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1 1 (August 5, 2015)

handle is hein.crs/govccxp0001 and id is 1 raw text is: FF. ' -iE , .,.- i August 5, 2015 Senate Committee Funding and Process, 114th Congress Funding for Senate committees (except for the Committee on Appropriations and the Select Committee on Ethics) follows a two-step process of authorization and appropriation. Operating budgets for all standing and select committees of the Senate (except for the Committee on Appropriations and the Select Committee on Ethics) are authorized pursuant to a chamber funding resolution, and funding is provided by annual appropriations in the Legislative Branch Appropriations bill and other appropriations acts. On February 12, 2015, the Senate agreed by unanimous consent to S.Res. 73, which authorized a total of $198.2 million for committee expenses, including $57.8 million for the March 2015-September 2015 period, $99.1 million for the October 2015-September 2016 period, and $41.3 million for the October 2016-February 2017 period. Additionally, the resolution authorized up to 7% of the total appropriation for committees to be available as special reserves. The Senate Committee on Rules and Administration has jurisdiction over committee funding resolutions and issues regulations governing committee expenditures and staff. Committee expenditures and staff are also regulated by Senate rules, especially Rule XXVI, paragraph 9, and Rule XXVII, as well as by statute. Information on individual committees' spending is published semi-annually in the Report of the Secretary of the Senate. .Au~v~t.~~nProcess In the two-year funding resolution agreed to at the beginning of each Congress, the aggregate authorization for each committee is apportioned among three calendar periods from March 1 to September 30 of the first year of a Congress, from October 1 to September 30 of the following year, and from October 1 to the following February 28. Under Senate Rule XXVI, paragraph 9, each Senate committee (except Appropriations and Ethics) is required to report a funding resolution providing for its expenses. Each committee supports its request by submitting supplementary materials, including those specified by the Committee on Rules and Administration. In recent Congresses, that panel has advised committees on the permissible increase, or required decrease, it hopes to impose on Senate committees, compared to the funding level in the previous Congress. Committees requesting funds in excess of these guidelines have been asked to include a justification in their budget submissions. The Rules and Administration Committee may then hold hearings at which committee chairs, ranking minority Members, and other Senators may testify. In recent Congresses, however, the committee has held hearings only on certain requests, or has not held hearings. The Rules and Administration Committee chair will normally introduce an omnibus resolution incorporating the amounts requested by each of the Senate committees in their individual resolutions. The Rules and Administration Committee will usually then meet to mark up the resolution and, after final approval by the committee, report it to the Senate. In some Congresses, the committee has issued an accompanying written report. On occasions where both parties have been in agreement on the funding resolution, the Senate has discharged the committee from the consideration of the resolution by unanimous consent, without a formal committee markup or written report. In recent Congresses, the Senate agreed to the funding resolution by unanimous consent with little, if any, floor discussion. Figure 1 reports the aggregate Senate committee funding authorization level from the 101 through the 114th Congresses, in both nominal and constant (1989) dollars. Since the 101 Congress, nominal aggregate Senate committee funding has increased by about 104%, from $97.1 million to $198.2 million in the 114h Congress, for an average increase of 8% per Congress. In constant dollars, however, aggregate funding has increased by only 8.2% during the same period, for a biennial average real increase of less than 1%. Figure I. Aggregate Senate Committee Authorizations, 101 s - I 14th Congresses - -- No na .... ... ... ... ... . .. . .. . ... ... .... ... ):.. . .. A uthorztion SEC~ ~ -~ ~ * .-. Authorization 103st 02,1d 103;d 1' th l0tr J06 t h cth 0 th i0ti Ith 112th tht1 1th Source: Senate Committee Funding Resolutions, 101st-I 14th Congress. Funding for Senate committees is provided in the Legislative Branch Appropriations bill. Line-item appropriations are not made for individual committees, except the Committee on Appropriations. Instead, funding is provided as a single total amount for all committees, under the heading Contingent Expenses of the Senate and p\w -- , gnom goo mppm qq\ , q I 'S 11LIANJILiN,

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