H.R. 963 would prohibit predispute arbitration agreements or joint-action waivers from being valid or enforceable if they require arbitration of an employment, consumer, antitrust, or civil rights dispute. As a result of the bill, CBO expects that the number of lawsuits filed in federal courts—particularly suits concerning employment and consumer disputes—would increase each year. The magnitude of the change is subject to significant uncertainty.
The federal judiciary charges fees to file suit in district court. Those fees are recorded as revenues and can be spent without further appropriation by courts. Under the bill, CBO expects that several hundred additional suits would be filed each year and that the resulting change in revenues would total $2 million over the 2022-2031 period. CBO estimates that the bill would increase direct spending by the same amount over that period.
