As ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on February 4, 2015
S. 246 would establish the Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children in the Office of Tribal Justice of the Department of Justice. The 11-member commission would be tasked with completing a study of federal and nonfederal programs that serve Native American children. Under the bill, the commission would use the results of the study to develop plans and recommendations to improve those programs. The commission would submit a report on those recommendations to the Congress and the President within three years of the formation of the commission. S. 246 also would allow the commission to use staff detailed from other federal agencies to complete its work and reimburse commission members for traveling expenses. The legislation would authorize the appropriation of $2 million to establish and run the commission.
Based on the costs of similar commissions, CBO estimates that implementing the legislation would cost about $2 million over the 2015-2020 period, subject to appropriation of the necessary amounts. Under the bill, amounts would be used to pay for travel expenses, fees for witnesses, and preparing the commission’s report. CBO estimates that any costs for employees detailed from other agencies to work for the commission would not be significant.
Enacting S. 246 would affect direct spending because it would authorize the new commission to accept and spend gifts; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures apply. However, CBO estimates that the net effect of that provision on direct spending would be insignificant. Enacting S. 246 would not affect revenues.
S. 246 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
