S. 2548 would establish a commission to plan activities and make grants to organizations to develop programs and events to commemorate 400 years of Africian American history in the United States. The bill would authorize the appropriation of such sums as may be necessary for that commission. The commission would consist of 15 members and would have four years to report to the Congress on its activities. Members would serve without pay but would be reimbursed for travel expenses. The legislation would allow the commission to make grants to communities, nonprofit organizations, and other groups to conduct activities to commemorate that anniversary. In addition, the commission could hire staff, use personnel from other federal agencies or state governments, and accept volunteers to perform its work. The commission would submit a final report to the Congress and terminate on July 1, 2020.
Based on the cost of similar commissions, CBO estimates that establishing the commission would cost about $2 million annually and total $8 million over the 2017-2020 period, assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts. Enacting the bill would affect direct spending because it would authorize the commission to accept and spend monetary gifts; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures apply. However, CBO estimates that the net effect on direct spending would be negligible. Enacting S. 2548 would not affect revenues.
CBO estimates that enacting S. 2548 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2027.
S. 2548 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments.
