Military Construction: FY2017 Appropriations

Summary

Military construction for active and reserve components of the armed forces, military family housing construction and operations, the U.S. contribution to the NATO Security Investment Program, military base closures and realignment actions, and the military housing privatization initiative will be funded through Title I and Title IV of the FY2017 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. The act is associated with three separate bill numbers: H.R. 4974, S. 2806, and H.R. 2577.

For FY2017, the President requested $7.44 billion in new budget authority for regular (base budget) military construction and family housing activities and an additional $172.5 million for Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) construction for a total of $7.62 billion in new budget authority. The bill’s conference committee recommended $7.73 billion in the base budget and $172.0 million in OCO funding for a total of $7.90 billion in new budget authority. With additional funds available through the rescission of prior-year appropriations, Congress could make available up to $8.03 billion in base funding and $172.0 million in OCO appropriations for a total military construction appropriation of $8.21 billion for FY2017.

The FY2017 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act originated in the House as H.R. 4974, introduced on April 15, 2016. A similar bill, S. 2806, was introduced in the Senate on April 18, 2016. On May 19, 2016, the Senate combined the versions of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (T-HUD), Military Construction and Veterans Affairs (MILCON/VA), and Zika Response and Preparedness appropriations bills into H.R. 2577 (a T-HUD appropriations bill for FY2016 that the House had passed in June, 2015), passed the amended bill, and sent it to the House. The House substituted its own amendment in three divisions (Division A: MILCON/VA, Division B: Zika Response Appropriations, and Division C: Zika Vector Control), removing the T-HUD portion for H.R. 2577, passed the bill, and requested a conference.

The conference met on June 15, 2016, and filed its report (H.Rept. 114-640) the next day. The conference bill contained four divisions: (1) Division A: MILCON/VA; (2) Division B: Zika Response and Preparedness Appropriations; (3) Division C: Zika Vector Control; and (4) Division D: Rescission of Funds. The House agreed to the report on June 23, 2016. Further action in the Senate is pending.