statistics. Can you discuss what is the Current Population Survey, the 
data it collects, and why the inclusion of Puerto Rico in that survey 
is so important? And what kind of benefits will policymakers have if 
Puerto Rico is included?

    Question 3. You also mention in your testimony the Supplemental 
Surveys of the Current Population Survey. Can you offer some examples 
of these supplemental surveys? Has the Puerto Rico Institute of 
Statistics explored collecting data locally for some of these specific 
topics?

    Question 4. As GAO's report mentions, territories have taken steps 
to mitigate data gaps through local data collection efforts. In Puerto 
Rico, for example, the Puerto Rico Department of Labor conducts the 
local Labor Force Survey, or Encuesta de Grupo Trabajador, in Spanish. 
Some may see this and argue that expanding the Current Population 
Survey to include Puerto Rico would therefore be unnecessary or 
duplicative.

    How would you respond to such a statement? What are the differences 
between the Current Population Survey and the Puerto Rico Department of 
Labor's Labor Force Survey? Are they duplicative?

    Question 5. Another federal statistical program Puerto Rico is 
currently excluded from is the Census of Governments. In fact, I 
understand Puerto Rico was included in this product until the early 
1980s. Can you discuss why including Puerto Rico again in the Census of 
Governments would be important? And how would it help improve 
transparency?

    Question 6. Are there any examples of the recent inclusion of 
Puerto Rico in a survey or statistical data product?

    Question 7. In addition to the Current Population Survey and the 
Census of Governments, are there other federal statistical products 
that exclude Puerto Rico that you would like to briefly mention or 
discuss?

            Questions Submitted by Representative Velazquez

    Question 1. According to your statement, the PRIS has authority 
over the statistical policies of Puerto Rico agencies. In recent years, 
Puerto Rico has received significant funds for emergency response, as 
well as disaster recovery and reconstruction efforts, in addition to 
recurrent allocations. Federal funds represented 43% of Puerto Rico's 
budget for FY 2023-2024. Who is responsible for tracking the use of 
federal funds? How do you evaluate their effectiveness in collecting 
all necessary data and developing metrics to assess the community-level 
impact of these federal allocations and investments? What is PRIS' 
evaluation of the data-sharing platforms of the CDBG and COR3 
transparency portals, especially when it comes to collecting and 
reporting data about the use and impact of these funds?

    Question 2. The Puerto Rico-based organization Sembrando Sentido 
has identified more than 60 federal data sources with information 
related to federal funds in Puerto Rico. Your statement mentions that 
81 out of 449 federal statistical products include information about 
Puerto Rico. What are PRIS' defining elements for a dataset to be 
considered a data or statistical product and what technologies or 
methodologies does PRIS have to track Puerto Rico's inclusion in 
federal data?

    Question 3. In your statement, you emphasize the importance of 
identifying issues causing federal data gaps that affect the 
availability of critical information for Puerto Rico. Does PRIS share 
GAO's view that the reasons for federal data gaps in Puerto Rico are 
associated with economic, geographic, and technical issues? If so, can 
you provide specific examples illustrating how these issues affect the 
inclusion of Puerto Rico in federal-level data?

    Question 4. Multiple public services have recently been privatized 
in Puerto Rico, through public-private partnerships. For example, a 
private enterprise now operates maritime transportation to Vieques and 
Culebra. Additionally, Puerto Rico's power distribution and generation 
were privatized, a move that remains under public debate due to 
frequent power outages and rising costs of said service. These private 
enterprises often have access to federal funds and yet, their 
contractual agreements lack requirements around data collection and 
disclosure mechanisms to assess use and impact of public funds. How are 
these privatizations impacting Puerto Rico's capacity and prerogatives 
to track the use of these funds?

                                 ______
                                 

    Ms. Hageman. Thank you for your testimony. The Chair now 
recognizes Dr. Levin for 5 minutes.

 STATEMENT OF MICHAEL LEVIN, MANAGING PARTNER, PACIFICWEB LLC, 
                        HONOLULU, HAWAII

    Dr. Levin. Good morning, Chair and distinguished members of 
the Subcommittee. My name is Dr. Michael Levin.
    I did my field work for my dissertation on an extremely 
small atoll in Micronesia. Later, I coordinated statistical 
activities in the insular areas at the Census Bureau during my 
28 years there. I spent 8 more years continuing the work at 
Harvard University's Population Center before my working 
retirement in Hawaii.
    Today, I will outline suggested statistical enhancements in 
the Pacific Territories. My comments do not cover Puerto Rico 
or the U.S. Virgin Islands.
    I commend this Committee for holding this hearing to focus 
on strategies for statistical work in these territories. Each 
territory needs a statistical system that encompasses three 
general areas: decennial and other censuses, intercensal 
surveys, and administrative records. As the GAO report shows, 
Federal Statistical Agency coverage in the U.S. territories 
remains very limited. Since local government statistical 
efforts have filled gaps in the coverage, gaps still remain.
    Territorial statistical offices vary in terms of their 
capacity and needs. Each of the three areas has specific 
solvable needs, which I describe in the paper.
    The three elements in a territorial statistical system 
include, for the census, Federal agency coverage that appears 
in the decennial census, the agricultural census, the economic 
census, and county business patterns.
    For surveys and administrative records, the Office of 
Insular Affairs, OIA, started the Statistical Enhancement 
Project in the mid-1980s through the Census Bureau. This 
program improved territorial statistical collections and filled 
Federal data gaps. Formal training through territory-wide and 
in-country workshops provided capacity building. The surveys 
also improved capacity and addressed Federal data gaps. The 
project used Census Bureau conventions throughout the surveys. 
Examples of the kinds of surveys appear in the written 
testimony. The program closed about 2005.
    Currently looking at OIA, the territories would benefit 
from new funding for a program like the previous one, but with 
central supervision. The program would allow the individual 
territories to improve their labor force surveys, fund 
administrative records collection and dissemination, and build 
general capacity.
    OIA should look specifically at two areas. One is mapping. 
Both CNMI and American Samoa do continuous updating as funding 
is available, so they can select survey samples as required. 
For the Guam Household Survey conducted in 2019, Guam's power 
authority provided a spreadsheet of units on Guam with 
electricity for sampling and sample selection.
    None of the three Pacific territories and the U.S. Virgin 
Islands have complete street addressing. They cannot draw 
samples based on a list of physical addresses. The Census 
Bureau previously overcame this hurdle by, for example, 
selecting enumeration blocks in Guam and the CNMI for the 
Micronesian migrants surveys. So, this method is appropriate 
for ongoing surveys.
    For the Census Bureau and Congress, the experience with 
Micronesia migrant surveys shows that Census Bureau-run surveys 
cost much more than surveys that OIA funds directly to the 
territories. The Census Bureau could help by developing and 
using updated maps in the three territories and to help select 
samples for surveys. But clearly, the territories can 
administer the surveys themselves when governments provide 
funds. And for Congress, congressional interest in territorial 
statistics is certainly welcome. Addressing the gaps found in 
the GAO report and then mandating that agencies respond will 
improve statistical coverage.
    In closing, I thank the Subcommittee for this opportunity 
to speak with you today. The territories are integral to U.S. 
security interests and the needs in the Pacific. Statistics are 
crucial for making policy decisions for the territories and for 
the United States. Congress should be proactive to strengthen 
statistics in the U.S. Pacific Territories.
    I look forward to your questions. Thank you.

