Description:
H.R. 3279 would require the Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS) to prepare a report each year on the amount of fees and other expenses awarded by federal courts to nonfederal entities when they prevail in a case against the United States. The bill also would require the ACUS to create an online searchable database containing information about cases in which fees and expenses were awarded by courts or federal agencies. The ACUS is an independent agency that assists other agencies of the federal government in improving regulatory and other administrative procedures.
Based on information from the ACUS, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 3279 would cost about $1 million in fiscal year 2016 and less than $500,000 each year thereafter, assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts. Those funds would cover costs for additional ACUS staff, technological upgrades, and data collection by federal agencies.
Because enacting the bill would not affect direct spending or revenues, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply. CBO also estimates that enacting H.R. 3279 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2026.
H.R. 3279 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates
