H.R. 2156 would establish a national monument on 440 acres of land administered by the Forest Service. The bill also would require the agency to submit recommendations to the Congress for a memorial to the victims of the Saint Francis Dam failure and to complete a management plan for the monument. CBO expects that the construction of the memorial or any other structures or improvements within the monument would be funded by donations.
Based on information provided by the Forest Service regarding the amount of staff time required to carry out the activities required under the bill, CBO estimates that implementing the legislation would cost less than $130,000 (the estimated cost of one year’s salary and benefits for a mid- to senior-level employee of the Forest Service in Los Angeles County) over the 2018-2022 period; such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds. If in accordance with the recommendations provided to the Congress from the Forest Service any improvements were made within the monument, including constructing a visitor center, the cost of managing the monument could exceed $130,000. However, CBO expects that any costs associated with those improvements would be incurred after 2022.
Enacting H.R. 2156 could affect direct spending by increasing donations, which are treated as reductions in direct spending, and the associated direct spending of those funds to construct a memorial; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures apply. However, CBO estimates that any net effect on direct spending would be negligible. Enacting the bill would not affect revenues.
CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 2156 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2028.
H.R. 2156 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments.
