H.R. 6347 would require the Department of State to appoint a Special Advisor for Orphans and Vulnerable Children to oversee and coordinate federal assistance to such children in other countries. That position, which was established under the Assistance for Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children in Developing Countries Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-95), is currently vacant. On the basis of information about similar positions, CBO estimates appointing a special advisor would cost less than $500,000 a year and total $1 million over the 2026-2031 period. Such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
The bill also would reauthorize the Global Child Thrive Act through 2030. That act, which expired in 2025, required the department to support global activities related to early childhood development, to direct other federal agencies to promote early childhood development through their own foreign assistance programs, and to report annually to the Congress on the results of those federal efforts. The State Department indicated that it continues to integrate and promote early childhood development in foreign assistance programs. Thus, CBO expects that current activities would satisfy the reauthorized requirements of the Global Child Thrive Act.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Sunita D’Monte. The estimate was reviewed by Christina Hawley Anthony, Deputy Director of Budget Analysis.
