H.R. 3256 would extend the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program through May 1, 2025, and make several other changes to the program; the authority to carry out the current program will expire in April 2020. In total, CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 3256 would cost $372 million over the 2020-2024 period; such spending would be subject to the appropriation of the estimated amounts (see Table 1). Another $77 million would be spent after 2024 to pay for the costs of the program until its expiration. In addition, the bill would increase revenues by less than $500,000 over the 2020-2029 period, CBO estimates.
Under CFATS, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regulates security at facilities that manufacture, store, or distribute any of more than 300 chemicals that could be used by terrorists to cause mass injury or death. The regulations set minimum standards for perimeter security, access control, personnel security, and cybersecurity to reduce the risk that those chemicals could be stolen, released, or sabotaged. DHS provides technical assistance and inspects regulated facilities to ensure that they meet those standards. For 2019, the Congress appropriated $74 million for the CFATS program.
On the basis of amounts appropriated for the CFATS program, CBO estimates that extending the program through May 1, 2025, under current law would cost $344 million over the