I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 254 

To amend title 10, United States Code, to improve the administration of 

the TRICARE program in Puerto Rico, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 10, 2023 

Miss GONZA ́LEZ-COLO ́N introduced the following bill; which was referred to 

the Committee on Armed Services 

A BILL 

To amend title 10, United States Code, to improve the 

administration of the TRICARE program in Puerto Rico, 

and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘TRICARE Equality 

5 Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO ADMINISTRATION 

7 OF TRICARE PROGRAM IN PUERTO RICO. 

8 (a) IMPROVEMENTS.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 55 of title 10, 

10 United States Code, is amended by inserting after 


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1 section 1076f the following new section (and con2 forming the table of sections at the beginning of 

3 such chapter accordingly): 

4 ‘‘§ 1076g. TRICARE program: administration in Puer5 to Rico 

6 ‘‘(a) AVAILABILITY OF TRICARE PRIME.—In desig7 nating geographical areas under section 1097(b)(3) of this 

8 title, the Secretary of Defense shall designate such areas 

9 in Puerto Rico in a similar manner used to designate such 

10 areas in the 50 States. 

11 ‘‘(b) EXPANSION OF TRAVEL BENEFITS.—(1) In pro12 viding travel and transportation allowances under section 

13 1074i of this title, the Secretary of Defense shall ensure 

14 that individuals located in Puerto Rico who, but for such 

15 location, would be eligible to receive such allowances pur16 suant to such section are eligible to receive such allow17 ances. 

18 ‘‘(2) The Secretary may revise the regulations pre19 scribed under section 464 of title 37, or prescribe such 

20 new regulations, as may be necessary for the administra21 tion of paragraph (1). 

22 ‘‘(c) HEALTH INFORMATION EXCHANGE.—The Di23 rector of the Federal Electronic Health Record Moderniza24 tion Office shall coordinate with the Director of the De25 partment of Health of Puerto Rico for the purpose of 


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1 sharing health information through the Joint Health In2 formation Exchange, or such successor initiative. 

3 ‘‘(d) FEDERAL ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORD MOD4 ERNIZATION OFFICE.—In this section, the term ‘Federal 

5 Electronic Health Record Modernization Office’ means the 

6 Office established under section 1635(b) of the Wounded 

7 Warrior Act (title XVI of Public Law 110–181; 10 U.S.C. 

8 1071 note).’’. 

9 (2) SUNSET.—Section 1076g of title 10, United 

10 States Code, as added by paragraph (1), shall be re11 pealed on the date on which Puerto Rico is declared 

12 to be a State of the United States of America and 

13 is admitted to the Union on equal footing with the 

14 other States in all respects. 

15 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 

16 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 

17 shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the 

18 House of Representatives and the Senate a report on the 

19 progress of the Secretary in implementing the require20 ments of section 1076g of title 10, United States Code, 

21 as added by subsection (a)(1). 

Æ 


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