As ordered reported by the House Committee on Natural Resources on April 9, 2013
CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 863 would have no significant effect on the federal budget. The legislation 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 insignificant. Enacting H.R. 863 would not affect revenues.
H.R. 863 would establish a commission to prepare a report containing recommendations for establishing and maintaining a National Women’s History Museum in Washington, D.C. The 8-member commission would have 18 months to produce the report and submit it to the Congress. All commission members would serve without pay but would be reimbursed for travel expenses. In addition, the commission would be authorized to hire staff and, while no federal employees could be detailed to the commission, federal agencies could provide technical support. Finally, the bill would prohibit federal funds from being used for commission expenses; it would have to rely on gifts and contributions to cover those costs.
H.R. 863 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal governments.
On April 9, 2014, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for H.R. 863, the Commission to Study the Potential Creation of a National Women’s History Museum Act of 2013, as ordered reported by the Committee on House Administration on April 2, 2013. Both versions of the bill contain similar provisions, and their estimated costs are the same.
