HR 6827 · 115th Congress 2017–2019, ended

United States Territorial Relief Act of 2018

Latest action · Sep 24, 2018 Referred to the Subcommittee on Indian, Insular and Alaska Native Affairs.

Progress

Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.

  1. IntroducedSep 13, 2018
  2. Passed HouseNot reached
  3. Passed SenateNot reached
  4. To the PresidentNot reached
  5. Became lawNot reached

Summary

United States Territorial Relief Act of 2018

This bill establishes a process under which Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories may terminate certain debts if they meet eligibility criteria.

The bill allows territories to terminate their public, unsecured debt if they meet two of three criteria:

  • the population of the territory has decreased by more than 5% over 10 years,
  • the territory received major federal disaster assistance, and
  • the territory's per capita debt exceeds $15,000.

The bill also provides funding that a special master must allocate to certain creditors whose debts were discharged under this bill.

Cosponsors 19

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Sep 13, 2018 to Oct 2, 2018; 18 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.

SeatCosponsorSigned on
D-NYAdriano EspaillatOriginalSep 13, 2018
D-NJAlbio SiresOriginalSep 13, 2018
D-MSBennie G. ThompsonOriginalSep 13, 2018
D-FLDarren SotoOriginalSep 13, 2018
D-RIDavid N. CicillineOriginalSep 13, 2018
D-GAHenry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr.OriginalSep 13, 2018
D-MAJames P. McGovernOriginalSep 13, 2018
D-ILJanice D. SchakowskyOriginalSep 13, 2018
D-NYJose E. SerranoOriginalSep 13, 2018
D-ILLuis V. GutierrezOriginalSep 13, 2018
D-CAMaxine WatersOriginalSep 13, 2018
D-VTPeter WelchOriginalSep 13, 2018
D-WAPramila JayapalOriginalSep 13, 2018
D-AZRaúl M. GrijalvaOriginalSep 13, 2018
D-CARo KhannaOriginalSep 13, 2018
D-CTRosa L. DeLauroOriginalSep 13, 2018
D-AZRuben GallegoOriginalSep 13, 2018
D-NYYvette D. ClarkeOriginalSep 13, 2018
D-FLDebbie Wasserman SchultzOct 2, 2018

Committees 3

Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.

ChamberCommitteeWhat it did
HouseNatural Resources Committee
Referred Sep 13, 2018
Indian and Insular Affairs Subcommittee
Referred Sep 24, 2018
HouseJudiciary Committee
Referred Sep 13, 2018
HouseBudget Committee
Referred Sep 13, 2018

Actions 3

Everything that happened, newest first.

  1. Sep 24, 2018Referred to the Subcommittee on Indian, Insular and Alaska Native Affairs.
  2. Sep 13, 2018Introduced in House
  3. Sep 13, 2018Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, and the Budget, 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.

Research

What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.

Constitutional authority

Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant to the following: Article I, Section 8, Clause 3 The Congress shall have Power * * * To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes.

The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 164, no. 153, September 13, 2018, page H8727.

Related bills 2

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

BillTitleRelationshipLatest action
HR 2526United States Territorial Relief Act of 2019Reintroduced BillMay 3, 2019
S 3262United States Territorial Relief Act of 2018Related billJul 25, 2018

Titles 2

Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.

Official Title as Introduced
To provide the option of discharging certain unsecured financial obligations of self-governing territories of the United States.
Short Titles as Introduced
United States Territorial Relief Act of 2018

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Government Operations and Politics.

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

  1. Sep 13, 2018Introduced in House

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Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.