    [The prepared statement of Dr. Levin follows:]
       Prepared Statement of Michael J. Levin, Managing Partner,
                            PacificWeb, LLC

                            I. Introduction

    Good afternoon, Chair, Ranking Member, and distinguished members of 
the subcommittee.
    My name is Michael Levin. I worked at the U.S. Census Bureau for 28 
years and spent 8 more years at Harvard University's Population Center, 
before my working-retirement to Hawaii.
    Today, I will outline needed statistical enhancements in the U.S. 
Pacific Territories of American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern 
Mariana Islands (CNMI), and Guam. My comments do not cover Puerto Rico 
and only briefly touch on the U.S. Virgin Islands. I commend this 
committee for holding this hearing to focus on strategies to support 
statistical work in these territories.

                   II. Statistics in the Territories

    Every country and major civil division, in our case, every U.S. 
state and territory, needs a statistical system that encompasses three 
general areas. These areas are: (1) censuses, (2) intercensal surveys, 
and (3) administrative records. Censuses, surveys, and administrative 
data all contribute to these data areas.
    As the GAO report shows, Federal agencies limit statistical 
coverage in the U.S. territories. Local government statistical efforts 
fill gaps, but gaps remain.
Federal Data

    Federal agency coverage of the territories includes population data 
collected by the Decennial Census, quinquennial Census of Agriculture 
and the Economic Census, and annual data on County Business Patterns.
    This leaves extensive gaps in Federal territorial data. For the 
U.S. states, Census administers the continuous American Community 
Survey-collecting demographic and household data, the Census of 
Governments, annual surveys of State and Local Governments, and surveys 
collecting economic data on retail trade, manufacturing, and services. 
The government collects none of these data in the territories. The 
Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics is almost absent in 
the territories, providing no price indices for consumers and producers 
and almost no employment and workforce data.
Office of Insular Affairs Support of Territorial Data Collection

    The Office of Insular Affairs (OIA), Department of the Interior, 
started the Statistical Enhancement Project in the mid-1980s to support 
the statistics offices of the territories and to fill Federal data 
gaps. OIA funded the Census Bureau each fiscal year to provide 
technical help to the U.S. Virgin Islands in the Caribbean, and the 6 
Areas in the Pacific: American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern 
Mariana Islands (CNMI), Guam, and what became the three Freely 
Associated States of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), the 
Marshall Islands, and Palau.
    From 1988 to 2003 I led Census Bureau work to support OIA 
statistical efforts in the territories and FAS--building local 
statistics capacity through formal training and through direct and in-
person work on surveys and censuses. I continued working with the 
Pacific territories and FAS region after I left Census, and even now in 
retirement.

    Training: Formal training was a key part of capacity building. 
Training occurred through a series of workshops where territorial 
statistical staff would meet at the East-West Center or at the Census 
Bureau's International Programs Center (IPC). The workshops included: 
Developing Statistical Yearbooks (1988), Intercensal surveys (1991), 
Census processing (editing and tabulation) (1992), Workshop and 
Conference of results of the 1990 censuses in the Insular Areas (1993), 
Population Estimates Workshop (1993), Vital Statistics Workshop (1993), 
Advanced Census Processing (1994),Trade, Medical Yearbooks, Cause of 
Death Coding, and Statistical Yearbooks (1995).

    Surveys: Conducting surveys further built capacity and addressed 
Federal data gaps. The project used Census Bureau conventions for 
questionnaires, enumerator instructions, monitoring, and training. 
Local statistics offices monitored and executed survey enumeration, 
coded survey results, and keyed the data. I used Census Bureau 
procedures to edit and tabulate the data and draft the reports on 
survey results.

    The Census/OIA project supported:

        Household Income and Expenditures Surveys (HIES). The HIES 
        provides information on consumer income and expenditure 
        patterns by income, birthplace, ethnicity, education, and labor 
        force participation. If the territories were States, the U.S. 
        would include them in consumer expenditures surveys (CES). The 
        HIES is critical to prepare local price indices and to offset 
        the lack of Bureau of Labor Statistics price indices in the 
        territories. These surveys have also been a ``work-around'' for 
        exclusion from the U.S. American Community Survey and provide 
        population an estimate within the 10-year Census interval.

        Wage and Labor Force Surveys. If the territories were States, 
        the U.S. would conduct wage and labor force surveys, but they 
        currently exclude the territories. These missing U.S. surveys 
        include the Current Population Survey (CPS), Survey of Program 
        Participation (SIPP), and, especially, the American Community 
        Survey (ACS).

        Behavioral Risk Surveys. The territories started annual 
        behavioral risk surveys.

        Micronesian Migrant Surveys. Beginning in 1992, and every 5 
        years, I supervised full censuses of FAS migration to the CNMI, 
        Guam, and Hawaii (beginning in 1998) using Micronesian 
        enumerators and supervisors. This provided OIA with counts and 
        characteristics of the migrant populations in CNMI, Guam, and 
        Hawaii.

        GDP and CPI. Other Census and other Federal staff worked with 
        the territory statistics offices to prepare Gross Domestic 
        Product benchmark information for 2002 and consumer price 
        indexes.

    Over time, OIA reduced its support to build insular statistics 
office capacity. While OIA continued to fund insular survey costs, its 
funding committed to paying for expensive Census Bureau productions of 
FAS migration data and to pay the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) to 
produce annual territory GDP data.

        FAS migration data. While the Census 2003 FAS migration data 
        cost OIA about $300,000 to cover Guam, CNMI, and Hawaii, the 
        Bureau charged OIA $1.2 million for the 2008 FAS migration 
        data. OIA and the Bureau limited the items on the CNMI and Guam 
        questionnaires to only provide counts of migrants and not 
        collect information on education, employment, and other 
        characteristics. For Hawaii, Census had detailed information 
        from the ACS. For the 2013 report, the Census Bureau used 2010 
        CNMI and Guam Census data and Hawaii ACS data. Census returned 
        to its 2008 procedure for the 2018 data round. Compact III does 
        not include compact impact funds, so they no longer require 
        enumerations to distribute funds.

        Territorial GDP. Beginning in 2008, OIA annually pays BEA to 
        produce territorial GDP. These are data produced by BEA for the 
        50 U.S. States and the District of Columbia each quarter.

