S. 1417 would amend and extend, through 2020, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s authority to carry out its responsibilities under the United States Grain Standards Act. The bill would authorize the appropriation of whatever amounts are necessary for the Grain Inspection, Packers, and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) to carry out activities under that act and extend GIPSA’s authority to collect and spend fees for certain inspection and weighing services. S. 1417 also would allow the Secretary of Agriculture to authorize state agencies to perform those services for grain destined for export and would specify procedures to follow during disruptions in services.
CBO estimates that implementing S. 1417 would cost $106 million over the 2016-2020 period, assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts. Enacting the bill would affect direct spending; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures apply. However, CBO estimates that the net effect on direct spending would not be significant in any year. The bill would not affect revenues.
S. 1417 contains no intergovernmental mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments. The bill would extend the GIPSA’s authority to collect fees from state agencies to which it has delegated responsibilities under the Grain Standards Act, but the agencies pay those fees as a condition of participating in a voluntary federal program.
S. 1417 would impose a private-sector mandate, as defined in UMRA, on grain exporters by extending GIPSA’s authority to collect fees. Based on information from GIPSA, CBO estimates that the cost of complying with the mandate would fall below the annual threshold established in UMRA for private-sector mandates ($154 million in 2015, adjusted annually for inflation).
