S. 1118 would authorize the appropriation of $10 million each year over the 2018-2022 period for programs to improve access to information in North Korea, promote democracy and respect for human rights in that country, and provide humanitarian assistance to North Korean refugees. The bill also would require reports to the Congress on the implementation of those programs and related matters. Finally, the bill would repeal existing authorizations of appropriations that total $10 million each year over the 2017-2021 period. Of that amount, $2 million was authorized annually for that same period for a single report that is due in 2017. CBO expects that if any appropriations were provided after 2017 pursuant to that authorization, those amounts would not be needed for that report and would not be available for spending on other purposes.
As shown in the following table, CBO estimates that implementing S. 1118 would cost, on net, $9 million over the 2018-2022 period, assuming appropriation actions consistent with the legislation. CBO estimates that the reporting requirements would cost less than $500,000 over the 2018-2022 period; such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
