I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 258 

To improve the collection and publication of statistics relating to Puerto 

Rico, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 10, 2023 

Miss GONZA ́LEZ-COLO ́N (for herself and Mr. SOTO) introduced the following 

bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in 

addition to the Committees on Foreign Affairs, and Oversight and Accountability, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 

in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To improve the collection and publication of statistics 

relating to 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 ‘‘Puerto Rico Data Col5 lection Equality Act’’. 


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•HR 258 IH

1 SEC. 2. PLAN TO INCLUDE PUERTO RICO IN FEDERAL STA2 TISTICAL PROGRAMS. 

3 (a) PLAN.—The head of the Interagency Council on 

4 Statistical Policy shall develop and implement a plan to 

5 collect and publish statistics regarding Puerto Rico in the 

6 same manner as statistics are collected and reported by 

7 Federal agencies for the several States. 

8 (b) ELEMENTS.—The plan developed under sub9 section (a) shall include, at a minimum, the following in10 formation: 

11 (1) An action plan for bringing Puerto Rico 

12 fully into the programs and surveys of data collec13 tion managed by the Bureau of the Census, along 

14 with sponsoring agencies where appropriate, on the 

15 same terms as States. 

16 (2) An action plan for integrating Puerto Rico 

17 into the full set of the National Income and Product 

18 Accounts produced by the Bureau of Economic 

19 Analysis, including in the quarterly calculation of 

20 real gross domestic product and personal income by 

21 State and including such calculations in estimates of 

22 the gross domestic product of the United States as 

23 a whole. 

24 (3) An action plan to phase out the Electronic 

25 Export Information requirements located in Part 30 

26 of title 15, Federal Code of Regulations, for shipVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:36 Jan 21, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H258.IH H258

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•HR 258 IH

1 ments between the United States and Puerto Rico, 

2 which shall identify alternative methods of devel3 oping gross domestic product for Puerto Rico with4 out using Electronic Export Information. 

5 (4) An action plan to fully integrate statistics 

6 collected for Puerto Rico in national figures, includ7 ing with respect to any calculation or estimate of the 

8 total unemployment rate, total inflation rate, and 

9 total resident and total population size of the United 

10 States. 

11 (5) Any other initiatives that each of the prin12 cipal statistical agencies that sit on the Interagency 

13 Council on Statistical Policy will pursue to ensure 

14 they are collecting and publishing statistics regard15 ing Puerto Rico on the same terms as States. 

16 (c) REPORT.—Not later than two years after the date 

17 of the enactment of this Act, and every two years there18 after, the head of the Interagency Council on Statistical 

19 Policy shall submit to the appropriate congressional com20 mittees a report which shall include— 

21 (1) a description of the plan developed under 

22 subsection (a); and 

23 (2) information on the implementation of such 

24 plan, including specific timelines and cost estimates. 


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•HR 258 IH

1 (d) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES

2 DEFINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate con3 gressional committees’’ means— 

4 (1) the Committee on Natural Resources and 

5 the Committee on Appropriations of the House of 

6 Representatives; and 

7 (2) the Committee on Energy and Natural Re8 sources and the Committee on Appropriations of the 

9 Senate. 

Æ 


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