48 U.S.C. § 2193 — Application of regulation to Puerto Rico

(a) Regulations proposed by the Secretary of Labor about pay-rate exemptions for executive, administrative, professional, outside-sales, and computer employees, published in the Federal Register on July 6, 2015, and related final regulations have no force or effect in Puerto Rico^* until the Comptroller General completes the assessment and report under subsection (b) and the Secretary of Labor, considering that assessment and report, gives Congress a written determination that applying the rule to Puerto Rico would not negatively affect Puerto Rico's economy.

(b) No later than two years after June 30, 2016, the Comptroller General must examine Puerto Rico's economic conditions and send Congress a report assessing the effect of applying the subsection (a) regulations there. The assessment must consider regional, metropolitan, and nonmetropolitan salary and cost-of-living differences.

(c) Congress states that the Census Bureau should study whether it is feasible to expand the Current Population Survey to collect data about Puerto Rico and the other United States territories. The survey is jointly administered by the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics and is the main source of United States labor-force statistics. If needed, the Census Bureau should request funding for the feasibility study in its fiscal year 2018 budget^* submission to Congress.