S. 284 would require the Departments of State and Treasury to impose sanctions on people and entities (persons) responsible for human rights violations or significant corruption in foreign countries; that requirement would expire on December 31, 2019. Those persons would be ineligible for entry into the United States, would have any existing visas revoked, and would have their assets frozen if they fall under U.S. jurisdiction. The legislation also would require periodic reports to the Congress on the implementation of the act.
Based on information from the Department of State, CBO expects the department would hire seven additional staff to implement the act’s provisions at an annual cost of about $200,000 per person. CBO further estimates that other administrative costs to the Department of the Treasury would total less than $500,000 over the next five years. On that basis, and incorporating the effects of inflation, CBO estimates that implementing S. 284 would cost $4 million over the 2017-2021 period; such spending would depend on the availability of appropriated funds.
Pay-as-you-go procedures apply to this legislation because it would affect direct spending and revenues; however, CBO estimates that those effects would not be significant. Enacting S. 284 would decrease revenues from visa fees and increase revenues from civil and criminal penalties imposed on those who violate the regulations. CBO estimates that the provisions would affect few persons and that revenues deposited in the Treasury would not be significant in any year. The legislation also would increase direct spending from criminal penalties which are deposited in the Crime Victims Fund, and can be spent in subsequent years without further appropriation action. However, CBO estimates that any such spending would not be significant in any year.
