S. 874 would expand and clarify existing protections for federal contractors and grantees against reprisal for disclosing that a federal agency is engaging in specific activities, including grossly mismanaging its accounts, violating the law, or endangering public health or safety.
CBO estimates that implementing S. 874 would cost less than $500,000 over the 2026-2030 period for administrative costs to update the relevant policies and procedures. Any related spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
Enacting S. 874 could affect direct spending by some agencies that are allowed to use fees, receipts from the sale of goods, and other collections to cover operating costs. CBO estimates that any net changes in direct spending by those agencies would be negligible because most of them can adjust amounts collected to reflect changes in operating costs.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Matthew Pickford. The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Director of Budget Analysis.
