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103D CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 2400

To amend title 13, United States Code, to require the Secretary of Commerce

to prepare annual assessments of the progress being made by the independent states of the former Soviet Union and the Baltic states in

establishing a free market economy, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JUNE 10, 1993

Mr. SAWYER introduced the following bill; which was referred jointly to the

Committees on Post Office and Civil Service and Foreign Affairs

A BILL

To amend title 13, United States Code, to require the Secretary of Commerce to prepare annual assessments of

the progress being made by the independent states of

the former Soviet Union and the Baltic states in establishing a free market economy, 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 ‘‘International Statis5 tical Information and Analysis Act of 1993’’.

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

7 The Congress finds as follows:
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1 (1) Both the public and private sectors in the

2 United States would benefit from the collection,

3 analysis, and dissemination of reliable statistical in4 formation about the independent states of the

5 former Soviet Union and the Baltic states.

6 (2) Statistical information about the independ7 ent states of the former Soviet Union and the Baltic

8 states can be used in policy development on issues

9 ranging from domestic and foreign trade to inter10 national population growth, health, and the environ11 ment. United States Government statistical agencies

12 could use data collected in the independent states

13 and the Baltic states to develop statistical compari14 sons between the United States and the rest of the

15 world.

16 (3) Reliable economic statistical information

17 can also assist United States businesses in identify18 ing trade and investment opportunities in the inde19 pendent states of the former Soviet Union and the

20 Baltic states.

21 (4) Reliable information is needed about eco22 nomic performance at both the macro and micro-eco23 nomic levels as the independent states of the former

24 Soviet Union and the Baltic states make the transi-
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1 tion from a centrally planned economy to a free

2 market economy.

3 (5) Reliable economic statistical information is

4 especially important in evaluating the effectiveness

5 of assistance provided to the independent states of

6 the former Soviet Union and the Baltic states by the

7 United States Government, by nongovernmental

8 organizations, and by international financial

9 institutions.

10 (6) Such evaluations would be facilitated by an11 nual reports, prepared by the Secretary of Com12 merce with the assistance of United States Govern13 ment statistical agencies, assessing the progress

14 being made by the independent states of the former

15 Soviet Union and the Baltic states in establishing a

16 free market economy.

17 (7) United States Government statistical agen18 cies (such as the Bureau of the Census of the De19 partment of Commerce, the Bureau of Labor Statis20 tics of the Department of Labor, the Bureau of Eco21 nomic Analysis of the Department of Commerce, and

22 the National Agricultural Statistics Service of the

23 Department of Agriculture) have been involved in

24 providing statistical assistance to foreign countries

25 for more than 40 years.
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1 (8) United States Government statistical agen2 cies have set the standard for modern statistical

3 methodology used throughout the world.

4 (9) United States Government statistical agen5 cies have the personnel, facilities, expertise, and

6 other resources to provide training and other tech7 nical assistance to the independent states of the

8 former Soviet Union and the Baltic states with re9 spect to the collection, analysis, and dissemination of

10 economic statistical data. In addition, to the extent

11 that the independent states or Baltic states use non12 standard collection methods, United States Govern13 ment statistical agencies have the ablility to rec14 oncile discrepant data, thereby increasing its useful15 ness.

16 SEC. 3. ECONOMIC STATISTICAL ANALYSIS REGARDING

17 INDEPENDENT STATES OF THE FORMER SO18 VIET UNION AND BALTIC STATES.

19 (a) AMENDMENT TO TITLE 13.—Title 13 of the

20 United States Code is amended by adding at the end the

21 following:
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1 ‘‘CHAPTER 11—ECONOMIC STATISTICAL ANALY2 SIS REGARDING INDEPENDENT STATES OF

3 THE FORMER SOVIET UNION AND BALTIC

4 STATES

‘‘Sec.

‘‘501. Preparation and publication of analysis.

‘‘502. Definitions.

5 ‘‘§ 501. Preparation and publication of analysis

6 ‘‘(a) The Secretary shall prepare and submit to the

7 Congress each year a report analyzing the progress being

8 made by the the independent states of the former Soviet

9 Union and the Baltic states in establishing a free market

10 economy.

11 ‘‘(b) In preparing the reports required by subsection

12 (a), the Secretary shall draw upon the information col13 lected and the analysis performed under the auspices of

14 the International Statistical Assistance Coordinating Com15 mittee established pursuant to section 4 of the Inter16 national Statistical Information and Analysis Coordina17 tion Act of 1993.

