S. 384, a bill to require the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, to help facilitate the adoption of composite technology in infrastructure in the United States, and for other purposes
Cost Estimate
As ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on July 10, 2019
S. 384 would require the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST, within the Department of Commerce) to implement recommendations from a report on the use of fiber-reinforced composite materials in infrastructure projects. The report recommends that NIST test the composites’ durability and develop industry standards for their use in infrastructure projects; establish a clearinghouse for information on their design, manufacture, and use; and disseminate educational and training information to academia and private industry.
Using information from NIST, CBO expects the agency would complete most of that work by 2023. CBO estimates that NIST would need to hire 20 employees including scientists, engineers, and software developers at an average annual cost of $240,000 per employee, totaling about $22 million over the 2019-2024 period. CBO expects that research grants and contracting costs would total about $6 million a year, or $24 million over that same period. Finally, CBO estimates that materials and equipment would cost roughly $4 million in the first few years. In total, and assuming appropriation of the estimated amounts, CBO estimates that implementing S. 384 would cost $50 million over the 2019-2024 period.
The costs of the legislation (detailed in Table 1) fall within budget function 370 (commerce and housing credit).