H.R. 3878 would require the Secretary of Homeland Security to expand efforts to enhance the cybersecurity of U.S. ports. The bill also would clarify that the U.S. Coast Guard, the agency within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) primarily responsible for activities related to maritime security, is authorized to pursue efforts related to cybersecurity. Based on information from DHS, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 3878 would cost $37 million over the 2016-2020 period, assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts.
Pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply to this legislation because enacting it would not affect direct spending or revenues. CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 3878 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2026.
H.R. 3878 would impose intergovernmental and private-sector mandates, as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA), but CBO estimates that the cost of complying with the mandates would fall below the annual thresholds established in UMRA for intergovernmental and private-sector mandates ($77 million and $154 million in 2015, respectively, adjusted annually for inflation).