        The practice of OIA paying BEA to produce GDP contrasts with 
        the Puerto Rico experience. In 2018, BEA started a project to 
        calculate the GDP for Puerto Rico to support its economic 
        recovery following devastating hurricanes in 2017. The project 
        addressed recommendations from the Congressional Task Force on 
        Economic Growth in Puerto Rico and from GAO that BEA calculate 
        the GDP for Puerto Rico.
Territorial Statistics Office Activities

    As OIA reduced its engagement and support for territorial 
statistics offices, offices reduced their own data efforts.

        Statistical Yearbooks. One important contribution of 
        territorial statistics offices is to pull together government 
        administrative records and publish annual Statistical 
        Yearbooks. Most countries publish Statistical Yearbooks to 
        provide information from administrative records in a timely 
        manner and using accepted statistical conventions. Common 
        administrative records include vital statistics (births and 
        deaths), education (school enrollments), labor force 
        activities, and migration through immigrants and emigrants. 
        Statistics collected internally, like school enrollments, are 
        important for planning schools and classrooms. When the OIA 
        program started, only American Samoa produced Statistical 
        Yearbooks regularly and Guam produced a series of tables in the 
        back of its annual Economic Review. The CNMI and the Freely 
        Associated States did not produce annual yearbooks. By the mid-
        1990s, under the OIA program, most territories were producing 
        at least limited yearbooks, and they improved year by year. 
        Unfortunately, they lost momentum.

        Labor surveys. American Samoa has not done labor force surveys. 
        CNMI did periodic labor force surveys until 1995 and did 
        quarterly labor force surveys from 1996 to about 1998. These 
        then drifted off into semi-regularity, and then mostly 
        unfunded, not done at all. Guam had quarterly labor force 
        surveys, starting at least during the 1980s. The Guam's Bureau 
        of Labor's website shows quarterly reports from 1993 to 
        September 2023.

        The statistical offices could design labor surveys to maintain 
        a smaller and professional group of enumerators. To organize 
        such a survey, I would suggest pulling a 6 percent sample from 
        the complete housing listing, and then dividing it into 3 
        parts. If the territory centers the quarterly labor force 
        survey in February, the enumerators would go to one-third of 
        the units in January, then one-third in February, and then the 
        last one-third in March, making the 6 percent sample centered 
        in February. When they select the next 6 percent sample (or use 
        the same sample again over a year), the first one-third in 
        April can combine with the February and March samples to get a 
        6 percent sample centered on March. Because the surveys would 
        need few enumerators for these procedures, a group of super-
        enumerators could work continuously over the year with 
        appropriate payment.

        Migration data. Among the most problematic statistics are those 
        concerning migration. Guam has experimented in the past with 
        entry and exit ``cards'' or sheets. Currently, both Guam and 
        CNMI collect entry forms, including agriculture and voluntary 
        tourism and returning resident information, but they are not 
        making efforts to collect exit information. Considering that 
        tourists overwhelm this data collection, it is not surprising 
        that the territories do not make more efforts to collect these 
        data. But, given the responses to changing economic conditions, 
        governments might make more effort. And the statistical 
        summaries might then appear in the yearbooks.
Territorial Statistics Office Needs

    Today the Territorial Statistical Offices vary in terms of their 
capacity and needs.

    Guam has capable statisticians in both the public and private 
sectors who can generate the statistics it needs for planning and 
policy development. Guam's problem is the dispersion of statistical 
activities among the agencies, with the Bureau of Statistics and Plans, 
Department of Labor, Public Health and Social Services, and the 
University of Guam each taking part in separate ways in collecting and 
disseminating statistical activities. The government should designate 
one office as the central agency, with all statistical activities going 
through it to eliminate duplication and to make sure that agencies 
cover appropriate areas. A single agency, like those in American Samoa 
and CNMI, would enhance the communication between government agencies 
and produce better and more reliable statistics.

    The CNMI government does not understand the need for constant and 
consistent statistical work. The CNMI government is not providing 
sufficient staff to cover work on the CPI, labor force, and other 
surveys, or their statistical yearbook. Congress and the OIA might fund 
a couple of positions to assist in at least bringing the program up to 
a minimal level. The CSD Director is exceptional, but he cannot do it 
alone.

    American Samoa has a different challenge. The chief statistician 
recently retired after 40 years in that position. The office has few 
employees, but because it is in the Department of Commerce, it uses 
staff from other areas when needed. Since they do not undertake labor 
force surveys (although they should), and only have a single survey in 
the mid-decade, most work goes to administrative data and publishing 
their yearbook.

    The Freely Associated States (FAS): Although the GAO report does 
not cover the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and 
Palau, their need for technical help is even greater than the remaining 
U.S. Areas. None of the three National Statisticians were university 
trained in statistics, and that shows. Palau publishes a good annual 
yearbook, but FSM and the Marshalls do not. The Pacific Community (SPC) 
assists the FAS with their surveys, especially the HIES. SPC uses UN 
statistical conventions rather than U.S. conventions, so that FAS data 
is not always compatible with U.S. Federal agency program requirements. 
For example, the SPC considers subsistence activities as working, 
whereas the U.S. uses paid employment. Thus, FAS employment and 
unemployment data are not compatible with U.S. measures. Previously, 
the OIA Statistical Enhancement Project included the FAS.
    Even without direct technical help, the FAS governments should 
track the flow of the emigrants to Guam, Hawaii, and the U.S. Mainland, 
using scanned passport information. The flow is extraordinarily strong: 
the Marshall Islands' population decreased from 55,000 to 42,000 over a 
decade and it looks like FSM will report a similar decrease if they 
finish processing their late census. Periodic surveys of the migrants 
or inclusion in labor force surveys could provide valuable information 
to Guam on these migrants from the FSM.

              III. Are street addresses a survey problem?

    Sample selection. As noted in the GAO report, the Census Bureau 
cites the lack of street addresses as an excuse for excluding the 
territories from Census survey work. None of the three Pacific 
territories (and the U.S. Virgin Islands) have complete street 
addresses, allowing for sample selection based on a list of physical 
addresses.
    However, the Census Bureau overcame this hurdle in the past. For 
both the 2008 and 2018 Micronesian Migrants Surveys for Compact impact 
reporting, the Census Bureau selected blocks and attempted to enumerate 
all housing units in those blocks in Guam and Saipan. Further, part of 
the effort to implement the 2020 Census in the territories required the 
mapping and listing each home, apartment, and shelter by enumerators 
before door-to-door in-person household interviews.
    Guam has other sources for sample selection. For its Labor Force 
surveys, Guam continuously updated maps to assist enumerators in 
locating survey sample housing units. Coastal Zone management was also 
making detailed maps and staff in the administration were attempting to 
combine the two. For the 2019 HIES, we used the Guam Power Authority's 
Excel spreadsheets of all housing units on the island attached to 
electric power and drew a 5 percent sample from that.

