H.R. 3493 would establish in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) the Securing the Cities initiative, a program to detect illicit nuclear and radiological material in urban areas. The bill also would require the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report to the Congress on the effectiveness of this program.
DHS is currently carrying out activities similar to those required by the bill, and CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 3493 would not significantly affect spending by DHS. Based on the cost of similar reports, we estimate that it would cost GAO less than $500,000 to prepare the report required by the bill; any costs would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds. Because enacting the legislation would not affect direct spending or revenues, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
H.R. 3493 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
