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H.R. 3361, USA FREEDOM Act - Committee on Intelligence 1 (May 14, 2014)

handle is hein.congrec/cbo1669 and id is 1 raw text is: CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE 0' COST ESTIMATE May 14, 2014 H.R. 3361 USA FREEDOM Act As ordered reported by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on May 8, 2014 H.R. 3361 would make several amendments to investigative and surveillance authorities of the United States government, and would specify the conditions under which the federal government may conduct certain types of surveillance. CBO does not provide estimates for classified programs; therefore, this estimate addresses only the unclassified aspects of the bill. On that limited basis, CBO estimates implementing H.R. 3361 would cost approximately $15 million over the 2015-2019 period, subject to the appropriation of the necessary amounts. Enacting H.R. 3361 also could affect direct spending and revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures apply. The bill could potentially result in additional criminal penalties because it would extend for two years the authority of the government to conduct surveillance in certain instances. Such penalties are recorded as revenues, deposited in the Crime Victims Fund, and later spent. However, CBO anticipates that any amounts collected would be minimal and the net impact would be insignificant. Effects on the Federal Budget The bill would amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Those amendments would affect the operations of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) and the Judiciary. First, H.R. 3361 would permit the FISC to appoint an amicus curiae, or friend of the court, to assist the court when the government makes an application under FISA that presents a novel or significant interpretation of FISA. Second, the bill would limit collection of telephone call records, thereby requiring the intelligence agencies--acting through the Department of Justice--to seek additional warrants from the FISC to access such data. Finally, the bill would require an annual report by the Director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AOUSC), providing data on certain types of FISA orders. Based on information from the AOUSC, CBO estimates that implementing those requirements would cost approximately $5 million over the 2015-2019 period, assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts.