Jessica Tollestrup
Analyst on Congress and the Legislative Process
This report provides analysis of the components of the FY2013 continuing resolution (CR) and congressional action on that CR.
The House and Senate Appropriations Committees have each reported 11 regular appropriations bills. Seven regular appropriations bills have been passed by the House; no regular appropriations bills have been passed by the Senate. None of the regular appropriations bills has been enacted. The continuing resolution for FY2013 was signed into law on September 28, 2012 (H.J.Res. 117; P.L. 112-175).
The CR for FY2013 covers all 12 regular appropriations bills by providing budget authority for projects and activities that had been funded in FY2012 by P.L. 112-55, P.L. 112-74, and P.L. 112- 77, with specified exceptions. Funding in the CR is effective October 1, 2012, through March 27, 2013, a duration of nearly the first six months of the fiscal year. Budget authority for projects and activities funded in last year’s bills is provided at the rate they were funded in FY2012. Most of these projects and activities are also subject to an across the board increase of less than 1% (0.612%). The CR includes several “anomalies,” provisions that provide exceptions to the general formula and purpose for which FY2012 funding is continued.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the total annualized level of budget authority for regular appropriations provided by P.L. 112-175, including projects funded by the rate for operations, the across the board increase, and anomalies, is $1.047 trillion. When spending is included that was designated as being for the purposes of Overseas Contingency Operations/Global War on Terror, continuing disability reviews and redeterminations, health care fraud abuse control, or disaster relief, the total CBO-estimated amount of annualized budget authority in the CR is $1.154 trillion. Such designations are pursuant to Section 251(b) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act, 2 U.S.C. 901.
The CR includes two new reporting requirements for specified departments and agencies as well as the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). On or before October 28, 2012, certain departments and agencies must submit to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees a “spending, expenditure, or operating plan.” In addition, beginning on November 1, 2012, the OMB director is required to submit a monthly report to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees on all obligations incurred by each department and agency in the period covered by the continuing resolution.
This report will be updated if further FY2013 continuing resolutions are enacted.
For general information on the content of CRs and historical data on CRs enacted between FY1977 and FY2012, see CRS Report R42647, Continuing Resolutions: Overview of Components and Recent Practices, by Jessica Tollestrup.
Date of Report: October 17, 2012
Number of Pages: 12
Order Number: R42782
Price: $29.95
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