    Mapping. As noted in the GAO report, the Census Bureau claims none 
of the three territories has a proper mapping for sample selection. 
This excuse excludes the territories from Census survey work. But the 
areas do have workable maps.
    Both CNMI and American Samoa do continuous map updating, so they 
select samples as required for surveys. The 2015 Household Income and 
Expenditures (HIES) in American Samoa derived a 20 percent sample of 
housing units, as it also did in 1995 and 2005. American Samoa's 
Department of Commerce has developed samples for health and other 
surveys. The CNMI maintains GIS shape files for islands (Saipan, 
Tinian, and Rota), villages, political boundaries (districts), census 
blocks, roads, and housing units and updates them periodically to use 
them as the sampling frame for surveys. CNMI keeps Excel workbooks 
listing housing units for sample selection. Most samples are 5 or 10 
percent of the units. CNMI used these samples for the 2012 survey of 
Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) migrants, the 2016 HIES, and the 
2017 Labor Force Survey. Both American Samoa and CNMI have an advantage 
over Guam for sample selection ``on the ground'' because neither has 
the level of apartment buildings that Guam has.
    In 2019, when we started the Guam HIES, Guam's Power Authority 
provided an Excel spreadsheet of the housing units on Guam with 
detailed address information. I selected a 5 percent sample, by 
starting with a random number and then selected each 20th household 
after that. Because the enumerators were unlikely to go to 2,500 units, 
I then made 5 one percent samples. Despite the success of the sample 
selection, the survey failed because of the lack of enumerators, the 
lack of publicity, and worries about crime, making people not open 
their doors for interviews.

          IV. Suggested actions for OIA, Census, and Congress

    Office of Insular Affairs. The Department of the Interior's Office 
of Insular Affairs is the lead agency to support statistical work in 
the Pacific territories. The OIA Statistical Enhancement Project 
through the Census Bureau in the late 1980s through the early 2000s got 
continuing statistical data through surveys and improved administrative 
records. The territories would benefit from funding a similar program 
with central supervision, allowing the individual territories to 
improve their statistical work, and to share their results with the 
other territories, with Federal agencies, and the Congress.
    One example of work for OIA to support is labor force surveys. Guam 
is undertaking a form of quarterly labor force surveys. OIA might 
provide funding to American Samoa and CNMI to do quarterly labor force 
surveys. The questionnaire, other materials, training, editing, and 
tabulation should follow Census Bureau standards so be compatible with 
the Census and other surveys.
    There is again a need for OIA to focus on building capacity. The 
CNMI and American Samoa currently have limited capacity within their 
statistical offices. OIA could assist in developing capacity through 
placing territorial staff in work-study programs at the Census Bureau, 
Department of Labor, and other appropriate agencies. Also, U.S. 
agencies would place appropriate staff in the territorial statistical 
offices to enhance the use of statistical procedures and staff 
development.

    U.S. Census Bureau. The Census Bureau has a mandate to do the 
Decennial Census and its enabling legislation allows for collecting 
survey information if Congress provides funds for these activities. The 
experience with the Micronesian migrants surveys shows that Census run 
surveys cost more than surveys that OIA funds as projects directly with 
the territories.
    However, all Federal agencies recognize Census Bureau data, so OIA 
should selectively fund the Bureau. The Census Bureau and the CNMI are 
now using (and updating) the same maps (shape files) for villages, 
census blocks, political boundaries. But they do not share the housing 
units' shape files. The Census Bureau could develop and use updated 
maps in the three territories to develop samples for surveys.

    Congress. Congressional interest in territorial statistics is 
welcome. Requesting follow-up work from the GAO on the statistical 
needs of the territories and tracking Federal agency actions could be 
among the next steps. Congress should fund needs discussed above.

                             V. Conclusion

    In closing, I thank the subcommittee for this opportunity to speak 
with you today. The territories of American Samoa, the CNMI, and Guam 
are integral to U.S. security interests and needs in the North and 
South Pacific. Statistics are crucial for planning and for making 
policy decisions for the territories themselves and for the United 
States as a whole. Congress can take pro-active steps to strengthen 
statistics in the U.S. Pacific territories. I look forward to any 
questions you may have.

                                 ______
                                 

 Questions Submitted for the Record to Dr. Michael Levin, Independent 
                       Consultant, PacificWeb LLC

Dr. Levin did not submit responses to the Committee by the appropriate 
deadline for inclusion in the printed record.

            Questions Submitted by Representative Westerman

    Question 1. In your experience having worked for the Census Bureau, 
what challenges do federal agencies face when collecting data on the 
U.S. territories?

    Question 2. In your written testimony, you pointed out that formal 
training was a key part of capacity building efforts by the U.S. 
government, such as training programs hosted by the Census Bureau.

    2a) Is formal training no longer provided by U.S. agencies for the 
territories? If so, why are they no longer provided?

    Question 3. According to your written testimony, the Office of 
Insular Affairs reduced its support for capacity building for the 
territorial statistic offices. While the Office of Insular Affairs 
continued to fund insular survey costs, it seems funding was committed 
to paying for expensive Census Bureau and Bureau of Economic Analysis 
products.

    3a) How much more does it cost for the Office of Insular Affairs to 
outsource data collection to agencies like the Census Bureau for 
surveys such as Freely Associated States migration data that was used 
for Compact Impact Grant funding?

    Question 4. When looking at the Census Bureau's data collection for 
Freely Associated States migration data from 2003 to 2018, was this 
data reliable and consistent?

    Question 5. Would it be fair to say that capacity building is a 
more cost-effective solution than funding these expensive projects in 
the long run?

    5a) Is it also fair to say that outsourcing this data to other 
agencies does not guarantee high quality data?

    Question 6. In your written testimony, you state that the 
territorial statistic offices reduced their own data efforts, including 
on the statistical yearbooks.

    6a) In your opinion, is this a capacity issue or something else?

    Question 7. The GAO report notes that the Census Bureau cited the 
lack of street address data as a reason for the lack of data collection 
for the territories.

    7a) Do you believe this reason is justified?

    7b) Has the Census Bureau overcome this hurdle in the past? If so, 
how?

    Question 8. The GAO report notes that the Census Bureau claims that 
none of the Pacific territories have proper mapping for sample 
selection.

    8a) Do Guam, American Samoa, and the CNMI have workable maps?

    8b) If so, why was this claim made?

    Question 9. The Department of the Interior used to play a larger 
role in supporting federal data collection for the U.S. territories. 
However, this role has largely decreased by the mid-2000s as the 
Department of the Interior shifted from proactive support to reactive 
grants.

    9a) As someone who has worked in the U.S. federal statistical 
system during this period and continues to collect data on the Pacific 
territories, how has this affected the availability and quality of data 
for the Pacific territories?

    Question 10. Do you have any recommendations for addressing the 
gaps in federal collection for the U.S. territories?

