H.R. 3578 would direct the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish a program to employ, for up to two years, current students or graduates of postgraduate programs in scientific or engineering fields. The bill also would require the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report to the Congress on the department’s use of universities to carry out DHS research.
Based on information from DHS about previous efforts to hire students or recent graduates, CBO estimates that the new program would cost about $1 million annually. Based on the cost of similar reports, CBO also estimates that it would cost GAO less than $500,000 to prepare the report required by the bill. Such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
Because enacting the legislation would not affect direct spending or revenues, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply. CBO also estimates that enacting H.R. 3578 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2026.
H.R. 3578 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.
