H.R. 502 would permanently authorize the annual deposit of at least $900 million from various federal sources into the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). Amounts in the fund are used to acquire land and to make grants to states to support outdoor recreation. The current authorization expires on October 1, 2018.
The LWCF is permanently authorized to spend any amounts deposited in the fund if they are subsequently appropriated. By permanently authorizing deposits into the fund, H.R. 502 would increase the amounts that are available for appropriation. Assuming appropriations from the fund are provided at historical levels, the fund has sufficient balances to cover appropriations for the next five years. Therefore, CBO estimates that the transfer would not increase spending subject to appropriation.
The bill also would modify certain LWCF program requirements and would direct the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture to develop a list of priority projects to increase access to public lands. Using information on the costs of similar tasks, CBO estimates that implementing those provisions would cost less than $500,000; such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
Enacting H.R. 502 would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 502 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2029.
H.R. 502 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would benefit state governments by permanently authorizing federal assistance from the LWCF.
