González-Colón and Serrano’s Efforts to Combat Barriers to Interstate Commerce Move Forward

Washington, D.C. – As the U.S. Census Bureau considers whether to remove the Electronic Export Information (EEI) filing requirement for shipments between the United States and Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, Congresswoman Jenniffer González-Colón and Congressman José E. Serrano invited the public to submit comments to the agency through the Federal Register.

"One of the reasons I have been working to eliminate the EEI is because it places an unnecessary burden on interstate commerce. Under these regulations, Puerto Rico is treated as a foreign country, which is obviously incorrect and results in additional costs, in turn becoming a barrier to trade. Eliminating the EEI is one of the proposals I included in my work plan when I ran for Congress, and it fills me with great satisfaction to see the progress being made. Now, it is up to the public to submit their opinions and comments, thus ensuring the pertinent federal agencies can continue assessing the impact that removing the EEI requirement would have on the availability of data and trade statistics between Puerto Rico and the rest of the United States," explained the Resident Commissioner.

"As Chairman of the Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Subcommittee, I'm pleased to have secured language requiring the U.S. Department of Commerce to explore alternatives to trade data that are less onerous on interstate commerce with Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Currently, the EEI requirement only applies to these two territories. Therefore, we must eliminate the barriers to interstate commerce with these two jurisdictions in order to promote job creation and economic development. We can't keep treating Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands as foreign jurisdictions. We want equal treatment and will keep fighting for just causes that benefit our fellow citizens in the territories," said Congressman José E. Serrano.

In order to understand how other interested parties and stakeholders use the EEI data, including the possible impacts the removal of this filing requirement would have on them, the Census Bureau published an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on the Federal Register. The public can submit written comments until November 16, 2020.

Congresswoman González-Colón had previously announced in February the upcoming publication of this notice, after having met with officials from the Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), and Secretary Manuel Laboy of the Puerto Rico Department of Economic Development Commerce. Along with the Resident Commissioner, these federal and state officials formed a working group to evaluate the possible elimination of the EEI.

"During the past months, the members of the Working Group have been discussing different initiatives to evaluate the possible elimination of this filing requirement, which represents an economic obstacle for the Island. The EEI does not apply to trade between the States and that is why I will continue working to ensure Puerto Rico receives equal treatment. Equality for all Puerto Ricans in every area has always been my priority," said the Resident Commissioner

González-Colón worked with Congressman José Serrano (D-NY) to include language in the Fiscal Year 2020 Appropriations Agreement to require the U.S. Department of Commerce to work with the Government of Puerto Rico to identify alternatives to the EEI, a filing document that is required for all export of articles, goods or merchandise whose value exceeds $2,500.00, regardless of the method used to transport them.

Comments can be submitted through the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. The identification number for this rulemaking is identified by RIN number 0607-AA58; or by email directly to gtmd.ftrnotices@census.gov. Email submissions must include RIN number 0607-AA58 in the subject line.