S. 254, ARTIST Act

S. 254 would amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to prohibit any state from banning the importation, sale, barter, or possession of marine mammal ivory, bone, or baleen that has been incorporated into an authentic Alaska Native article of handicrafts and clothing. An authentic Alaska Native article of handicrafts and clothing is defined in the bill as an item made of natural materials and produced by an Alaska Native through traditional native handicraft methods.

Because S. 254 would not change federal policy related to the sale of marine mammal ivory or bones, CBO estimates that implementing the bill would not affect the federal budget.

S. 254would preempt state laws governing the possession, trade, or sale of handicrafts or clothing produced by certain Alaska Natives using animal ivory or bone. That preemption would be a mandate as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA). Although the bill would limit the application of state laws, it would impose no duty on state governments that would result in additional spending.

S. 254 contains no private-sector mandate as defined by UMRA.

The CBO staff contacts for this estimate are Emilia Oliva (for federal costs) and Rachel Austin (for mandates). The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Director of Budget Analysis.