Appropriation Act

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Appropriation Act

Appropriation Act in the Federal Budget Process

Meaning of Appropriation Act in the congressional and executive budget processes (GAO source): A statute, under the jurisdiction of the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations, that generally provides legal authority for federal agencies to incur obligations and to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. An appropriation act fulfills the requirement of Article I, Section 9, of the U.S. Constitution, which provides that “no money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law.” Under the rules of both houses, an appropriation act should follow enactment of authorizing legislation. (See also Appropriations under Forms of Budget Authority under Budget Authority; Authorizing Legislation; Limitation.)

Major types of appropriation acts are regular, supplemental, deficiency, and continuing. Regular appropriation acts are all appropriation acts that are not supplemental, deficiency, or continuing. Currently, regular annual appropriation acts that provide funding for the continued operation of federal departments, agencies, and various government activities are considered by Congress annually. From time to time, supplemental appropriation acts are also enacted. When action on regular appropriation bills is not completed before the beginning of the fiscal year, a continuing resolution (often referred to simply as “CR”) may be enacted in a bill or joint resolution to provide funding for the affected agencies for the full year, up to a specified date, or until their regular appropriations are enacted. A deficiency appropriation act provides budget authority to cover obligations incurred in excess of available budget authority. (See also Continuing Appropriation/Continuing Resolution; Supplemental Appropriation; Deficiency Appropriation.)

Resources

See Also

Further Reading

  • Legislatures and the budget process: the myth of fiscal control

    (J Wehner, 2010)

  • Reconcilable Differences?: Congress, the Budget Process, and the Deficit (JB Gilmour, 1990)
  • Fiscal institutions and fiscal performance

    (JM Poterba, J von Hagen, 2008)

Related pieces of legislation:

  1. Urgent Deficiency And Supplemental Appropriation Act, Fiscal Years 1939 And 1940
  2. Antideficiency Act
  3. Budget Act
  4. First Deficiency Appropriation Act, Fiscal Year 1939
  5. Second Deficiency Appropriation Act, Fiscal Year 1920
  6. Second Deficiency Appropriation Act, Fiscal Year 1924
  7. Second Deficiency Appropriation Act, Fiscal Year 1939
  8. Second Deficiency Appropriation Act, Fiscal Year 1938
  9. Third Deficiency Appropriation Act, Fiscal Year 1939
  10. Deficiency Appropriation Act, Fiscal Year 1934
  11. Congressional Budget Act
  12. Federal Credit Reform Act
  13. Government Performance and Results Act
  14. Budget and Accounting Act of 1921
  15. Economy Act
  16. Deficiency Appropriation Act, 1950
  17. First Deficiency Appropriation Act, 1941
  18. Second Deficiency Appropriation Act, 1943
  19. War Manpower Commission Appropriation Acts
  20. Defense Aid Appropriation Act, 1945

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