Mandates

According to the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995, federal mandates include requirements imposed on state, local, or tribal governments or on entities in the private sector that are not conditions of aid or tied to participation in voluntary federal programs. CBO identifies such mandates in bills that are approved by authorizing committees (and, when requested, for other legislation) and provides an estimate of the costs associated with the mandates.

QUICK LINKS

  • Report
    CBO Explains Its Principles for Identifying Mandates in Legislation

    As defined by the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995, mandates generally require a nonfederal entity to take an action or comply with a prohibition. This primer describes the principles that CBO follows to identify mandates in legislation.

  • United States Capitol Building in Washington, DC
    Report
    CBO’s Activities Under the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act

    CBO reviews hundreds of bills and public laws for intergovernmental and private-sector mandates each year and estimates whether the annual costs of those mandates would exceed thresholds established in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act. Data are available for calendar years 2013 through 2019, and new data are added periodically throughout the year.