From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Federal Register / Rulemaking / Unified Agenda In the course of its lawmaking, Congress often delegates quasi-legislative authority to executive departments and agencies so that they might effectively implement laws and carry out the broader policy determinations that Congress itself made. Departments and agencies engage … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs / OIRA The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA, pronounced “oh-eye-ruh”) is a federal office established by Congress in the 1980 Paperwork Reduction Act. It is part of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which is an … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Office of Management and Budget / OMB The core mission of OMB is to serve the president of the United States in implementing his vision across the executive branch. OMB is the largest component of the Executive Office of the President. It reports directly to … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Congressional Budget Office / CBO Introduction to the Congressional Budget Office The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and Government Accountability Office (GAO) principally serve congressional committees with a variety of reports. The Congressional Budget Office assists Congress in understanding the economic and fiscal environment … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Simple Resolution Resolution / Simple Resolution: Sentiment of one chamber on an issue, or a measure to carry out the administrative or procedural business of the chamber. Does not become law. Designated as H. Res. or S. Res. A simple resolution deals with the internal … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Original Bill A bill drafted by a committee and introduced by its chair when the committee reports the measure back to its chamber. It is not referred back to the committee after introduction. The Senate allows all committees to report original bills; the House generally … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Marking Up A Bill / Markup Going through the contents of a piece of legislation in committee or subcommittee to consider its provisions and proposed revisions to the language, and insert new sections and phraseology. If the bill is extensively amended, the committee’s version may … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Statutes at Large (Stat.) photo credit: specialklikethecereal A chronological arrangement of the laws enacted in each session of Congress. Though indexed, the laws are not arranged by subject matter, and there is no indication of how they changed previously enacted laws. The United States Statutes … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Engrossed Bill / Engrossed Measure photo credit: alancleaver_2000 The final official copy of a bill as passed by one chamber, with the text as amended by floor action and certified by the clerk of the House or the secretary of the Senate. After a measure … Read more
When an enrolled bill becomes law, it is then sent to the Archives of the United States. If the bill becomes law by legislative override of an executive veto, Congress sends the bill to the Archives. If the bill becomes law through any other method, such as a pocket approval or signature approval, the White … Read more