I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3390 
To require a study relating to the consolidation of certain grant programs 
currently available to insular areas and the suitability of such consolida-
tion for Puerto Rico, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 16, 2023 
Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ (for herself, Mr. TORRES of New York, Mr. GRIJALVA, and 
Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To require a study relating to the consolidation of certain 
grant programs currently available to insular areas and 
the suitability of such consolidation for 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 ‘‘Report on Grant Con-
solidation Authority for Puerto Rico Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS AND STATEMENT OF 
PURPOSE. 
(a) INCREASED BURDEN ON THE PUBLIC SECTOR OF 
PUERTO RICO.—The Congress makes the following find-
ings: 
(1) Puerto Rico faces a severe economic crisis, 
characterized by the largest municipal bankruptcy in 
the United States history, higher levels of poverty 
and socioeconomic inequality when compared to the 
rest of the United States, and a reduced labor force. 
(2) Puerto Rico is managing a large recovery 
and reconstruction process prompted by hurricanes 
Irma, Marı´a, and Fiona, the 2020 earthquakes, and 
the COVID pandemic. 
(3) The set of post-disaster conditions has ex-
erted a great burden on the public sector of the 
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Public employees 
have had to comply with new fiscal requirements im-
posed by the Financial Oversight and Management 
Board under the Puerto Rico Oversight, Manage-
ment, and Economic Stability Act (‘‘PROMESA’’), 
handle historic allocations of Federal funds, which 
involves engaging with new agencies, programs, and 
requirements over time, and balance fiscal con-
straints with the urgency to recruit specialized and 
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full-time workforce for the best use of disaster fund-
ing. 
(b) STATEMENT OF PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of 
this Act to study the suitability of grant consolidation to 
minimize the burden upon the public sector of the Com-
monwealth of Puerto Rico and maximize its available re-
sources to access Federal funding. 
SEC. 3. STUDY REQUIRED. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General 
of the United States shall submit to the appropriate con-
gressional committees a report containing the results of 
a study on the process by which grants made available 
by the Federal Government are consolidated for insular 
areas pursuant to part 97 of title 45, Code of Federal 
Regulations. Such report shall also contain the following: 
(1) An analysis, in consultation with appro-
priate officials of local agencies in Puerto Rico, 
about the manner in which such agencies currently 
access funding from programs that are listed in sec-
tion 97.12 of such part 97. 
(2) A list of each grant or other program that 
such officials would recommend adding to the list of 
programs under such section 97.12. 
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(3) Any challenges noted by the Comptroller 
General or by such officials relating to meeting the 
existing requirements for obtaining funding for 
Puerto Rico from such listed programs. 
(4) An assessment by the Comptroller General 
whether any of the challenges described pursuant to 
paragraph (3) with respect to existing requirements 
for obtaining funding would be partially or wholly 
addressed by extending access to the consolidation of 
such funding to Puerto Rico in the same manner 
and to the same extent as the insular areas. 
(5) Any recommendations of such officials re-
garding the manner in which that current process 
for access to such funding should change, including 
recommendations relating to extending access to the 
consolidation of such funding to Puerto Rico. 
(b) ACCESS TO PROMPT AND COMPLETE INFORMA-
TION.—Any official of Puerto Rico from whom the Comp-
troller General seeks information for purposes of the re-
port required by subsection (a) shall promptly and com-
prehensively respond to such request for information, and 
in no case later than 90 days after the receipt of such 
a request. To the extent appropriate, the Comptroller Gen-
eral may interpret a lack of response, or a partial or in-
complete response, to any such request for information ad-
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versely in compiling the report required by such sub-
section. 
(c) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DE-
FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate congres-
sional committees’’ means— 
(1) the Committee on Natural Resources, the 
Committee on Education and Labor, and the Com-
mittee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
Representatives; and 
(2) the Committee on Energy and Natural Re-
sources and the Committee on Health, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions of the Senate. 
Æ 
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