Description:
As ordered reported by the House Committee on Natural Resources on December 4, 2013
H.R. 1425 would direct the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to process applications for certain grants within 60 days, if feasible. The bill also would authorize the agency to prioritize grant funding for certain events involving marine debris. Finally, if the governor of a state requests that NOAA make priority funding available for a particular marine debris event, the agency must determine whether the event is eligible for such funding within 30 days.
Based on information provided by NOAA, CBO estimates that implementing the bill would have no significant impact on the federal budget. Because, under the bill, the agency would have discretion over whether to expedite the processing of grant applications and make priority funding available, CBO expects that implementing the bill would have a minimal impact on the agency’s workload. Enacting the bill would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
H.R. 1425 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
