As ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on September 18, 2024
S. 4681, Enhanced Oversight and Accountability in Screening ActAs ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on September 18, 2024 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
By Fiscal Year, Millions of Dollars | 2025 | 2025-2029 | 2025-2034 | ||||||||
Direct Spending (Outlays) | * | * | * | ||||||||
Revenues | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
Increase or Decrease (-) in the Deficit | * | * | * | ||||||||
Spending Subject to Appropriation (Outlays) | * | 3 | not estimated | ||||||||
Increases net direct spending in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2035? | No | Statutory pay-as-you-go procedures apply? | Yes | ||||||||
Mandate Effects | |||||||||||
Increases on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2035? | No | Contains intergovernmental mandate? | No | ||||||||
Contains private-sector mandate? | No | ||||||||||
* = between -$500,000 and $500,000. | |||||||||||
On This Page
S. 4681 would establish a committee to advise the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on its screening, vetting, and inspection activities at airports and other ports of entry. Under the bill, the committee would make recommendations to the department to improve its policies and procedures, including training; data collection, storage, and analysis; internal oversight; and responsiveness to complaints from the public. S. 4681 would require the committee to report to the Congress annually on its activities until its termination on December 31, 2030. The bill also would permit the committee to accept and spend donations and gifts.
S. 4681 would require DHS, within two years of enactment, to report to the Congress on a plan to improve the process for people who believe they have been wrongly identified as a threat while traveling to submit complaints to the department. The bill also would require the Department of Justice to report annually to the Congress on the consolidated terrorism watchlist, a database containing information on people known or suspected to be involved in terrorist activity. Lastly, S. 4681 would require DHS to report to the Congress annually for 11 years after enactment on the effectiveness of its enhanced screenings, which are additional security checks above what is required in airports and other ports of entry.
Based on the costs of similar activities, CBO estimates that implementing S. 4681 would cost $3 million in personnel and administrative costs over the 2025-2029 period, primarily for administrative costs related to the advisory committee’s activities. Any related spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
Additionally, enacting S. 4681 could affect direct spending by increasing the collection and spending of donations. CBO expects that any donations, which are classified in the budget as offsetting receipts (that is, as reductions in direct spending) would be small and spent soon thereafter, resulting in a negligible effect on net direct spending.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Jeremy Crimm. The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Director of Budget Analysis.
Phillip L. Swagel
Director, Congressional Budget Office