H.R. 302 would prohibit the Departments of Agriculture and the Interior from requiring certain entities to transfer their water rights to the United States as a condition for using public lands. The bill also would require the departments to consult with states when developing policies related to land use agreements.
CBO expects that implementing H.R. 302 would not affect the use of public land or any associated federal receipts, which are recorded in the budget as changes to direct spending. Thus, CBO estimates that enacting the bill would have no effect on direct spending. CBO estimates that the administrative costs to implement the bill would be insignificant over the 2025-2030 period. Any spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Alaina Rhee. The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Director of Budget Analysis.
Phillip L. Swagel
Director, Congressional Budget Office