18 ‘‘(c) The first report pursuant to subsection (a) shall

19 be submitted as soon as reliable economic statistical infor20 mation is available about the independent states of the

21 former Soviet Union and the Baltic states, but not later

22 than 5 years after the date of enactment of this chapter.

23 ‘‘§ 502. Definitions

24 ‘‘As used in this chapter—
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1 ‘‘(1) the term ‘independent states of the former

2 Soviet Union’ means Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus,

3 Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia,

4 Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan;

5 and

6 ‘‘(2) the term ‘Baltic states’ means Estonia,

7 Latvia, and Lithuania.’’.

8 (b) AMENDMENT TO TABLE OF CHAPTERS.—The

9 table of chapters at the beginning of title 13, United

10 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the follow11 ing new item:

‘‘11. Economic statistical analysis regarding independent

states of the former Soviet Union and Baltic states .................................................................... 501’’.

12 SEC. 4. INTERNATIONAL STATISTICAL ASSISTANCE CO13 ORDINATING COMMITTEE.

14 (a) ESTABLISHMENT AND MEMBERSHIP.—The

15 President shall establish an interagency committee to be

16 known as the ‘‘International Statistical Assistance Coordi17 nating Committee’’ (hereinafter in this Act referred to as

18 the ‘‘Coordinating Committee’’). The Coordinating Com19 mittee shall consist of a representative of each of the fol20 lowing:

21 (1) The Office of Management and Budget.

22 (2) The Bureau of the Census of the Depart23 ment of Commerce.
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1 (3) The Bureau of Labor Statistics of the De2 partment of Labor.

3 (4) The Bureau of Economic Analysis of the

4 Department of Commerce.

5 (5) The National Agricultural Statistics Service

6 of the Department of Agriculture.

7 (6) The Agency for International Development.

8 (b) FUNCTIONS.—Consistent with section 104(a) of

9 the Freedom for Russia and Emerging Eurasian Democ10 racies and Open Markets Support Act of 1992 (relating

11 to Department of State coordination of assistance to the

12 independent states of the former Soviet Union), the Co13 ordinating Committee—

14 (1) shall determine priorities for providing

15 training and other technical assistance to develop ca16 pabilities to monitor economic performance in the

17 independent states of the former Soviet Union and

18 the Baltic states through the collection, analysis,

19 and dissemination of economic statistical data;

20 (2) shall use the expertise of its constituent

21 agencies in providing such assistance;

22 (3) shall be responsible for coordinating such

23 assistance with comparable assistance provided or

24 coordinated by international or multilateral organi25 zations or agencies; and
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1 (4) shall provide for the analysis by its constitu2 ent agencies of economic statistical data regarding

3 the independent states of the former Soviet Union

4 and the Baltic states and for the dissemination of

5 such analysis to United States businesses and other

6 interested parties, including dissemination through

7 the annual report required by section 501 of title 13,

8 United States Code.

9 (c) ANNUAL REPORTS.—The Coordinating Commit10 tee shall prepare an annual report describing the assist11 ance provided through the Coordinating Committee pursu12 ant to this section. Such report shall be submitted to the

13 Congress as part of the annual congressional presentation

14 materials on international economic assistance.

15 SEC. 5. UNITED STATES ASSISTANCE TO IMPROVE MON16 ITORING OF ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE IN

17 INDEPENDENT STATES OF THE FORMER SO18 VIET UNION AND BALTIC STATES.

19 (a) STATISTICAL CAPABILITY ASSISTANCE.—United

20 States assistance that is provided to encourage the devel21 opment of a free-market economic system in the independ22 ent states of the former Soviet Union and the Baltic states

23 shall include training and other technical assistance to de24 velop capabilities to monitor economic performance in
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1 those republics and states through the collection, analysis,

2 and dissemination of economic statistical data.

3 (b) INTERNATIONAL STATISTICAL ASSISTANCE CO4 ORDINATING COMMITTEE.—The assistance required by

5 subsection (a) shall be coordinated through the Coordinat6 ing Committee and shall otherwise be provided in accord7 ance with section 4(b).

8 (c) FUNDING.—It is the sense of the Congress that

9 at least $3,000,000 of the funds allocated for each of the

10 fiscal years 1994 through 1998 for United States eco11 nomic assistance to encourage the development of a free12 market economic system in the independent states of the

13 former Soviet Union and the Baltic states should be used

14 for training and other technical assistance pursuant to

15 this section.

16 SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.

17 As used in this Act—

18 (1) the term ‘‘independent states of the former

19 Soviet Union’’ means Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus,

20 Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia,

21 Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan;

22 and

23 (2) the term ‘‘Baltic states’’ means Estonia,

24 Latvia, and Lithuania.

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