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Government Series
Congressional Authorizations and Appropriations (Softcover)
How Congress Exercises the Power of the Purse through Authorizing Legislation, Appropriations Measures, Supplemental Appropriations, Earmarks, and Enforcing the Authorization-Appropriations Process
Compiled by TheCapitol.Net
A primary avenue for exercising Congress's power of the purse is the authorization and appropriation of federal spending to carry out government activities. While the power over appropriations is granted to Congress by the U.S. Constitution, the authorization appropriation process is derived from House and Senate rules. The formal process consists of two sequential steps: (1) enactment of an authorization measure that may create or continue an agency or program as well as authorize the subsequent enactment of appropriations; and (2) enactment of appropriations to provide funds for the authorized agency or program.
1.
"Overview of the Authorization-Appropriations Process," Congressional Research Service (CRS) Report for Congress RS20371,
June 17, 2008 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
- Authorizing Legislation
- Appropriations Measures
- Enforcing the Authorization-Appropriations Process
2. "The Congressional Appropriations Process: An Introduction," CRS Report for Congress 97-684, December 2, 2008 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
- Introduction
- Annual Appropriations Cycle
- President Submits Budget
- Congress Adopts Budget Resolution
- Timetable for Consideration of Appropriations Measures
- Work of the Appropriations Committees
- House and Senate Floor Action
- House
- Senate
- House and Senate Conference Action
- Presidential Action
- Types of Appropriations Measures
- Regular Appropriations Bills
- Continuing Resolutions
- Supplemental Appropriations Measures
- Spending Ceilings for Appropriations Measures
- Allocations
- Enforcement
- House
- Senate
- Emergency Spending
- Relationship Between Authorization and Appropriation Measures
- Rescissions
- Table 1. Number of Regular Appropriations Bills Packaged in Omnibus (or Minibus) Measure, FY1977-FY2008
- Table 2. Regular Appropriations Bills Completed by Deadline and Number of Continuing Resolutions, FY1977-FY2008
- Table 3. House Committee on Appropriations' 302(a) Allocations for FY2008
- Table 4. Initial House Appropriations Committee's 302(b) Allocations for FY2008
3. "Supplemental Appropriations: Trends and Budgetary Impacts Since 1981," CRS Report for Congress RL33134, January 2, 2009. . . . . .
. 33
- Introduction
- Budget Rules and Supplemental Appropriations
- General Trend in Supplemental Appropriations
- Budget Controls and Rescissions
- Budgetary Impacts of Supplemental Appropriations
- Conclusions
- Figure 1. Supplemental Appropriations as a Percentage of Budget Authority, 1981-2008
- Table 1. Supplemental Appropriations and Rescissions
- Table 2. Effect of Supplemental Appropriations Net of Rescissions on Budget Deficit
4.
"Examples of Legislative Provisions in Annual Appropriations
Acts," CRS Report for Congress RL30619,
December 4, 2008 . . . . . 43
- The Separation of Legislation and Appropriations
- House Rule XXI
- Senate Rule XVI
- Inclusion of Legislative Provisions in Appropriations Acts
- Rules Are Not Self-Enforcing
- Rules May Be Waived
- Rules Are Not Comprehensive
- Recent Practices
- Table 1. Examples of Legislative Provisions Included in Supplemental Appropriations Acts
- Table 2. Omnibus Appropriations Acts: FY1986-FY2008
- Table 3. Examples of Legislative Provisions Included in Omnibus Appropriations Acts
- Table 4. Examples of Legislative Provisions Dropped From Omnibus Appropriations
Act
5. "Earmark Disclosure Rules in the Senate: Member and Committee Requirements," CRS Report for Congress RS22867, June 1, 2009 . . . . .
. 65
-
Introduction
- Senate Earmark Disclosure Rule
- Legislation Subject to the Rule
- Requirements for Senators Submitting Earmark Requests
- Requirements for Committees
6. "Earmark Disclosure Rules in the House: Member and Committee Requirements," CRS Report for Congress RS22866, June 1, 2009
. . . . . . 73
- Introduction
- House Earmark Disclosure Rule
- Legislation Subject to the Rule
- Requirements for Members Submitting Earmark Requests
- Requirements for Committees
7. "House and Senate Procedural Rules Concerning Earmark Disclosure," CRS Report for Congress RL34462, June 17, 2009 . . . . .
. 81
- Introduction
- Earmark Definition
- Spending Earmark Definition
- Limited Tariff Benefit Definition
- Limited Tax Benefit Definition
- Public Disclosure Procedures on Earmark Requests
- Earmark List and Congressional Earmark Sponsors
- House Rule XXI, clause 9
- Senate Rule XLIV
- Specified Information (Including Certifications) From Congressional Earmark Sponsors
- Classified Earmarks
- Conference Report Procedures Affecting New Earmarks
- House Rule XXI, Clause 9(b)
- Senate Rule XLIV, Paragraph 8
- Earmarks and Leverage
8."Federal Budget Process," by Bill Heniff Jr. and
Robert Keith, Chapter 9 in the
Congressional Deskbook . . . . . .
. 95
9.00 Introduction: Congress's "Power of the Purse"
9.01 Congress's Constitutional "Power of the Purse"
9.02 Federal Budgeting Concepts and Terminology
9.10 Key Budget Process Laws
9.11 Budget Enforcement Act Procedures
9.20 The Budget Cycle
9.30 Budget Enforcement Framework
9.40 Presidential Budget Process
9.41 Typical Executive Budget Process Timetable
9.42 Office of Management and Budget Publications
9.43 Volumes Containing and Explaining the President's Annual Budget
9.44 Program and Financing Schedule in President's Budget Appendix
9.50 Congressional Budget Process
9.51 Congressional Budget Process Timetable
9.52 Completion Dates of Budget Resolutions
9.53 Congressional Budget Process Flowchart
9.54 Functional Categories in a Congressional Budget Resolution
9.55 Membership on the House and Senate Budget Committees
9.60 Spending, Revenue, and Debt-Limit Legislation
9.61 Budgeting for Direct and Guaranteed Loans
9.70 Spending Legislation
9.71 Differences between Discretionary and Direct Spending
9.80 Authorization and Appropriation Processes
9.81 Limitations, Earmarks, and General Provisions
9.82 New Appropriations Subcommittee Organization
9.83 Sequence of Appropriations Measures through Congress
9.84 Examples of Appropriations Subcommittees' Requirements for Member Requests
9.90 Revenue Legislation
9.91 Tax Expenditures
9.92 Revenue Estimates
9.100 Debt-Limit Legislation
9.110 Reconciliation Legislation
9.120 Implementation of the Budget by Executive Agencies
9.130 Apportionment
9.140 Transfer and Reprogramming
9.150 Impoundment: Deferrals and Rescissions
9.160 Budget Process Glossary
9. Other Resources
From TheCapitol.Net . . . . 141
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