Description:
H.R. 2603 would prevent the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) from treating non-native species as threated or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). That change would eliminate certain permitting requirements under the ESA related to the handling of those species. Based on an analysis of information provided by USFWS, CBO estimates that implementing the bill would have no significant effect on the federal budget.
Enacting H.R. 2603 would reduce offsetting receipts, which are treated as reductions in direct spending, from fees for permits issued under the ESA related to the handling of non-native species; those fees can be subsequently spent without appropriation action. Because enacting the bill would affect direct spending, pay-as-you-go procedures apply. However, CBO estimates that the net effect on direct spending would be negligible. Enacting the bill would not affect revenues.
CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 2603 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits by more than $2.5 billion in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2028.
H.R. 2603 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
