Description:
H.R. 4003 would direct all federal agencies, with the help of the Department of Justice, to prepare a report to the Congress that lists each agency rule that is enforced through a criminal penalty. The report also would weigh the use of a criminal penalty for enforcement against a number of criteria.
CBO is unaware of any comprehensive source of information on criminal penalties used to enforce regulations. However, based on information from a few federal agencies, CBO expects that on average it would take large agencies a few months to compile the information. CBO estimates the report would cost about $1 million to prepare over the 2016-2017 period; such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
Enacting H.R. 4003 could affect direct spending by some agencies (such as the Tennessee Valley Authority) because they are authorized to use receipts from the sale of goods, fees, and other collections to cover their operating costs. Therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures apply. Because most of those agencies can make adjustments to the amounts collected, CBO estimates that any net changes in direct spending by those agencies would be negligible. Enacting the bill would not affect revenues.
CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 4003 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2026.
H.R. 4003 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal governments.
