H.R. 2872, a bill to amend the Permanent Electronic Duck Stamp Act of 2013 to allow the Secretary of the Interior to issue electronic stamps under such Act, and for other purposes

H.R. 2872 would expand the use of electronic Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamps (referred to as federal duck stamps), which are annual permits sold by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to hunters of migratory waterfowl. Under current law, the agency must send a physical duck stamp within 45 days of purchase. H.R. 2872 would allow the physical duck stamp to be sent later and, in the interim, allow the electronic stamp to count as proof of purchase.

CBO assumes that the bill will be enacted late in fiscal year 2023. Using information about the cost of similar activities, CBO estimates that implementing the changes under H.R. 2872 would have an insignificant effect on administrative costs of the USFWS.

Under current law, amounts collected from the sale of duck stamps are deposited into the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund and are recorded in the budget as revenues. Those collections are available to be spent without further appropriation for waterfowl conservation projects. CBO expects sales of duck stamps would not be significantly affected under the bill. Thus, CBO estimates that enacting the bill would have no significant effect on direct spending or revenues in any year and over the 2023-2033 period.