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S 1312 116th Congress Senate Government Operations and Politics Accounting and auditing Appropriations Bank accounts, deposits, capital Bankruptcy Budget deficits and national debt Caribbean area Civil actions and liability Disaster relief and insurance Employee benefits and pensions Executive agency funding and structure Federal district courts Government liability Government studies and investigations Government trust funds Judicial review and appeals Jurisdiction and venue Puerto Rico Securities State and local finance

United States Territorial Relief Act of 2019

Introduced: May 2, 2019 Introduced by: Warren, Elizabeth Democratic · Massachusetts See on congress.gov
This bill died when the 116th Congress ended
It never became law before the 116th Congress (2019–2020) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
May 2, 2019
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
May 2, 2019
Introduced in Senate
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 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

United States Territorial Relief Act of 2019

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, or
  • the territory's per capita debt exceeds $15,000.

If Puerto Rico discharges its debt under this process, the bill provides funding that a special master must allocate to certain creditors whose debts were discharged.

The bill also establishes a Puerto Rico Public Credit Comprehensive Audit Commission.

What's happening now May 2, 2019

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

 Related & companion bills 1
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 1312: United States Territorial Relief Act of 2019. 116th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-1312/
MLA
"S. 1312: United States Territorial Relief Act of 2019." 116th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-1312/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 1312, 116th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-1312/.
Markdown link
[S. 1312: United States Territorial Relief Act of 2019](https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-1312/)
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