Legislative Branch: FY2017 Appropriations

Summary

The legislative branch appropriations bill provides funding for the Senate; House of Representatives; Joint Items; Capitol Police; Office of Compliance; Congressional Budget Office (CBO); Architect of the Capitol (AOC); Library of Congress (LOC), including the Congressional Research Service (CRS); Government Publishing Office (GPO); Government Accountability Office (GAO); Open World Leadership Center; and the John C. Stennis Center.

The FY2017 legislative branch budget request of $4.659 billion was submitted on February 9, 2016. By law, the President includes the legislative branch request in the annual budget submission without change.

The House and Senate Appropriations Committees’ Legislative Branch Subcommittees held hearings in March to consider the FY2017 legislative branch requests.

On April 20, 2016, the House Appropriations Committee Legislative Branch Subcommittee held a markup of the draft bill. The bill was ordered reported to the full committee by voice vote.

On May 17, the House Appropriations Committee held a markup of the bill. Seven amendments were considered: two were adopted, four were not adopted, and one was withdrawn. The bill was ordered reported by voice vote. It would provide $3.481 billion, not including Senate items (H.R. 5325, H.Rept. 114-594).

On May 19, the Senate Appropriations Committee held a markup of its version of the FY2017 bill. It would provide $3.021 billion, not including House items. The bill was reported by a vote of 30-0 (S. 2955, S.Rept. 114-258).

The House- and Senate-proposed totals for legislative branch activities (including all House and Senate items) differ by $37.0 million, with the House proposing $4.436 billion for FY2017 and the Senate proposing $4.399 billion.

Legislative branch funding peaked in FY2010, and the FY2016 enacted level of $4.363 billion (P.L. 114-113) remains below the FY2009 level of $4.501 billion.

The FY2016 level represented an increase of $63 million (+1.5%) from the FY2015 level of $4.300 billion, and the FY2015 level represented an increase of $41.7 million (+1.0%) from the FY2014 funding level of $4.259 billion. The FY2013 act funded legislative branch accounts at the FY2012 enacted level, with some exceptions (also known as “anomalies”), less across-the-board rescissions that applied to all appropriations in the act, and not including sequestration reductions implemented on March 1. The FY2012 level represented a decrease of $236.9 million (-5.2%) from the FY2011 level, which itself represented a $125.1 million decrease (-2.7%) from FY2010.

The smallest of the appropriations bills, the legislative branch comprises approximately 0.4% of total discretionary budget authority.