Description:
H.R. 4257 would authorize 13 western states to relinquish their rights to some of the land that the federal government granted them at statehood in exchange for federal land of equal value. Using information from the Department of the Interior (DOI) and the Forest Service, CBO estimates that enacting the legislation would reduce offsetting receipts, thus increasing direct spending, by $40 million over the 2019-2028 period. CBO expects that, under H.R. 4257, DOI would cover most administrative costs associated with those land transactions. Using information from DOI, CBO estimates that those costs would total $4 million over the 2019-2023 period; such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds. Because enacting H.R. 4257 would affect direct spending, pay-as-you-go procedures apply. The legislation would not affect revenues. CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 4257 would not increase net direct spending by more than $2.5 billion or on-budget deficits by more than $5 billion in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2029. H.R. 4257 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA).
