[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 39 (Thursday, March 25, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3173-S3174]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               CBO REPORT

  Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, at the time Senate Report No. 108-233 
was filed, the Congressional Budget Office report was not available. I 
ask unanimous consent that the report, which is now available, be 
printed in the Record for the information of the Senate.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                                                    U.S. Congress,


                                  Congressional Budget Office,

                                   Washington, DC, March 22, 2004.
     Hon. Pete V. Domenici,
     Chairman, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, U.S. 
         Senate, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
     prepared the enclosed cost estimate for S. 1107, the 
     Recreational Fee Authority Act of 2004.
       If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
     pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Deborah 
     Reis, who can be reached at 226-2860.
           Sincerely,
                                              Douglas Holtz-Eakin,
                                                         Director.
       Enclosure.

            S. 1107--Recreational Fee Authority Act of 2004

       Summary: S. 1107 would authorize the National Park Service 
     (NPS) to establish, charge, and modify admission and user 
     fees at units of the National Park System. Section 3 of the 
     bill would allow the NPS to retain and spend all offsetting 
     receipts collected under this authority without further 
     appropriation. Both the authority to collect and to spend NPS 
     recreation receipts would become effective on January 1, 
     2006, the day after the existing recreation fee demonstration 
     program expires. (Created in 1996, the demonstration program 
     authorizes the NPS and other federal land management agencies 
     to charge higher recreation fees than would otherwise be 
     permitted and to spend the proceeds.)
       The effect of S. 1107 on total recreation fee receipts and 
     spending would partly depend on how the NPS would use the 
     bill's authorities in conjunction with current law following 
     the expiration of the current demonstration program. For this 
     estimate, CBO assumes that the NPS would use the authorities 
     provided under S. 1107 to continue the

[[Page S3174]]

     recreation fee demonstration program permanently. We estimate 
     that direct spending would increase under the bill by $592 
     million over the 2006-2014 period because the bill would 
     authorize the spending of fee collections that would not 
     otherwise be available.
       This legislation contains no intergovernmental or private-
     sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform 
     Act (UMRA) and would impose no costs on state, local, or 
     tribal governments.
       Estimated cost to the Federal Government: The estimated net 
     budgetary impact of S. 1107 is summarized in the table below. 
     The costs of this legislation fall within budget function 300 
     (natural resources and environment).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                         By fiscal year, in millions of dollars--
                                ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                    2004       2005       2006       2007       2008       2009       2010       2011       2012       2013       2014
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                     DIRECT SPENDING
 
NPS Recreation Fee Program Net
 Spending Under Current Law:
    Budget Authority \1\.......          0          0        -63        -79        -81        -82        -84        -86        -88        -89        -91
    Estimated Outlays..........          6         30         76          5        -59        -79        -84        -86        -88        -89        -91
Proposed Changes:
    Authorization Level........          0          0         63         79         81         82         84         86         88         89         91
    Estimated Outlays..........          0          0         -4         33         62         77         82         83         85         86         88
NPS Recreation Fee Program Net
 Spending Under S. 1107:
    Authorization Level........          0          0          0          0          0          0          0          0          0          0          0
    Estimated Outlays..........          6         30         72         38          3          0         -2         -3         -3         -3         -3
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The current law amounts represent net direct spending of the NPS under the existing recreation fee demonstration program (which expires on December
  31, 2005) and under the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act (LWCFA), which will govern the collection and spending of NPS recreation fees after
  December 31, 2005.

       Basis of Estimate: For this estimate, CBO assumes that the 
     NPS would collect and spend recreation fees at all park units 
     under the authority provided by S. 1107, at rates similar to 
     those it now charges under the recreation demonstration 
     program. S. 1107 would provide broad, permanent authority to 
     collect and spend recreation fees at NPS sites similar to 
     that contained in the temporary recreation fee demonstration 
     program. Unlike that program, however, the bill would not 
     specifically repeal or override the fee-related provisions in 
     the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act (LWCFA). The LWCFA 
     will govern the collection and spending of recreation fees 
     after December 31, 2005. Moreover, the bill would not apply 
     to other federal land management agencies that offer similar, 
     often competing, recreation opportunities. This estimate is 
     based on information provided by NPS and assumes that the NPS 
     determines that the fee caps, fee prohibitions, and other fee 
     limitations contained in the LWCFA would not apply to fees 
     that would be established under S. 1107.
       CBO estimates that enacting S. 1107 would essentially 
     continue the current recreation demonstration program. The 
     bill--like the demonstration program--would allow the NPS to 
     spend 100 percent of all receipts. Starting in 2006, the 
     LWCFA would otherwise authorize the spending of 15 percent of 
     recreation receipts.
       The net effect of these changes would be an increase in 
     direct spending authority of $63 million for fiscal year 
     2006, $79 million in 2007 (the first full year after the new 
     authority would become effective), and $745 million through 
     fiscal year 2014. CBO estimates that outlays from this new 
     spending authority would total $592 million over the 2006-
     2014 period.
       Under the bill, recreation fees could also increase by as 
     much as $32 million in 2006 and between $41 million and $47 
     million a year thereafter, but any new receipts would be 
     offset by an identical increase in new spending. If the NPS 
     were to determine that it must abide by specific restrictions 
     in the LWCFA when establishing fees under S. 1107, the agency 
     would probably not implement any significant increase in 
     offsetting receipts. In the event that no new receipts could 
     be collected under S. 1107, the NPS would be authorized to 
     spend recreation fees under the bill, and the net budget 
     impact would be similar.
       In addition, because fees charged by other land-management 
     agencies would not be increased under S. 1107, it is possible 
     that the NPS might not be able to charge higher fees at some 
     parks without putting itself at a competitive disadvantage 
     with other federal recreation providers. In that event, the 
     NPS may not be able to increase rates to the level estimated 
     here; however, the net budget impact would be the same 
     because spending would fall by the same amount.
       Intergovernmental and private-sector impact: S. 1107 
     contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as 
     defined in UMRA and would impose no costs on state, local, or 
     tribal governments.
       Estimate prepared by: Federal Costs: Deborah Reis (226-
     2860); Impact on State, Local, and Tribal Governments: 
     Marjorie Miller (225-3220); and Impact on the Private Sector: 
     Selena Caldera (226-2966).
       Estimate approved by: Peter H. Fontaine, Deputy Assistant 
     Director for Budget Analysis.

                          ____________________