[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 187 (Monday, October 25, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1139]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    COST ESTIMATE FOR H.R. 3263, THE DHS MEDICAL COUNTERMEASURES ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, October 25, 2021

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I include in the Record 
the cost estimate prepared by the Congressional Budget Office for H.R. 
3263, the DHS Medical Countermeasures Act. The cost estimate was not 
available at the time of the Committee report filing.

                                                    U.S. Congress,


                                  Congressional Budget Office,

                                 Washington, DC, October 22, 2021.
     Hon. Bennie G. Thompson,
      Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security, House of 
         Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
     prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 3263, the DHS 
     Medical Countermeasures Act.
       If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
     pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Lindsay 
     Wylie.
           Sincerely,
                                                Phillip L. Swagel,
                                                         Director.
       Enclosure.

  H.R. 3263, DHS MEDICAL COUNTERMEASURES ACT AS PASSED BY THE HOUSE OF
                    REPRESENTATIVES ON JULY 20, 2021-
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                          By fiscal year, millions of
                                                    dollars
                                     -----------------------------------
                                         2022      2022-2026   2022-2031
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Direct Spending (Outlays)...........          0           0           0
Revenues............................          0           0           0
Increase or Decrease (-) in the               0           0           0
 Deficit............................
Spending Subject to Appropriation             1           5           *
 (Outlays)..........................
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* = not estimated.

       Statutory pay-as-you-go procedures apply? No.
       Increases on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 
     10-year periods beginning in 2032? No.
       Mandate Effects:
       Contains intergovernmental mandate? No.
       Contains private-sector mandate? No.
       H.R. 3263 would require the Department of Homeland Security 
     (DHS) to establish a medical countermeasures program, led by 
     the Chief Medical Officer, to facilitate the agency's 
     preparedness for a chemical, biological, radiological, or 
     similar attack, disease outbreak, or pandemic. The act would 
     require DHS to maintain a stockpile of countermeasures 
     (including antibiotics, antivirals, and treatment for 
     radiation exposure), ensure deployment of these resources, 
     and provide training to its employees. H.R. 3263 also would 
     require the Chief Medical Officer to establish a 
     countermeasures working group, develop an integrated 
     logistics plan within 120 days, and report to the Congress on 
     implementation of the program within six months.
       DHS currently maintains a medical countermeasures 
     stockpile. Using information provided by the agency, CBO 
     estimates DHS would need three new employees to modernize the 
     program and meet the training, oversight, and reporting 
     requirements in H.R. 3263. Furthermore, the agency would 
     require about $500,000 per year to replace and modernize 
     materials in the stockpile. On that basis, CBO estimates DHS 
     would spend $5 million over the 2022-2026 period to implement 
     the legislation; such spending would be subject to the 
     availability of appropriated funds.
       The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Lindsay Wylie. 
     The estimate was reviewed by Leo Lex, Deputy Director of 
     Budget Analysis.

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