From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Journal photo credit: grongar The official record of the proceedings of the House and Senate. The Journal records the actions taken in each chamber, such as motions agreed to and votes taken, but unlike the Congressional Record, it does not include the substantially verbatim report … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Hearing / Hearings photo credit: The U.S. Army Committee sessions for taking testimony from witnesses. At hearings on legislation, witnesses usually include specialists, government officials and spokesmen for persons or entities affected by the bill or bills under study. Hearings related to special investigations bring … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Appropriation / Cardinals of Congress David Hawkings’ Whiteboard: How Appropriations is Supposed to Work Appropriation: Provision of law that provides authority for federal agencies to obligate funds and to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. Appropriations for the federal government … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Budgetary Reserves photo credit: Marine Corps Archives & Special Collections Portions of budgetary resources set aside (withheld through apportionment) by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) by authority of the Antideficiency Act (31 U.S.C. § 1512) solely to provide for contingencies or to effect … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 The 1974 Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act (Pub.L. 93-344, 88 Stat. 297, July 12, 1974) 2 U.S.C. Chapter 17A, Congressional Budget and Fiscal Operations) requires the House and Senate each year to adopt a concurrent resolution … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Concurrent Resolution on the Budget photo credit: JPC24 The Concurrent Resolution on the Budget is often referred to as the Congressional Budget. A concurrent resolution adopted by both chambers of Congress as part of the annual budget and appropriations process, setting forth an overall budget … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Supplemental Appropriation / Supplemental Appropriations Act Budget authority provided in an appropriations act in addition to regular or continuing appropriations already provided. Supplemental appropriations generally are made to cover emergencies, such as disaster relief, or other needs deemed too urgent to be postponed until the … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Revenues photo credit: DonkeyHotey Revenues: Income from individual and corporate income taxes, social insurance taxes, excise taxes, fees, tariffs, and other sources collected under the sovereign powers of the federal government. Revenues, also known as receipts, are the funds collected from the public primarily as … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Amendment Tree / Filling the Tree photo credit: kewl “Amendment trees” are charts that illustrate certain principles of precedence that guide the Senate amendment process. When all of the amendments permitted simultaneously by these principles of precedence have been offered and … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Unified Budget Funding the Government: The Budget Process and Omnibus Spending Bills [Article I Initiative] Under budget concepts set forth in the Report of the President’s Commission on Budget Concepts (October, 1967), a comprehensive budget in which receipts and outlays from federal and … Read more