H.R. 2051 would amend and extend through 2020 the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) authority to require certain meat packers to report on the supply, demand, and prices of certain livestock. The bill also would authorize the appropriation of matching funds for administrative and project expenses to the National Forest Foundation through 2018; that authorization expired on September 30, 1996. Finally, H.R. 2051 would authorize the appropriation of such sums as may be necessary for the Grain Inspection, Packers, and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) to carry out activities under the United States Grain Standards Act and extend GIPSA’s authority to collect and spend fees for certain inspection and weighing services.
CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 2051 would cost $151 million over the 2016-2020 period, assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts. Enacting the bill would affect direct spending; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures apply. However, CBO estimates that such effects would not be significant in any year. Enacting the bill would not affect revenues.
H.R. 2051 contains an intergovernmental mandate as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) because it would preempt state and local laws. CBO estimates the cost of complying with the mandate would be small and would fall well below the threshold established in UMRA for intergovernmental mandates ($77 million in 2015, adjusted annually for inflation).
H.R. 2051 would impose a private-sector mandate, as defined in UMRA, on grain exporters by extending GIPSA’s authority to collect fees. It also would impose a mandate on certain packers, processors, and importers of livestock by extending and amending mandatory reporting requirements related to cattle, swine, and lambs. Based on information from USDA and industry experts, CBO estimates that the aggregate cost of the mandates would fall below the annual threshold established in UMRA for private-sector mandates ($154 million in 2015, adjusted annually for inflation).