                                 ______
                                 

    Ms. Hageman. Thank you, Dr. Levin, for your testimony, and 
I apologize for mispronouncing your name earlier.
    Dr. Levin. That is fine.
    Ms. Hageman. The Chair will now recognize the Members for 5 
minutes of questions, and I am going to begin with me.
    The U.S. territories vary in population and size, 
geography, economic conditions, and needs, something that I 
think every one of you have addressed today. And this often 
means that policy for the territories should be tailored for 
each of the territories to ensure that it achieves the intended 
effect. I would like to address my questioning to Ms. 
Braybrooks and Ms. Love-Grayer.
    Does addressing the gaps in Federal data collection for the 
territories require a similar approach, or is that unnecessary?
    Ms. Braybrooks?
    Ms. Braybrooks. Thank you for the question. To date, the 
review of how to include the territories has examined the 
assumption that we should fit them into the existing products. 
But I think what has been shared and what we observe is that 
there are data needs, but we should look at the existing 
products, as well as alternative ideas on how to include the 
territories. Their size makes them unique, and we see the 
technical issues of running surveys and sample sizes there.
    One of the areas to provide an example is, when we look at 
the economic statistics we have recently been working to 
understand, well, how does it work in other island nations? 
What are they doing in lieu of not being included in surveys? 
And how can we better extract information from administrative 
data to move towards more timely and meaningful information?
    So, OIA would advocate that, while we talk about addressing 
the gaps, we think about doing it outside of the box to 
recognize the unique situation and attributes of the U.S. 
territories.
    Ms. Hageman. Ms. Love-Grayer, does addressing gaps in the 
Federal data collection for the territories require a similar 
approach, or is that unnecessary?
    Ms. Love-Grayer. I agree with my colleague here from DOI. I 
do believe that the territories have different needs. They have 
different data gaps, as well, and different demographics. So, 
there is not a one-size-fits-all answer.
    However, we do believe that OMB can play a major role in 
pulling all of the Federal agencies together to understand how 
to assess the feasibility of conducting data and conducting 
more data collection in each of the territories, so that there 
can be a sharing of lessons learned where data has been 
collected, where some of the challenges that exist at 
collecting the data have been overcome. So, while there is not 
a one-size-fits-all approach, there does need to be a 
coordinated approach.
    And we also do believe that that coordination should 
include coordinating closely with the territories to understand 
their highest priorities and understanding their data needs and 
their data gaps, and what is available even locally to assist 
with the data collection. And a coordinated approach, even with 
some of the parties that are stakeholders like universities, 
who often have the capacity to do some of the statistics that 
maybe the officials do not have. So, one-size-fits-all approach 
doesn't work, but a coordinated approach certainly does.
    Ms. Hageman. Well, I am going to stick with you for a 
moment. Do you have any specific concerns or factors that you 
can identify as you sit here today that Congress should 
consider when attempting to address the gaps in Federal 
collection for the territories?
    Ms. Love-Grayer. Yes, there are a few I think are important 
to take into consideration.
    One is what we just talked about, that there are different 
needs, that there isn't a one-size-fits-all approach, that it 
will take collaboration with all of the levels, and OMB should 
play a role in that.
    But another is that there are a myriad of statutes that 
really authorize these different statistical agencies in 
collecting the data. So, understanding what those legislations 
outline, what they do and don't include, and really considering 
that in any solution is going to be important, as well, and 
also that we do need to engage the territories in this. This 
cannot be something that the Federal Government does on its 
own.
    Ms. Hageman. Ms. Guerrero, as a witness from the 
territories, you both see and feel firsthand the impacts that 
stem from the gaps in Federal data collection for the 
territories. How has the lack of or outdated data affected the 
territorial governments and local communities?
    Ms. Leon Guerrero. Basically, there are funding 
opportunities that we are unable to apply for because of the 
data gap. And we have had to improvise to actually----
    Ms. Hageman. Could you give me a specific example of 
something like that?
    Ms. Leon Guerrero. The CEJST Justice tool, the IRA funding, 
there are some grant opportunities that we can't apply because 
we are only eligible for one category, and that is workforce. 
And in general, the areas located in the categories basically, 
in some areas, do not represent underserved communities or 
disadvantaged communities. We have areas that should have been 
identified but were not included. So, that is a really good 
example.
    So, with regards to U.S. Department of Justice grants, 
there are things there with regards to crime statistics, and 
the data is based on population. So, with the 2020 census, we 
see a reduction in population, so we are going to see a 
reduction in Federal resources coming to Guam.
    Ms. Hageman. Thank you for that information. I now 
recognize Mr. Sablan for 5 minutes of questioning.
    Mr. Sablan. Thank you. Good morning, everyone.
    Madam Chair, thank you for holding this important hearing. 
I welcome all the witnesses.
    Before I start, I would like to recognize Dr. Underwood, a 
former member of this Congress, who has spent the entire time 
he was here on this Committee also. So, Dr. Underwood, welcome 
back.
    Now, this is a good hearing. I like all the witnesses and 
testimonies, but I am going to start with Ms. Latesha Love-
Grayer, did you just add another last name? Because I think you 
did, right?
    [Laughter.]
    Ms. Love-Grayer. It has been updated. It was Latesha Love 
for a while.
    Mr. Sablan. OK, all right. Congratulations, then.
    Thank you for GAO's work on producing this report and many 
other reports that have been very useful to me in my time here. 
But this report was important also.
    We all know that data policymakers can take for granted for 
the states often does not exist for the territories. And the 
question is often why, why don't we have that data for the 
territories?
    And in your report, it says it is because of our small 
populations, one of them, right, a larger percentage of the 
population, for example, has to be sampled in the territories 
versus the states to get the same statistical margin of error.
    [Slide.]
    Mr. Sablan. So, here is the chart from your report on the 
screen. About 25 percent of the population of Guam, for 
example, has to be sampled to get the same margin of error as 
sampling just 0.85 percent of the population of Kentucky. Now, 
that seems like a big difference, you know?
    So, help me here with the math: 25 percent of Guam's 
population is 38,000; .85 percent of Kentucky's population is 
38,000. So, in your example, the sample size for Guam is the 
same as the sample size for Kentucky, 38,000. So, wouldn't the 
cost of collecting data be about the same?
    Ms. Love-Grayer. That is a great question, thank you for 
it.
    One of the things that we wanted to highlight here is it is 
about the cost per capita, so the cost relative to the size of 
the territory or the state. When there is a smaller population, 
and you have to sample a larger percentage of it for the same 
level of precision, so the cost overall and the number of 
individuals that you sample overall might be the same, but 
relative to the size of the entire population there is a higher 
cost per person.
    Mr. Sablan. OK.
    Ms. Love-Grayer. And I do want to clarify that in our 
report we wanted to highlight that this is one of the 
challenges that we hear, that we heard from statistical 
agencies. But it is not a challenge that we think should 
