Description:
S. 2979 would require the Department of Transportation, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Government Accountability Office to undertake several studies related to drug use and the prevention of such drug use by operators of different modes of transportation. Those agencies would be required to report to the Congress on the relevant findings at varying times following enactment. CBO assumes that the bill will be enacted in fiscal year 2020. Under that assumption, the agencies could incur some costs in 2020, but CBO expects that most of the costs would be incurred in 2021 and later. Any spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds. Using information on the costs of similar studies and reports, CBO estimates that implementing S. 2979 would cost $2 million over the 2020-2025 period. S. 2979 would impose a private-sector mandate as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) on the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (commonly known as Amtrak). The bill would require the company to establish an electronic database containing drug and alcohol test records for employees in safety-sensitive positions and establish procedures for tracking and monitoring drug and alcohol testing information maintained in the database. The bill would require Amtrak to complete those actions within 18 months of enactment and to submit two reports on related safety issues to the Congress.
