Description:
S. 1886 would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to publish information regarding the safety and security of faith-based organizations and houses of worship, including best practices for those entities and information on relevant federal and state grant programs. The bill would require DHS to establish and administer a website as the primary federal source for that information within nine months of enactment. The agency also would be required to designate at least one employee to assist website users and report to the Congress annually on the bill’s implementation. The bill’s requirements would sunset four years after enactment. CBO assumes that the bill will be enacted late in fiscal year 2023, and consequently, the bill’s requirements are assumed to sunset after fiscal year 2027. Using information from DHS about similar programs, CBO estimates that implementing the bill would cost about $4 million in 2024 and $3 million each year thereafter through 2027, for a total of $13 million over the 2023-2028 period; such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds. CBO estimates that approximately $5 million would be needed for staffing over the 2023-2028 period. That estimate includes the initial cost of about 10 agency employees who would establish the website and compile information required in the bill. After 2024, CBO estimates that five employees would be needed to manage the website, develop content, assist users, and report to the Congress. The remaining $8 million would be needed for other operational costs, primarily for IT services to design and maintain the website.
