H.R. 3252 would require the President to prepare, periodically update, and transmit to the Congress a list of foreign persons (individuals or entities) responsible for violating human rights on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, or sex characteristics. Individuals on that list would be ineligible for visas to, or entry into, the United States. The bill also would require the Department of State to report annually to the Congress on its implementation of the bill and related matters.
The Administration has imposed similar sanctions under the Magnitsky Act (Public Law 112-208). By providing explicit authority for such sanctions, CBO estimates H.R. 3252 would result in a small increase in the number of people who would be denied visas by the department. Most visa fees are retained by the department and spent without further appropriation, but some fees are deposited in the Treasury as revenues. CBO estimates the bill’s enactment would have insignificant effects on both revenues and direct spending.
Using information about the costs of similar requirements, CBO estimates that preparing the list of sanctionable persons and providing the reports required under H.R. 3252 would cost less than $500,000 each year and total $1 million over the 2019-2024 period; such spending would be subject to availability of appropriated funds.
