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cost estimate
June 7, 2012
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As ordered reported by the House Committee on Homeland Security on May 9, 2012
CBO estimates that H.R. 2356 would authorize the appropriation of $394 million over the 2013-2017 period for programs in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and other agencies to address the threat of weapons of mass destruction.
Assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 2356 would cost $342 million over the 2013-2017 period. The bill would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
H.R. 2356 would impose intergovernmental and private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) by requiring public and private laboratories to comply with new security standards. Because the number of entities affected, the types of toxins and biologic agents covered, and the nature of security measures required would depend on future regulatory actions, CBO cannot estimate the costs of the mandates or whether they would exceed the annual thresholds for intergovernmental or private-sector mandates ($73 million and $146 million in 2012, respectively, adjusted annually for inflation).