Description:
H.R. 5332 would require the President to develop a plan to promote the participation of women abroad in conflict prevention, management, resolution, and recovery, and to train personnel of the Departments of Defense (DoD) and State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in such matters. In addition, the bill would require the Department of State and USAID to provide their staff with guidelines on consulting with appropriate stakeholders and to report at intervals to the Congress on the implementation of those requirements. In total, CBO estimates that implementing the bill would cost $15 million over the 2017-2021 period, assuming appropriation of the estimated amounts.
Pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply because enacting H.R. 5332 would not affect direct spending or revenues. CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 5332 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2027.
Under the bill, DoD would be required to train personnel (prior to deploying to certain regions) on the importance of involving women in the following areas: conflict prevention, mitigation, and resolution; protecting civilians from violence; and combating human trafficking. On the basis of information from DoD about the cost of similar training programs, CBO estimates that it would cost $15 million over the 2017-2021 period for DoD to train personnel, assuming the appropriation of the estimated amounts.
In 2011, the President issued Executive Order 13595 instituting a national action plan to promote the inclusion of women in advancing peace and security in areas with significant conflict. Based on the efforts of the Department of State and USAID under that action plan, CBO concludes that many of the bill’s requirements are being satisfied under current law. CBO estimates that any additional efforts by the department and USAID and the bill’s required reports would cost less than $500,000 over the 2017-2021 period; such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
