[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2400 Introduced in House (IH)]

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.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``International Statistical 
Information and Analysis Act of 1993''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds as follows:
            (1) Both the public and private sectors in the United 
        States would benefit from the collection, analysis, and 
        dissemination of reliable statistical information about the 
        independent states of the former Soviet Union and the Baltic 
        states.
            (2) Statistical information about the independent states of 
        the former Soviet Union and the Baltic states can be used in 
        policy development on issues ranging from domestic and foreign 
        trade to international population growth, health, and the 
        environment. United States Government statistical agencies 
        could use data collected in the independent states and the 
        Baltic states to develop statistical comparisons between the 
        United States and the rest of the world.
            (3) Reliable economic statistical information can also 
        assist United States businesses in identifying trade and 
        investment opportunities in the independent states of the 
        former Soviet Union and the Baltic states.
            (4) Reliable information is needed about economic 
        performance at both the macro and micro-economic levels as the 
        independent states of the former Soviet Union and the Baltic 
        states make the transition from a centrally planned economy to 
        a free market economy.
            (5) Reliable economic statistical information is especially 
        important in evaluating the effectiveness of assistance 
        provided to the independent states of the former Soviet Union 
        and the Baltic states by the United States Government, by 
        nongovernmental organizations, and by international financial 
        institutions.
            (6) Such evaluations would be facilitated by annual 
        reports, prepared by the Secretary of Commerce with the 
        assistance of United States Government statistical agencies, 
        assessing the progress being made by the independent states of 
        the former Soviet Union and the Baltic states in establishing a 
        free market economy.
            (7) United States Government statistical agencies (such as 
        the Bureau of the Census of the Department of Commerce, the 
        Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor, the 
        Bureau of Economic Analysis of the Department of Commerce, and 
        the National Agricultural Statistics Service of the Department 
        of Agriculture) have been involved in providing statistical 
        assistance to foreign countries for more than 40 years.
            (8) United States Government statistical agencies have set 
        the standard for modern statistical methodology used throughout 
        the world.
            (9) United States Government statistical agencies have the 
        personnel, facilities, expertise, and other resources to 
        provide training and other technical assistance to the 
        independent states of the former Soviet Union and the Baltic 
        states with respect to the collection, analysis, and 
        dissemination of economic statistical data. In addition, to the 
        extent that the independent states or Baltic states use non-
        standard collection methods, United States Government 
        statistical agencies have the ablility to reconcile discrepant 
        data, thereby increasing its usefulness.

SEC. 3. ECONOMIC STATISTICAL ANALYSIS REGARDING INDEPENDENT STATES OF 
              THE FORMER SOVIET UNION AND BALTIC STATES.

    (a) Amendment to Title 13.--Title 13 of the United States Code is 
amended by adding at the end the following:

   ``CHAPTER 11--ECONOMIC STATISTICAL ANALYSIS REGARDING INDEPENDENT 
          STATES OF THE FORMER SOVIET UNION AND BALTIC STATES

``Sec.
``501. Preparation and publication of analysis.
``502. Definitions.
``Sec. 501. Preparation and publication of analysis
    ``(a) The Secretary shall prepare and submit to the Congress each 
year a report analyzing the progress being made by the the independent 
states of the former Soviet Union and the Baltic states in establishing 
a free market economy.
    ``(b) In preparing the reports required by subsection (a), the 
Secretary shall draw upon the information collected and the analysis 
performed under the auspices of the International Statistical 
Assistance Coordinating Committee established pursuant to section 4 of 
the International Statistical Information and Analysis Coordination Act 
of 1993.
    ``(c) The first report pursuant to subsection (a) shall be 
submitted as soon as reliable economic statistical information is 
available about the independent states of the former Soviet Union and 
the Baltic states, but not later than 5 years after the date of 
enactment of this chapter.
``Sec. 502. Definitions
    ``As used in this chapter--
            ``(1) the term `independent states of the former Soviet 
        Union' means Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, 
        Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, 
        and Uzbekistan; and
            ``(2) the term `Baltic states' means Estonia, Latvia, and 
        Lithuania.''.
    (b) Amendment to Table of Chapters.--The table of chapters at the 
beginning of title 13, United States Code, is amended by adding at the 
end the following new item:

``11. Economic statistical analysis regarding independent        501''.
                            states of the former Soviet 
                            Union and Baltic states.

SEC. 4. INTERNATIONAL STATISTICAL ASSISTANCE COORDINATING COMMITTEE.

    (a) Establishment and Membership.--The President shall establish an 
interagency committee to be known as the ``International Statistical 
Assistance Coordinating Committee'' (hereinafter in this Act referred 
to as the ``Coordinating Committee''). The Coordinating Committee shall 
consist of a representative of each of the following:
            (1) The Office of Management and Budget.
            (2) The Bureau of the Census of the Department of Commerce.
            (3) The Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of 
        Labor.
            (4) The Bureau of Economic Analysis of the Department of 
        Commerce.
            (5) The National Agricultural Statistics Service of the 
        Department of Agriculture.
            (6) The Agency for International Development.
    (b) Functions.--Consistent with section 104(a) of the Freedom for 
Russia and Emerging Eurasian Democracies and Open Markets Support Act 
of 1992 (relating to Department of State coordination of assistance to 
the independent states of the former Soviet Union), the Coordinating 
Committee--
            (1) shall determine priorities for providing training and 
        other technical assistance to develop capabilities to monitor 
        economic performance in the independent states of the former 
        Soviet Union and the Baltic states through the collection, 
        analysis, and dissemination of economic statistical data;
            (2) shall use the expertise of its constituent agencies in 
        providing such assistance;
            (3) shall be responsible for coordinating such assistance 
        with comparable assistance provided or coordinated by 
        international or multilateral organizations or agencies; and
            (4) shall provide for the analysis by its constituent 
        agencies of economic statistical data regarding the independent 
        states of the former Soviet Union and the Baltic states and for 
        the dissemination of such analysis to United States businesses 
        and other interested parties, including dissemination through 
        the annual report required by section 501 of title 13, United 
        States Code.
    (c) Annual Reports.--The Coordinating Committee shall prepare an 
annual report describing the assistance provided through the 
Coordinating Committee pursuant to this section. Such report shall be 
submitted to the Congress as part of the annual congressional 
presentation materials on international economic assistance.

SEC. 5. UNITED STATES ASSISTANCE TO IMPROVE MONITORING OF ECONOMIC 
              PERFORMANCE IN INDEPENDENT STATES OF THE FORMER SOVIET 
              UNION AND BALTIC STATES.

    (a) Statistical Capability Assistance.--United States assistance 
that is provided to encourage the development of a free-market economic 
system in the independent states of the former Soviet Union and the 
Baltic states shall include training and other technical assistance to 
develop capabilities to monitor economic performance in those republics 
and states through the collection, analysis, and dissemination of 
economic statistical data.
    (b) International Statistical Assistance Coordinating Committee.--
The assistance required by subsection (a) shall be coordinated through 
the Coordinating Committee and shall otherwise be provided in 
accordance with section 4(b).
    (c) Funding.--It is the sense of the Congress that at least 
$3,000,000 of the funds allocated for each of the fiscal years 1994 
through 1998 for United States economic assistance to encourage the 
development of a free-market economic system in the independent states 
of the former Soviet Union and the Baltic states should be used for 
training and other technical assistance pursuant to this section.

SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.

    As used in this Act--
            (1) the term ``independent states of the former Soviet 
        Union'' means Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, 
        Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, 
        Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan; and
            (2) the term ``Baltic states'' means Estonia, Latvia, and 
        Lithuania.

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