From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms ‘Regular Order’: Lawmaking The Old-Fashioned Way | Ron’s Office Hours | NPR Many contemporary lawmakers urge a return to “regular order” lawmaking. In general, the regular order refers to a traditional, committee-centered process of lawmaking, very much in evidence during most of the … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Congressional Review Act: A new idea to eliminate Obama’s agency regulations The Congressional Review Act (CRA) is an oversight tool that Congress may use to overturn a rule issued by a federal agency, in some cases, rules issued in a previous session of … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms On-Budget photo credit: neelaka All budgetary accounts other than those designated by law as off-budget. On-budget entities are federal agencies and programs that are fully reflected in the totals of the president’s budget and the congressional budget resolution. Also see Nonbudgetary; Off-Budget / Off-Budget Entities … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Federal Fund Accounts photo credit: 401K Budgetary accounts composed of moneys collected and spent by the federal government other than those designated as trust funds. Federal fund accounts include general, special, public enterprise, and intragovernmental fund accounts. (See also Standard General Ledger Chart of Accounts.) … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Earmarking / Earmarks / Miscellaneous Tariff Bills photo credit: Beau B Earmarking: Either of the following: (1) Dedicating collections by law for a specific purpose or program. Earmarked collections include trust fund receipts, special fund receipts, intragovernmental receipts, and offsetting collections credited to appropriation accounts. … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Unanimous Consent photo credit: levork Proceedings of the House or Senate and action on legislation often take place upon the unanimous consent of the chamber, whether or not a rule of the chamber is being violated. Unanimous consent is used to expedite floor action and … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Reconciliation photo credit: Ben Sutherland Reconciliation: Process by which Congress changes existing laws to conform revenue and spending levels to the limits set in a budget resolution. Limited to twenty hours of debate in the Senate. Reconciliation Instruction: A provision within a Budget Resolution directing … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Function / Functional Classification photo credit: quinn.anya Categories of spending established for accounting purposes to keep track of specific expenditures. Each account is placed in the single function (such as national defense, agriculture, health, etc.) that best represents its major purpose, regardless of the agency … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Adjourn photo credit: Gaffke Photography v2.8 Adjourn: Formal motion to end a day’s session of a chamber of Congress. A motion to adjourn in the Senate (or a committee) ends that day’s session. Adjournment is not a recess. Because procedures are so strictly determined when … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Recess photo credit: Harpersbizarre Temporary interruption or suspension of a committee or chamber meeting. In the House, the Speaker is authorized to declare recesses. In the Senate, the chamber often recesses rather than adjourns at the end of the day so as not to trigger … Read more