H.R. 3590 would establish or amend certain laws related to the use of firearms and other recreational activities on federal lands. The bill also would authorize the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to permanently allow any state to provide hunting and conservation stamps for migratory birds (referred to as federal duck stamps). In addition, the bill would require the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to charge an annual permit fee for small crews that conduct commercial filming activities on certain federal lands. Finally, the bill would require the Secretary of the Interior to issue permits to certain hunters seeking to import polar bear remains from Canada.
Based on information provided by the affected agencies, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 3590 would have no significant net impact on the federal budget. Enacting the legislation would affect direct spending and revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures apply. However, CBO estimates that the net budgetary effects would not be significant in any year.
H.R. 3590 contains no intergovernmental mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA).
H.R. 3590 would impose a private-sector mandate as defined in UMRA by eliminating an individual’s existing right to seek compensation from the federal government for damages occurring at a public target range supported by federal funds. The cost of the mandate would be the forgone value of awards and settlements in such claims. Information from the Department of the Interior indicates that few, if any, of those types of lawsuits are brought against the U.S. government. Because such claims would probably continue to be uncommon in the future, CBO estimates that the cost of the mandate would be small and fall well below the annual threshold established in UMRA for private-sector mandates ($152 milion in 2014, adjusted annually for inflation).
