As ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on May 21, 2014
S. 1622 would establish the Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children in the Office of Tribal Justice of the Department of Justice. The 11-member commission would be tasked with completing a study of federal and nonfederal programs that serve Native American children. Under the bill, the commission would use the results of the study to develop plans and recommendations to improve those programs. S. 1622 also would allow the commission to use staff detailed from other federal agencies to complete its work and reimburse commission members for traveling expenses.
Based on the costs of similar commissions, CBO estimates that implementing the legislation would cost about $3 million over the 2015-2019 period, subject to appropriation of the necessary amounts, mostly to pay salaries and expenses of employees detailed to the commission.
Enacting S. 1622 also would affect direct spending because it would authorize the new commission to accept and spend gifts; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures apply. However, CBO estimates that the net effect on direct spending would be insignificant. Enacting S. 1622 would not affect revenues.
S. 1622 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
