S. 1941 would require the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to describe how core‑based statistical area (CBSA) delineations—geographic specifications established for the country’s largest population centers—are used to determine eligibility for and distribution of federal services and benefits. Under current law, OMB establishes standards for determining CBSA delineations, which are to be used solely for descriptive and statistical purposes. The bill would require OMB to report on the scientific basis for changing any CBSA delineation.
Federal agencies use CBSAs for nonstatistical purposes, such as determining allocations for federal funding. S. 1941 would prohibit agencies from automatically adopting any changes to CBSA delineations for nonstatistical purposes unless those changes were adopted through a public rulemaking process. Finally, the bill would require the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report on the accuracy and usefulness of published CBSA information.
Using information from OMB, CBO expects that most of the provisions in S. 1941 would build on current federal policies and practices. However, CBO also expects that OMB and GAO would incur costs to gather information on federal agencies’ use of CBSA delineations. Based on the costs of similar activities, CBO estimates that implementing S. 1941 would cost $2 million over the 2022‑2026 period; such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
Prohibiting federal agencies from automatically accepting changes to CBSA delineations for nonstatistical purposes could affect agency behavior; however, there is no comprehensive information on the use of those delineations in federal programs. Thus, CBO cannot determine whether that procedural change would result in any future costs or savings.
