H.R. 7233 would amend the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) to allow the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants to advance the awareness and prevention of child sexual abuse. 

Using information from HHS about the costs of similar programs, CBO estimates that the department would need $4 million annually for the new grants. Based on historical spending patterns for similar programs, CBO estimates that implementing those grants would cost $10 million over the 2025-2029 period. However, those costs would not be attributable to the bill because the underlying authorization is expired. (Although authorizations for the programs in CAPTA expired at the end of 2015, lawmakers have continued to appropriate funds for them. In 2024, about $214 million was allocated for CAPTA programs.)

H.R. 7233 also would require the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report to the Congress on the effectiveness of grants for reducing child sexual abuse and on whether the projects are duplicative. On the basis of the cost of similar activities, CBO estimates that the costs to GAO to complete the report would be insignificant; any related spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.