necessarily stop you from collecting the data. And currently 
what many agencies do is collect a smaller sample, which leads 
to less precision.
    Mr. Sablan. Yes, and I need to move on, but thank you. And 
hopefully, we can continue to work on this issue.
    Ms. Braybrooks, welcome. In your testimony you stated, for 
example, the territories' lack of local capacity should not be 
a reason to exclude them from surveys. The Federal Government's 
reliance on OIA for technical assistance is not sustainable or 
sufficient, as it unduly places the burden on territories to 
solve data deficiencies themselves--I am running out of time--
population, and land area. Thank you, I agree with all of that.
    But GAO also reports that the insular areas have access to 
TAP money, T-A-P money, and suggests that the money could be 
used to improve Federal data collection. So, GAO says that 
nearly $62 million in TAP was provided from Fiscal Year 2019 to 
2023. That sounds like a lot, $62 million divided by 5 years, 
and divided among the four territories and some Federal 
agencies, too. I would say about $3 million, on average, for 
each territory, except that I know the Northern Marianas got 
about half of that this year.
    So, do you know how much of this technical assistance is 
going to data collection improvements, Ms. Braybrooks?
    Ms. Braybrooks. On average, it is about $1 to $2 million 
out of a pot of $22 million.
    Mr. Sablan. All right, not much, right?
    Ms. Braybrooks. But that is with competing priorities.
    Mr. Sablan. Not much. So, these technical assistance grants 
can be used for a wide range of purposes, right?
    Ms. Braybrooks. Correct.
    Mr. Sablan. They compete. And collecting data may not be 
the highest priority for the insular areas.
    Earlier this month, grants were awarded for fluoroscopy 
equipment for our hospital in the Marianas and for improving 
tax collections. Ms. Braybrooks, would you say paying for data 
the Federal Government collects in the states should be a 
higher priority for the territories than taking care of the 
people's health, or making sure our government is solvent?
    That is a rhetorical question, really. I am just saying if 
my late friend, Eni Faleomavaega, was here, he would remind me 
again that until Delegates here have votes on the Floor, this 
problem is going to continue to remain because agencies do not 
have responsibilities to Delegates in the territories. Let's 
make that go away, please. Thank you.
    Thank you, Madam Chair.
    Ms. Hageman. Thank you. The Chair now recognizes Mr. Moylan 
for 5 minutes of questioning.
    Mr. Moylan. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you to our panel.
    This data collection problem, it has been a long problem, 
ongoing. And without the correct data, as we understand from 
the panel, we just can't get what we are supposed to have. And 
the GAO's report finally came out and said that the local 
groups may not apply for grants and programs as Ms. Leon 
Guerrero has stated, as well, which we would have qualified for 
these programs if we were able to be included. And we are not 
included in this. It is just totally unacceptable. I am glad to 
see there is some action, but it is really long overdue.
    And Guam particularly suffers from these effects. SNAP 
payments are based on the Federal Poverty and Consumer Price 
data, and the approach not taken for any of the states. So, 
this lack of composite data hinders our efforts to identify 
needed resources and delays what we need for the island.
    The Office of Insular Affairs is meant to advocate for our 
territories. And I hear it coming. But again, we are just way 
behind, and we have to do more. We have to advocate louder. And 
I hear it from our panels, too, but I want to hear a little bit 
more from Director Leon Guerrero.
    The GAO report identified these barriers toward accurate 
data collection in the territories, especially within Guam. 
What barriers does the Government of Guam find most troublesome 
in the accurate data collection and transmission to the Federal 
agencies?
    Ms. Leon Guerrero. I think the most important thing is the 
need for improved coordination between the Federal agencies and 
the Government of Guam to ensure compliance with the required 
standards and methodology when conducting federally 
administered surveys and census.
    So, we do need Federal territory relationships to be in 
place, and there needs to be that line of communication between 
the entities when we are conducting. So, on surveys we just 
need to make sure we are informed of the proper methodology in 
order so that we can also take action to implement those things 
and provide the necessary information to the Federal agencies. 
We need to work together to bridge the gap.
    Mr. Moylan. Excellent. Thank you. And I hear the same from 
Puerto Rico, as well. We are excluded. We are just not 
included. We are excluded from all these things. You are trying 
to raise your voice to say, include us, include us. And this is 
just terrible. So, now at least we finally got to sit down, and 
we are talking, based on this report, on how we can make the 
corrections. So, that is a good thing.
    But also Director Leon Guerrero, what actions could the 
Federal Government take to best support data collection in the 
territories?
    Ms. Leon Guerrero. Resources. We need Federal resources in 
order to include for the territories, Guam, for major 
statistical products.
    And the other thing also is to educate the Federal entities 
about the territories. That is very important.
    And the other one is also to conduct a comprehensive review 
of the territories' data gaps, as well as, again, resources and 
funding support for capacity building for Guam, as well as the 
other territories.
    Mr. Sablan. Thank you.
    Ms. Braybrooks, this problem of data collection has been 
known since at least 2018, though I would not be surprised if 
this issue has been occurring for far longer. Why has the OIA 
been so stagnant in its response to address data gaps in the 
territories?
    OIA's mission statement is to coordinate Federal policies 
for American Samoa, Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 
Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands with the aim to support 
and develop an efficient and effective government. So, why has 
this Administration basically, to me, ignored such a critical 
problem?
    Ms. Braybrooks. Thank you for the question.
    Regarding our resources in OIA, we have used our available 
resources. From the funding resources, TAP is $22 million a 
year. In reality, we get over $100 million in grant requests 
that range from public safety, to education, to health. So, we 
do reflect back to the priority of the territories when we make 
the decisions of where to fund, but we are using it to fund 
data and advocate.
    Other resources that we use include leveraging and 
advocating to our Federal partners. But we are not in a 
position to tell the Federal partners how to use their 
resources. So, that is the role that we are taking, is making 
awareness and trying to leverage where we can, but we are 
simply not in a position to fill the gap by ourselves.
    Mr. Moylan. Thank you. So, I suggest to the Administration 
that they need to assist you folks to fill that gap, because 
this is just unacceptable.
    I also think, just for the last few seconds, I think these 
Federal agencies that are excluding the territories, that they 
should have a territories class 101 every 6 months until they 
get it in their mind, or we put up maps in their offices to say 
this is Guam, this is Puerto Rico, so they don't forget. It is 
just so simple. We need to be included in these things.
    If you need more money, then talk to the Administration and 
get yourself more money to support the territories. We are 
really important. We must get this done. We have the Indo-
Pacific region that is very important. We can't let this happen 
again. But I appreciate all your statements. Thank you very 
much.
    Director Leon Guerrero, thank you for the long trip coming 
to from Guam. Thank you.
    Thank you, Madam Chair, I yield back.
    Ms. Hageman. The Chair now recognizes Ms. Velazquez for 5 
minutes of questioning.
    Ms. Velazquez. Thank you so very much, and I want to take 
