[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 83 (Monday, June 16, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5689-S5690]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE--H.R. 363

  Mr. NICKLES. Mr. President, when the Subcommittee on Energy Research, 
Development, Production, and Regulation of the Energy and Natural 
Resources Committee filed its report on H.R. 363, to amend section 2118 
of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 to extend the Electric and Magnetic 
Fields Research and Public Information Dissemination program, the 
estimates from the Congressional Budget Office were not available. The 
report has now been received and I ask unanimous consent that it be 
printed in the Record for the information of the Senate and the public.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record as follows:
     H.R. 363--An act to amend section 2118 of the Energy Policy 
         Act of 1992 to extend the Electric and Magnetic Fields 
         Research and Public Information Dissemination program
       Summary: H.R. 363 would extend and modify the authorization 
     for a multiyear initiative focused on the health effects of 
     electric and magnetic fields. This interagency research 
     effort, which is funded jointly with the private sector, is 
     administered by the Department of Energy (DOE). The current 
     authorization allows the appropriation of up to $65 million 
     over a multiyear period ending in 1997, provided that 
     nonfederal sources match the federal funds. Since the 
     program's inception in 1993, appropriations have totaled $20 
     million and have been matched by a corresponding amount of 
     nonfederal support. Enacting this legislation would enable 
     the program to receive funding through 1998, and would reduce 
     the multiyear authorization ceiling to $46 million.
       Assuming funds are appropriated for these activities in 
     1998, CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 363 would result in 
     additional discretionary spending of $4 million over the 
     1998-2002 period. The legislation would not affect direct 
     spending or receipts; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures 
     would not apply. The legislation does not contain any 
     intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in 
     the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995.
       Estimated cost to the federal government: The estimated 
     budgetary impact of H.R. 363 is shown in the table on the 
     following page. For purposes of this estimate, CBO assumes 
     that appropriations for this program would total $4 million 
     in 1998, the amount provided under current law for 1997, and 
     that this amount would be matched by nonfederal sources. 
     Although the amount authorized to be appropriated in 1998 
     could total up to $26 million (the balance between the $46 
     million cap and the $20 million appropriated to date), CBO 
     estimates that the program only needs about $4 million to 
     complete it mission. We assume outlays would follow 
     historical spending patterns for such research and 
     assessment activities at DOE.

                    SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION                   
                [By fiscal year, in millions of dollars]                
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                 1997   1998   1999   2000   2001   2002
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Spending under current law:                                             
    Budget authority \1\......      4      0      0      0      0      0
    Estimated outlays.........      5      2      1      0      0      0
Proposed changes:                                                       
    Authorized level..........      0      4      0      0      0      0
    Estimated outlays.........      0      2      1      1      0      0
Spending under H.R. 363:                                                
    Authorization level \1\...      4      4      0      0      0      0
    Estimated outlays.........      5      4      2      1      0      0
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The 1997 level is the amount appropriated for that year.            

       The costs of this legislation fall within budget function 
     270 (energy).
       Pay-as-you-go considerations: None.
       Intergovernmental and private-sector impact: H.R. 363 
     contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as 
     defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995, and 
     would not impose any costs on state, local, or tribal 
     governments.
       Previous CBO estimate: CBO has prepared cost estimates for 
     two other versions of H.R. 363. On March 6, 1997, CBO 
     transmitted a cost

[[Page S5690]]

     estimate for H.R. 363 as ordered reported by the House 
     Committee on Commerce on March 5, 1997. On April 17, 1997, 
     CBO prepared an estimate for the version ordered reported by 
     the House Committee on Science on April 16, 1997. The three 
     estimates for H.R. 363 are identical.
       Estimate prepared by: Kathleen Gramp.
       Estimate approved by: Robert A. Sunshine, Deputy Assistant 
     Director for Budget Analysis.

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