Description:
S. 1251 would amend current law to implement an amendment to the Convention on Future Multilateral Cooperation in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries (Convention), which governs the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO). The bill also would authorize the appropriation of $500,000 a year to carry out the Convention. Based on information provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Department of State, CBO estimates that implementing S. 1251 would cost $2.5 million over the 2016-2020 period, assuming availability of appropriated amounts. Because enacting the bill would not affect direct spending or revenues, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
The amendment to the Convention that would be implemented under the bill would detail NAFO’s objectives and outline general management principles for the Northwest Atlantic Ocean. The amendment also would combine two governing bodies created under the Convention into a single management entity. In addition, the amendment would describe the reporting requirements, inspections, and compliance and enforcement duties of all parties to the Convention. Finally, the amendment would rewrite provisions for making and implementing decisions and for settling disputes under the Convention.
CBO has not reviewed S. 1251 for intergovernmental or private-sector mandates. Section 4 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act excludes from the application of that act any legislative provisions that are necessary for the ratification or implementation of international treaty obligations. CBO has determined that the bill falls within that exclusion.