this opportunity to thank all the witnesses that are here.
    It is kind of painful to be here, and to hear Federal 
agencies talking about their responsibility toward the 
territories. In my case, my homeland of Puerto Rico is a 
colony, so it is the responsibility of the U.S. Government. It 
is the responsibility of the U.S. Congress to provide the 
funding so that the Federal agencies include Puerto Rico and 
the territories on the data collection. How could we possibly 
develop any kind of public policy that could have life or death 
consequences for the people who live in the territory if we 
don't have data collection? That is totally wrong.
    Mr. Orenstein-Cardona, you mentioned in your testimony that 
the Puerto Rican Institute of Statistics is prioritizing Puerto 
Rico's inclusion in the Current Population Survey and the 
Census of Governments, due to their importance to employment 
statistics and government spending. Can you tell us which 
Federal surveys or studies could be most helpful to advance 
disaster recovery efforts in the territory?
    Mr. Orenstein-Cardona. The CPS, or the Current Population 
Survey, and the Census of Governments are very comprehensive, 
allow comparability, and are very reliable. So, we have those 
two as the most important Federal statistical products we would 
like to be included in.
    In our written testimony, we talk about other statistical 
products we have encountered in which Puerto Rico is not 
included in their data.
    Ms. Velazquez. And what type of implications it has for 
Puerto Rico?
    Mr. Orenstein-Cardona. Right, well, enormous implications. 
I will repeat the diverse topics that are not being covered: 
reliable employment and unemployment and labor force 
characteristics, local government expenditures at different 
levels and in different areas, timely and quarterly GDP 
calculations, statistics about the educational system, 
infrastructure, motor vehicle registration, building permits, 
et cetera.
    Ms. Velazquez. OK, thank you. Mr. Orenstein, you mentioned 
that Puerto Rico is included in only 18 percent of the total 
440 Federal statistical products. For instance, of the 52 
statistical products produced by the National Agricultural 
Statistics Service, Puerto Rico is included in only 1. Could 
you provide some examples of how this limited inclusion 
adversely affects efforts at the community, local, and Federal 
levels to address food insecurity and agricultural development 
on the island?
    Mr. Orenstein-Cardona. Well, definitely, the agricultural 
sector of the economy is very important for Puerto Rico and has 
suffered a lot in the last few decades, and we don't have 
reliable information about that area. PRIS, our agency, 
attempted to compile data from 2009 to 2019 on the production 
and consumption of agricultural products, but that is not 
enough. There is more information that we need in order to be 
able to----
    Ms. Velazquez. Thank you.
    Ms. Love-Grayer, GAO's report found that efforts to 
understand and address territorial data gaps across the Federal 
Statistical System has been uncoordinated and scarce. And I 
would like to add that there is a lack of urgency. We have a 
prime example with the American Housing Survey. Despite HUD 
expressing their interest in expanding the survey to include 
Puerto Rico, after I sent a letter, which will require a 
feasibility study estimated at $7 million, the agency did not 
include this additional funding in its latest budget.
    Could you please explain the social and economic benefits 
of implementing this survey in Puerto Rico, and why it should 
be prioritized by the pertinent Federal agencies?
    Ms. Love-Grayer. Well, I am sure my colleagues in Puerto 
Rico will probably be able to answer this even better than I.
    Having accurate and timely housing data is important to 
making decisions both at the Federal and the local level. HUD 
makes decisions about its programing based on this data. 
Certainly, local governments make decisions about the 
allocation of resources in certain communities and who should 
get what based on this data. So, the lack of data limits 
decision making at all levels of government.
    Ms. Velazquez. And would you please bring that message back 
to your bosses in the Administration, why it is important?
    Life or death could be defined by the lack of data. And we 
saw this during Hurricane Maria. We are still facing a problem 
of 30,000 homes in Puerto Rico not being rebuilt after Maria. 
How many years later? Shame on us. Thank you.
    Mr. Moylan [presiding]. Thank you. The Chair now recognizes 
the Full Committee Chairman, Mr. Bruce Westerman.
    Mr. Westerman. Thank you, Chairman. Thank you to the 
witnesses for being here today.
    And the whole reason we are here is because of facts and 
data, because of a report that GAO did that looked at gaps with 
data. I come from an engineering background, and one thing you 
learn in engineering is that the results you produce are no 
better than the data that you start with. So, if you start with 
bad data, you are going to get bad results, no matter how well 
you do in between. So, it is critical that we start with good 
data.
    And I think this hearing is an example of a good use of 
congressional time, where we are really looking at a problem 
and trying to figure out a way to fix the problem. And I go 
back to the days when computers were just kind of getting off 
the ground, and there was this acronym, I think it was GIGO, 
garbage in, garbage out. So, we have to make sure we are not 
putting garbage into the equation, or else we will get bad 
results.
    With that said, my first question is for Ms. Braybrooks and 
Ms. Love-Grayer. Do you have any recommendations for how we can 
close the gaps in data collection for the territories, and do 
it in a fiscally responsible manner?
    Ms. Braybrooks. Thank you for the question.
    My testimony lays out a number of specific recommendations. 
But generally, we support and encourage that a group of 
stakeholders, including the statistical community, but those 
that are entities that work with the territories and can 
represent their needs come together and have a coordinated 
discussion that discusses how to overcome the barriers and move 
towards more meaningful statistics.
    Some suggestions within that is understanding why they 
exist. Knowing why they exist helps us determine how we solve 
it. Is it statutory, administrative, or something other?
    And within that ``other'' category, we know a lot of that 
is related to technical infrastructure. So, working with 
organizations who are qualified and can help guide the 
territories and support them in developing local capacity is 
essential. But that conversation really starts with a 
coordinated effort which we haven't had to date.
    Ms. Love-Grayer. And my answer will be very similar. We 
have recommended that OMB lead that coordinated effort that my 
colleague just mentioned. We think it is very important for 
there to be a coordinated, government-wide approach to 
assessing the feasibility of increasing or enhancing data 
collection in many of the territories.
    I don't think there is a one-size-fits-all, so there needs 
to be a coordinated discussion between the territories, other 
stakeholders, the Federal agencies in order to identify the 
gaps that are the highest priorities, which may vary by the 
territories, and to discuss the costs of being able to address 
those gaps and the actions that need to be taken to do so. And 
those actions would include both Federal and local actions that 
would usually have to occur to address the barriers that exist 
now.
    So, that is our recommendation, and we will be following up 
with OMB to determine what actions they are taking to fulfill 
it.
    Mr. Westerman. And if I can follow up with that, we kind of 
use the term ``statistics'' loosely, but a lot of what it seems 
we are talking about is more data collection than statistics. 
The science of statistics is basically examining the data to 
figure out what kind of confidence you have in the data and how 
much variation is in the data.
    So, is the problem at the root level of gathering data, or 
is the problem in analyzing the data that we have?
    Ms. Love-Grayer. I think we think it is both. There is not 
