Foreign Relations Authorization, FY2003: An Overview

Publication Date: November 2002

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: Government

Type:

Abstract:

Congress is required by law to authorize the spending of appropriations for the State Department and foreign policy activities every two years. The authorization process dovetails with the annual appropriation process for the Department of State (within the Commerce, Justice, State and Related Agency appropriation) and foreign policy/foreign aid activities (within the foreign operations appropriation).

While Congress intended the legislation would serve as authorization for both FY2002 and FY2003, the delay in getting it through Congress led to a waiver of the authorization requirement for FY2002 (P.L. 107-77, Section 405); the law that was eventually enacted (P.L. 107-228) authorizes foreign relations spending only for FY2003.

The Foreign Relations Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003 (H.R. 1646/S. 1401/S. 1803) authorizes, among other things, the Department of State's operations and programs, arms sales to Taiwan, the U.S. embassy to be located in Jerusalem, UNESCO, and U.S. assistance to Colombia. Both H.R. 1646 and S. 1803 contain authorization for security assistance, as well.

Congressman Hyde introduced H.R. 1646 on April 27, 2001. The House International Relations Committee reported the bill May 4, 2001 (H.Rept. 107-57). The House passed it, as amended, on May 16, 2001 by a recorded vote of 352-73.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed its foreign relations authorization bill (S. 1401) by unanimous voice vote on August 1, 2001. The Committee filed its report (S.Rept. 107-60) on September 4, 2001. With a crowded schedule after the September 11th attacks, the Senate did not take up the authorization bill. Rather, within the context of the Commerce, Justice, State (CJS) appropriation (section 405, P.L. 107-77), Congress waived the requirement for authorization prior to the State Department spending its appropriations as is required by law.

On May 1, 2002, the Senate amended its version of H.R. 1646 by substituting S. 1803 (the Security Assistance Act) language. Throughout the 2002 summer, House and Senate staff met to iron out the differences of the two sides' authorization bills. As a result of staff-level meetings, several provisions that had been in House and Senate bills (such as global warming and international family planning measures) were not included in the conference report that was voted on and passed by conferees.

The House and Senate conferees met for the first time on September 18, 2002 and filed the conference report September 23rd (H.Rept 107-671). The House passed the conference report by voice vote on September 25th; the Senate passed it by unanimous consent on September 26, 2002. The President signed it into law (P.L. 107-228) on September 30, 2002.