H.R. 4755 would direct the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to conduct outreach on privacy-enhancing technologies and would require the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support related research. The bill also would direct the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to coordinate with other federal agencies to support the deployment of privacy enhancing technologies, as well as report to the Congress about research on privacy-enhancing technologies and related policy recommendations.
Based on the cost of similar activities, CBO estimates that NIST would need two to three employees at an average annual cost of $180,000 to conduct the outreach and coordination. CBO estimates that OSTP also would incur a cost of $1 million over the 2023-2028 period for coordination and the report required under the bill. In recent years, the NSF has awarded between $20 million and $40 million annually in grants to support research on privacy-enhancing technologies. On that basis, CBO estimates that any additional costs incurred by the NSF under H.R. 4755 would not be significant. In total, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 4755 would cost $3 million over the 2023-2028 period; such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