enough data collection in many areas. And then, when data is 
collected, sometimes the accuracy of that data is not high. So, 
in those instances, the issue is with the type of data.
    As you mentioned, if the data is not good going in, the 
statistics are not great going out in terms of confidence, and 
what they mean, and the actions that should be taken in 
response to them.
    Ms. Braybrooks. I agree with that. She hits right on the 
source data about what goes in is what you get out.
    But I also think that it is who is producing the 
statistics. Right now, we are using Office of Insular Affairs 
funds, a limited pool of funds to support the territories to 
stand up surveys, the Consumer Price Index, the Household 
Income and Expenditure Survey. We are funding GDP for four of 
the five territories.
    So, I think a conversation needs to be had about who is 
best suited to produce these statistics and guide these 
statistics, and we don't know enough now, but that conversation 
is a worthy one to have.
    Mr. Westerman. Thank you.
    The membership of the Interagency Council on Statistical 
Policy consists of 30 representatives of various U.S. Federal 
agencies, and the DOI is a member of the Interagency Council. 
Ms. Braybrooks, what is the DOI's role in the Interagency 
Council on Statistical Policy?
    It is kind of a follow-up to what we were just talking 
about.
    Ms. Braybrooks. I can't speak to the depth of DOI's 
participation. It is a big agency and there are a lot of data 
factors.
    We have been involved to some degree with the Interagency 
Council in recent months, both representatives from the Census 
Bureau representing efforts in Puerto Rico and DOI. But to the 
best of my knowledge, it has largely been educating the 
Interagency Council about the territorial situation. And that 
is where we are at now. DOI, the Office of Insular Affairs, has 
gone to the table to explain the data issues to the Interagency 
Council. There is an interest there, but it hasn't gone farther 
than that, as far as I understand.
    Mr. Westerman. Yes, I am over time, I yield back.
    Mr. Moylan. Thank you, Mr. Westerman. The Chair now 
recognizes Mr. LaMalfa from California.
    Mr. LaMalfa. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate it. 
Apologies for parachuting in at this time, as dueling 
Committees is one of the curses we have around here. But I am 
glad to join, glad to have our panelists here today. Let me 
just launch into a couple of thoughts we have here with these 
data collection mechanisms.
    So, what resonates, really, is that the unique nature of 
life in the territories, as compared to the continental United 
States, and then the need to adapt to that, it is much like 
what we deal with in rural areas of the continent, and like my 
own state of California, for example. So, rural areas versus 
the urban areas, where the rules pretty much are made, like in 
Washington, DC or in my home state, in Sacramento at the state 
level, where it just seems like they are miles different on 
what priorities are or how the thinking even is, and when they 
create guidelines, et cetera, that, basically, rural folks, or 
maybe in your case the territories, would have a hard time 
dealing with to comply, or they don't even make sense to be 
doing it that way.
    So, Ms. Love-Grayer, the report we are speaking of talks 
about how the methods for data collection used in states don't 
always translate well to the territories. Many of these methods 
can be very specific prescriptions from the Federal agencies 
that oversee them. Do you think the overall goal of data 
collection could be met if we focused less on how the 
territories should carry out the programs, and more focused on 
what the goals of each set of data is supposed to be? What do 
you think?
    Ms. Love-Grayer. We do think an important part of 
addressing this issue is understanding the needs of each of the 
territories, and the unique data needs they have, and the 
unique needs they have in their community. There is not a one-
size-fits-all approach for all of the territories. There are 
different demographics, different economic circumstances, and 
different data collection capacities within each of the 
territories.
    So, we do think that there needs to be more time spent 
understanding those differences and thinking through how to 
address them where there is a highest priority for each of the 
territories.
    Mr. LaMalfa. What do we need in order to allow the entities 
involved to do that? What is holding them back from doing that? 
Is it just DC says do it this way and that is it, or are they 
allowed more locally to form their own prescription of doing 
that?
    Ms. Love-Grayer. We think there has been a lack of a 
coordinated approach, which is why we made a recommendation to 
OMB to create one. We don't know that there has been enough 
dialogue between the Federal Government and the territories.
    I think my colleagues on this panel have all noted the lack 
of that coordination between the Federal Government and the 
territories and other stakeholders who could inform those 
decisions.
    So, our recommendation is that OMB pull in all of these 
stakeholders so that we can have a constructive conversation 
about what those needs are and how best to address them.
    Mr. LaMalfa. Has much been done in the work of a 
demonstration or pilot programs that can be experimented at the 
territory level to run these statistical and data programs in 
their own way?
    Is there that autonomy being done on a pilot level, at 
least, for again, Ms. Love-Grayer, and then I would like to 
throw that also to Ms. Leon Guerrero and Mr. Orenstein-Cardona.
    Ms. Love-Grayer. To our knowledge, there have been 
instances where--for example, my colleague here, Department of 
the Interior, has helped fund technical assistance to local 
territorial statistical bodies, and that has helped them 
understand how to collect data better in their communities.
    And there have been some instances, some collaboration 
between the Census Bureau and the local or territorial census 
or statistical bodies to understand how to collect data. But we 
don't think that is something that is happening across the 
board in a very comprehensive way.
    Mr. LaMalfa. But on a pilot level it is occurring, or can 
occur?
    Ms. Love-Grayer. I don't know if I would call it a pilot, 
but I would call it sort of individual one-off situations. And 
in some instances, it appears that the territories have to be 
the ones to initiate it.
    Mr. LaMalfa. OK, thank you. Let me allow some time for Ms. 
Leon Guerrero.
    Ms. Leon Guerrero. We haven't done any pilot programs for 
survey. We really rely on the Department of the Interior for 
funding to conduct our surveys. For example, the Household 
Income Survey, we actually got a grant funding from DOI for the 
Household Income Survey. So, we have not done any pilot survey 
programs.
    Mr. LaMalfa. OK. Mr. Orenstein-Cardona.
    Mr. Orenstein-Cardona. Sorry, in Puerto Rico we haven't had 
piloted programs that I can think of.
    Mr. LaMalfa. OK. But amongst the two of you, do you welcome 
this sort of thinking, this sort of experimentation, or new 
idea?
    Ms. Leon Guerrero. If there are Federal resources involved.
    Mr. LaMalfa. Yes, OK.
    Mr. Orenstein?
    Mr. Orenstein-Cardona. Yes, definitely resources are 
important. And also close collaboration with local governments 
is really important, too.
    Mr. LaMalfa. OK. My time is up. Thank you for answering my 
questions here on that, and I hope we can build upon this. I 
appreciate it.
    I will yield back, Mr. Chairman.
    Mr. Moylan. Thank you, Mr. LaMalfa, and I want to thank the 
witnesses for their valuable testimony and the Members for 
their questions, as well.
    The members of the Committee may have some additional 
questions for the witnesses, and we will ask you to respond to 
these in writing.
    Under Committee Rule 3, members of the Committee must 
submit questions to the Subcommittee Clerk by 5 p.m. on 
Tuesday, June 18, 2024. The hearing record will be held open 
for 10 business days for these responses.
    If there are no further business, without objection, the 
Committee stands adjourned.

    [Whereupon, at 12:17 p.m., the Subcommittee was adjourned.]

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