As ordered reported by the House Committee on the Judiciary on September 17, 2014
H.R. 5233 would establish a federal remedy for individuals seeking relief from the misappropriation of trade secrets. Under the bill, an owner of a trade secret could file a civil action in a district court, and the court may issue an order to seize any property necessary to preserve evidence for the civil action. The legislation would require the Department of Justice (DOJ) to submit periodic reports on theft of trade secrets in the United States.
Based on information provided by the DOJ and the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 5233 would have no significant effect on the federal budget. Enacting H.R. 5233 would affect direct spending and revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures apply. Specifically, the bill would affect civil court filing fees, which are recorded in the budget as revenues. A portion of those revenues would be spent without further appropriation. However, CBO estimates that the net budget effect would be insignificant for each year and over the 2015-2024 period.
H.R. 5233 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal governments.
