Description:
H.R. 1872 would require the Department of State to deny visas to individuals who have been involved in restricting access by foreigners to Tibetan areas of China, and it would require the department to revoke existing visas issued to such individuals. The bill would require the department to report to the Congress about those visa denials and revocations, the individuals responsible for limiting access to Tibetan areas, and the access granted to U.S. officials, journalists, and tourists to those areas. On the basis of information from the department about the costs of similar reporting requirements, CBO estimates that implementing the bill would cost less than $500,000 over the 2019-2023 period. That spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds. Enacting H.R. 1872 would increase the number of people who would be denied visas by the Department of State. Most visa fees are retained by the department and spent without further appropriation, but some fees are deposited in the Treasury as revenues. Pay-as-you-go procedures apply to this bill because enacting it would affect direct spending and revenues. However, CBO expects H.R. 1872 would affect very few additional people and thus would have insignificant effects on both revenues and direct spending. CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 1872 would not significantly increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2029. H.R. 1872 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
