S. 1096 would reauthorize programs administered by the Maritime Administration (MARAD), which operates the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) and oversees the nation’s merchant marine—the civilian mariners and fleet of U.S. vessels engaged primarily in waterborne commerce. The bill would provide mandatory funding for the USMMA to continue to operate in the event of a lapse of discretionary appropriations to MARAD. S. 1096 also would provide contract authority—a mandatory form of budget authority—for MARAD to pursue certain projects on the basis of agreements with nonfederal entities that commit to making future donations to the agency.
CBO estimates that enacting S. 1096 would increase direct spending by $1.1 billion over the 2018-2027 period. We also estimate that implementing the bill would cost $272 million over the 2018-2022 period, assuming appropriation of authorized and estimated amounts.
Pay-as-you-go procedures apply because enacting the legislation would affect direct spending. Enacting the bill would not affect revenues.
CBO estimates that enacting S. 1096 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits by more than $5 billion in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2028.
S. 1096 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments.
