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1 Andrew Laughlin, et al., CBO Explains Its Principles for Identifying Mandates in Legislation 1 (May 25, 2023)

handle is hein.congrec/cboesisp0001 and id is 1 raw text is: CB O Explains Its Principles for Identifying Mandates in Legislation In cost estimates, the Congressional Budget Office provides information to the Congress about the effects of legislation on the federal budget. As required by the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (UMRA), the agency also examines some of the effects of federal legislation on state, local, and tribal governments and on private-sector entities by identifying what that act defines as mandates. In general, mandates require a nonfederal entity to take an action or comply with a prohibition. The federal minimum wage is an example of such a mandate on public and private-sector employers, who are required by federal law to pay a minimum hourly amount to certain employees. As defined in UMRA, the direct costs of that mandate are the additional amounts paid by employers. (The question of who ultimately bears those costs is more complicated and beyond the scope of UMRA.) UMRA aims to ensure that the Congress receives information about the presence and potential costs to nonfederal entities of federal mandates as it considers proposed legislation. CBO, through its Public and Private Mandates Unit, provides such information to the Congress. To promote a thorough understanding of the agency's analyses, this primer describes the principles that CBO follows to identify mandates in legislation. Notes: This document is one in a series of primers explaining various elements of CBO's work to support the budget process and to help the Congress make budget and economic policy. This and other primers in the series are available at www.cbo.gov/topics/budget/budget-concepts-and-process. For an explanation of key terms used throughout this primer, see Congressional Budget Office, Common Budgetary Terms Explained (December 2021), www.cbo.gov/publication/57420; for detailed definitions, see CBO's Glossary at www.cbo.gov/publication/42904.