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Cost Estimate
November 7, 2016
S. 3346 would amend current law and authorize the appropriation of $19.5 billion in 2017 for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The legislation would reaffirm existing policy regarding use of the International Space Station (ISS) and would require NASA to develop a transition plan that would enable greater participation in the ISS and low-earth orbit by NASA’s industry partners and additional partner countries.
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Cost Estimate
November 1, 2016
S. 3084 would amend current law and authorize the appropriation of about $17.3 billion over the 2017-2018 period for the operations of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
Assuming appropriation of the specified and estimated amounts, CBO estimates that implementing the legislation would cost $16.4 billion over the 2017-2021 period and $0.9 billion after 2021.
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Cost Estimate
October 31, 2016
H.R. 5984 would ratify the Pechanga Settlement Agreement among the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Mission Indians in California, the federal government, and local water districts. The legislation also would establish the Pechanga Settlement Fund to pay for the development and maintenance of water infrastructure for the tribe and would authorize the appropriation of funds for those purposes.
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Cost Estimate
October 27, 2016
S. 2643 would ratify a settlement agreement between the Pueblo de Cochiti of New Mexico (the pueblo) and the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps). The agreement would transfer responsibility for managing the Cochiti Dam drainage system from the Corps to the pueblo and would transfer all funds in the system’s operation and maintenance fund to a tribal fund held in trust for the pueblo. The bill would prohibit certain types of gaming on any lands acquired by the pueblo using those funds.
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Cost Estimate
October 27, 2016
H.R. 2333 would authorize the National Park Service (NPS) to acquire the Civil War-era structure known as the “Lunette Blair” blockhouse and to incorporate the structure into the Fort Scott National Historic Site in Bourbon County, Kansas. The bill also would authorize the NPS to acquire, by exchange, approximately 4 acres of private land, including facilities, adjacent to the historic site and would modify the boundary of the site to include those properties. (Under current law, the NPS may only acquire such properties by donation.
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Cost Estimate
October 26, 2016
H.R. 5099 would authorize the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to accept up to five donations of real property such as land or facilities from nonfederal entities for a pilot program to construct VA facilities. Any such donated property would need to meet a requirement for capital improvements that VA had previously identified as necessary to provide services or benefits to veterans. The department could help finance such a project using any amounts that had been appropriated for that project before it entered into an agreement with the nonfederal entity.
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Cost Estimate
October 26, 2016
S. 2087 would authorize the National Park Service (NPS) to acquire the Civil War-era structure known as the “Lunette Blair” blockhouse and to incorporate the structure into the Fort Scott National Historic Site in Bourbon County, Kansas. The bill also would authorize the NPS to acquire, by purchase using appropriated funds, approximately 4 acres of private land, including facilities, adjacent to the historic site and would modify the boundary of the site to include those properties. (Under current law, the NPS may only acquire such properties by donation.)
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Cost Estimate
October 26, 2016
S. 3087 would establish the American Fisheries Advisory Committee within the Department of Commerce (DOC). The committee would comprise three representatives from each of six geographic regions and seven at-large members with experience in the seafood and fisheries industries, as selected by DOC. Under the bill, the committee would be responsible for identifying needs of the fishing industry, developing requests for grants to meet those needs, and reviewing and selecting applications for an existing grant program for approval by DOC.
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Cost Estimate
October 25, 2016
Military personnel can retain their residences or domiciles for purposes of state and local taxation and voter registration when they leave a state if that move, and any subsequent moves, are made in compliance with military orders. Under the Military Spouses Residency Relief Act, spouses of service members can retain their states of residency if they move and reside with the service member; they cannot use the service members’ states of residency for taxation or voting purposes unless they can independently establish entitlement according to state laws. H.R.
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Cost Estimate
October 24, 2016
Enacting S. 2921 would affect several benefit programs administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), including those providing education, housing, and burial benefits. On net, those changes would decrease direct spending by $3.9 billion over the 2017-2026 period.
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Cost Estimate
October 24, 2016
S. 2138 would authorize Small Business Administration (SBA) employees that review federal contracts to delay the acceptance of a subcontracting plan for up to 30 days if the plan fails to maximize the participation of small businesses. The bill also would require the SBA to issue regulations that provide guidance on how to comply with the requirement to maximize small business participation. CBO estimates that implementing S. 2138 would cost the SBA and other federal agencies $11 million over the 2017-2021 period.
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Cost Estimate
October 21, 2016
S. 3099 would prohibit the National Park Service (NPS) from implementing or enforcing restrictions on fishing in Biscayne National Park in Florida, unless the restrictions are developed in coordination with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and are the least restrictive measures necessary for effective management of the fishery.
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Cost Estimate
October 20, 2016
H.R. 3765 would require the Department of Justice (DOJ) to establish a program to educate state and local governments and property owners on public accommodations for persons with disabilities. The bill would authorize DOJ to develop a course of training for professionals who specialize in the provision of such access. The bill also would direct the federal Judiciary to encourage the use of alternative mediation procedures to resolve claims of architectural barriers to access of public accommodations.
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Cost Estimate
October 20, 2016
CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 5707 would cost about $4.4 billion over the 2017-2026 period because funds from a government account would be transferred to a privately operated investment fund. Pay-as-you-go procedures apply because that transfer would increase direct spending. Enacting the bill would not affect revenues.
CBO estimates that enacting the legislation would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits by more than $5 billion in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2027.
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Cost Estimate
October 20, 2016
H.R. 3094 would create the Gulf States Red Snapper Management Authority (GSRSMA) and would transfer the management of red snapper fish in parts of the Gulf of Mexico from the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) to the GSRSMA. Under the bill, the GSRSMA would set planning standards for coastal states along the Gulf of Mexico to use when creating their own plans for managing red snapper. The GSRSMA would be required to review, approve, and enforce those plans. The states’ plans and any relevant supporting data would have to be available to the public.
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Cost Estimate
October 14, 2016
Under current law, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has the authority to levy penalties and criminal fines against individuals that use fake information about a caller’s identification to defraud or harm another. H.R. 2669 would expand that authority to include the use of text messages and would apply the authority to violators outside of the United States if the recipient is within the United States. The bill also would direct the FCC to develop consumer education materials that provide information for consumers on identifying fraudulent caller activities. Finally, H.R.
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Cost Estimate
October 14, 2016
H.R. 4742 would direct the National Science Foundation (NSF) to encourage its entrepreneurial programs to recruit and support women to develop commercial applications of their laboratory research. CBO estimates that implementing the legislation would have no cost because it assigns no specific tasks to the NSF.
Enacting H.R. 4742 would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
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Cost Estimate
October 14, 2016
H.R. 564 would amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to authorize the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to issue permits that would allow states and tribal entities in the Northwest United States to kill sea lions in the Columbia River and its tributaries under certain circumstances. Each permit would allow up to 10 sea lions a year to be removed from populations that threaten species of salmon and other fish listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
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Cost Estimate
October 14, 2016
H.R. 4755 would direct the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to continue its support of programs designed to encourage women and girls to study science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and pursue careers in aerospace.
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Cost Estimate
October 14, 2016
H.R. 5829 would require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its Science Advisory Board to establish a standing committee related to agriculture within 30 days of enactment of the bill. Because EPA recently created such a committee and completed selection of its membership, CBO estimates that implementing the bill would not affect the budget.
Enacting H.R. 5829 would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
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Cost Estimate
October 13, 2016
H.R. 3779 would prohibit federal agencies from including Social Security account numbers on any documents sent by mail unless the agency determines that inclusion of the number is necessary. There are many federal laws and regulations that deal with the protection of sensitive information including the Federal Information Security Management Act, the Privacy Act of 1974, and a 2007 memorandum from the Office of Management and Budget on safeguarding against and responding to the breach of personally identifiable information.
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Cost Estimate
October 13, 2016
H.R. 5399 would require physicians employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to report unethical health care practices that take place at VA medical facilities to the appropriate state licensing authority within five days of occurrence. The bill also would require VA to inform physicians of that responsibility.
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Cost Estimate
October 13, 2016
H.R. 4757 would modify burial programs administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and would make certain deceased veterans eligible for Presidential Memorial Certificates. CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 4757 would increase direct spending by $36 million over the 2017-2026 period. Pay-as-you-go procedures apply because enacting the legislation would affect direct spending. Enacting the bill would not affect revenues.
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Cost Estimate
October 13, 2016
H.R. 5600 would require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish a one-year pilot program to treat a limited number of veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, military sexual trauma, chronic pain, or opiate addiction by using Magnetic eResonance Therapy technology (MeRT technology). The bill also would require VA to report to the Congress on the results of that pilot program. MeRT technology is a customized neurological treatment that uses magnetic pulses to stimulate brain tissue.
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Cost Estimate
October 12, 2016
H.R. 4150 would allow the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to offer alternative work schedules (above or below 80 hours on a biweekly basis) to physicians or physician assistants (PAs) who work for VA on a full-time basis, provided that the total work hours in a calendar year do not exceed 2,080. Physicians and PAs would not be eligible for overtime pay for the hours worked in accordance with an alternative work schedule. VA reports that implementing this bill would not affect the amount of compensation paid to those employees.
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Cost Estimate
October 12, 2016
H.R. 5047 would require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to include information on articulation agreements when it provides educational and vocational counseling to veterans. Articulation agreements are arrangements between institutions of higher learning regarding how those institutions will grant academic credit for course work pursued at other such institutions. CBO expects that if the bill were enacted, VA would provide veterans with the required information as part of its regular counseling services.
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Cost Estimate
October 12, 2016
S. 2418 would authorize the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish programs at institutions of higher education to develop technology-based approaches to counteract the promotion of violent extremism. Based on information from DHS about similar activities that it currently sponsors, CBO estimates that implementing the bill would not significantly affect the department’s spending for university programs.
Enacting the legislation would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
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Cost Estimate
October 12, 2016
H.R. 4820 would direct the Department of Homeland Security, to the extent practicable, to include public testimonials of former violent extremists or their associates in departmental efforts to counteract terrorist recruitment and communications. Based on the costs of similar activities, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 4820 would cost less than $500,000 annually; such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
Enacting the legislation would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
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Cost Estimate
October 12, 2016
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency that regulates various aspects of wireline (telephone, for example), wireless, cable, and satellite communications. H.R. 2566 would require certain providers of voice communication services to register with the FCC. It also would require the FCC to issue rules establishing service quality standards for those providers.
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Cost Estimate
October 4, 2016
H.R. 5122 would prevent the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) from implementing a proposed demonstration to modify payment for prescription drugs covered under Part B of the Medicare program. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) will manage the demonstration, and, under current law, CMMI has broad authority and funding to test various projects.