The overall parameters under which decisions about appropriations and authorizations can occur. Think of the budget process as a blueprint for the federal program and spending priorities as seen by the Congress. This law established a procedure to help organize the many policy and spending decisions Congress makes every year into a coordinated whole. In an attempt to bring order to this problem, Congress enacted the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act (P.L. The result was federal spending chaos and an ever-increasing federal deficit. In the 1970s, it became clear that there were conflicting priorities between the authorizing committees that created federal programs and the appropriating committees that funded them. Until 1974, the congressional budget process consisted of creating programs and funding them. Also known as "measure", "proposal", or "legislation".Īn official of the House or Senate whose duties include receipt and processing of newly-introduced legislation.Īn official copy of a legislative proposal, produced by the Government Printing Office (GPO). For instance, a bill authorizing expenditures for the continuation of federal crop price support programs is an authorization bill. So called because it "authorizes" the expenditure of money, but does not actually provide it. Chairs of Appropriations Subcommittees sometimes are referred to as the "College of Cardinals" because they exert such influence over spending for federal programs.Ī bill establishing, amending, or continuing a federal program. Rather, they view the amount authorized for the program as the maximum amount allowed to be appropriated. Appropriators are not required to fund programs at their authorized level. See also: Amendment tree.Ī bill providing funding for authorized federal programs. Depending on one's political position, a common tactic to stop unacceptable legislation is to offer a killer amendment. Proposals made by a Member of Congress to modify a pending measure, whether in subcommittee, committee, or on the floor. (Sorting all this out is one of the reasons the Senate employs a Parliamentarian). For instance, one Senator offers a perfecting amendment to the underlying bill, another Senator offers a second-degree substitute amendment to the first amendment, and at the same time a third Senator offers a second-degree perfecting amendment to the original amendment and a fourth offers a substitute to the second-degree perfecting amendment. The amendment tree, then, can have many more branches. In the Senate, perfecting amendments (those simply altering language of a bill or amendment) take precedence over substitutes (those both altering language and substituting new text). However, in the House, a substitute amendment is considered a first-degree amendment, so technically a total of four amendments can be pending at any given time (an amendment, an amendment to the amendment, a substitute amendment, and an amendment to the substitute). House and Senate rules permit only first-degree (an amendment to, or branch on, the bill) and second-degree (an amendment to the amendment or a branch on a branch) amendments. First, imagine the bill as the trunk and amendments as branches. The term is frequently used to describe a major legislative initiative of the Administration.Ī method of visualizing the amendment process on a piece of legislation. Legislation proposed and strongly supported by the President. To become law, a bill or resolution may be signed by the President, may be approved by a two-thirds majority of both Chambers in the case of a Presidential veto, or may automatically become law if the President takes no action for 10 days (excluding Sundays) following submission of the bill or resolution. A bill or resolution adopted by both the House and the Senate and enacted into law.
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