S. 2309 would require the Secretary of the Interior to establish, within the National Park Service (NPS), the African American Civil Rights Network, the purpose of which would be to coordinate federal and nonfederal activities to commemorate, honor, and interpret the history of the African American civil rights movement during the period from 1939 through 1968. The network would comprise existing units and programs of the NPS related to that historical period as well as the properties and programs of other federal, state, local, and private entities that join the network.
Under the bill, the NPS would produce and distribute educational materials, create and adopt an official symbol for the proposed network, establish regulations for participation, and provide technical assistance to other entities interested in joining. To support the network and its activities, the bill would authorize the agency to execute cooperative agreements and memoranda of understanding with private organizations and state and local governments.
Based on information from the NPS about the costs of administering similar programs, and assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts, CBO estimates that the agency would spend about $375,000 in the first several months following enactment to create the network. That work would include basic planning, developing educational materials and interpretive exhibits, and coordinating federal activities with those of other interested entities. In subsequent years, CBO expects that the agency would spend about $1.5 million per year to manage the network and provide assistance to participating entities under cooperative agreements. In total, CBO estimates that implementing the legislation would cost about $5.5 million over the 2017-2021 period and an additional $1.5 million annually thereafter.
Enacting the legislation would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply. CBO estimates that enacting S. 2309 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2027.
S. 2309 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.
