H.R. 4240 would direct the Government Accountability Office to prepare a study within one year of enactment on the operation and administration of the Terrorist Screening Database (commonly referred to as the Terrorist Watchlist) maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The database consolidates all terrorist information collected by the federal government for all terrorist screening systems. The report to the Congress would weigh whether weaknesses and vulnerabilities that have been identified in the database have been corrected. Based on the cost of similar studies, CBO estimates the report would cost less than $500,000 over the 2016-2017 period; such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
Because enacting the bill would not affect direct spending or revenues, pay-as-you go procedures do not apply. CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 4240 would not increase direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2026.
H.R. 4240 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.
