Description:
H.R. 2051 would reauthorize, through fiscal year 2020, reports that are produced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on the marketing and prices of cattle, swine, lambs, and products of such livestock. Current authority to produce those reports ends on September 30, 2015. The bill also would require the Secretary of Agriculture to begin daily reporting of certain negotiated purchases of swine and to conduct a study on the need to report on livestock prices to the federal government.
CBO estimates that implementing this bill would cost $36 million over the 2016-2020 period, assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts. Enacting the bill would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
The bill contains an intergovernmental mandate as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) because it would preempt state and local laws. CBO estimates the cost of complying with the mandate would be small and would fall well below the threshold established in UMRA for intergovernmental mandates ($77 million in 2015, adjusted annually for inflation).
H.R. 2051 would impose private-sector mandates, as defined in UMRA, on certain packers, processors, and importers of livestock by extending and amending mandatory reporting requirements related to cattle, swine, and lambs. Based on information from USDA and industry experts, CBO estimates that the aggregate cost of the mandates would total about $1 million annually and fall well below the annual threshold established in UMRA for private-sector mandates ($154 million in 2015, adjusted annually for inflation).
