H.R. 985 would establish the Concrete Masonry Products Board (Board), upon approval of a referendum by producers of masonry products made from concrete (CMP), such as cinder blocks. The Board would develop research and education programs as well as efforts to promote CMP in domestic markets. Funding for those activities would be derived from assessments on CMP manufacturers based on the number of masonry units sold each year. The bill would direct the Secretary of Commerce to organize and hold the referendum; the agency’s costs would be reimbursed by the Board from initial collections of assessments.
CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 985 would increase direct spending by $111 million and increase net revenues by $85 million over the 2016-2025 period, leading to a net increase in the deficit of $26 million over the 10-year period. Pay-as-you-go procedures apply because enacting the legislation would affect direct spending and revenues. In addition, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 985 would cost $2 million over the 2016-2020 period; such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
H.R. 985 contains no intergovernmental mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) and would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal governments.
H.R. 985 would impose private-sector mandates on manufacturers of CMP. Based on information from industry experts, CBO estimates that the annual cost of the mandates would fall well below the threshold established in UMRA for private-sector mandates ($154 million in 2015, adjusted annually for inflation).
