S. 1623 would establish the Maritime Washington National Heritage Area in the state of Washington. The bill would direct the National Park Service (NPS) to select a local entity to develop a plan to manage lands within the proposed heritage area, subject to the agency’s approval. Finally, the legislation would authorize the appropriation of $10 million over a 15-year period to cover the agency’s oversight costs and to provide assistance to the local entity that will manage the heritage area.
Based on information from the NPS on the costs for oversight of existing heritage areas, CBO expects that the agency would spend between $150,000 and $300,000 annually to review the proposed management plan, provide assistance to the local management entity, and carry out other routine activities related to overseeing the proposed heritage area. Thus, CBO estimates that implementing S. 1623 would cost $1 million over the 2017-2021 period and an additional $3 million in later years.
Enacting the legislation would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
CBO estimates that enacting S. 1623 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2027.
S. 1623 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act. Any costs to state, local, or tribal entities resulting from designation of the maritime lands as a National Heritage Area, including cost-sharing contributions, would be incurred voluntarily.
