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. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘TRICARE Equality 
Act’’. 
SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO ADMINISTRATION 
OF TRICARE PROGRAM IN PUERTO RICO. 
(a) IMPROVEMENTS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Chapter 55 of title 10, 
United States Code, is amended by inserting after 
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section 1076f the following new section (and con-
forming the table of sections at the beginning of 
such chapter accordingly): 
‘‘§ 1076g. TRICARE program: administration in Puer-
to Rico 
‘‘(a) AVAILABILITY OF TRICARE PRIME.—In desig-
nating geographical areas under section 1097(b)(3) of this 
title, the Secretary of Defense shall designate such areas 
in Puerto Rico in a similar manner used to designate such 
areas in the 50 States. 
‘‘(b) EXPANSION OF TRAVEL BENEFITS.—(1) In pro-
viding travel and transportation allowances under section 
1074i of this title, the Secretary of Defense shall ensure 
that individuals located in Puerto Rico who, but for such 
location, would be eligible to receive such allowances pur-
suant to such section are eligible to receive such allow-
ances. 
‘‘(2) The Secretary may revise the regulations pre-
scribed under section 464 of title 37, or prescribe such 
new regulations, as may be necessary for the administra-
tion of paragraph (1). 
‘‘(c) HEALTH INFORMATION EXCHANGE.—The Di-
rector of the Federal Electronic Health Record Moderniza-
tion Office shall coordinate with the Director of the De-
partment of Health of Puerto Rico for the purpose of 
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sharing health information through the Joint Health In-
formation Exchange, or such successor initiative. 
‘‘(d) FEDERAL ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORD MOD-
ERNIZATION OFFICE.—In this section, the term ‘Federal 
Electronic Health Record Modernization Office’ means the 
Office established under section 1635(b) of the Wounded 
Warrior Act (title XVI of Public Law 110–181; 10 U.S.C. 
1071 note).’’. 
(2) SUNSET.—Section 1076g of title 10, United 
States Code, as added by paragraph (1), shall be re-
pealed on the date on which Puerto Rico is declared 
to be a State of the United States of America and 
is admitted to the Union on equal footing with the 
other States in all respects. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 
shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the 
House of Representatives and the Senate a report on the 
progress of the Secretary in implementing the require-
ments of section 1076g of title 10, United States Code, 
as added by subsection (a)(1). 
Æ 
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