Senate Committee Expenditures Resolutions, 110th Congress, and Funding Authorizations, 104th - 110th Congresses

Publication Date: March 2007

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: Government

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Abstract:

All standing and select committees of the Senate, except for the Appropriations and Ethics Committees, obtain their operating budgets pursuant to a biennial committee funding resolution. On March 1, 2007, the Senate adopted by unanimous consent S.Res. 89, authorizing expenditures by committees of the Senate for the period March 1, 2007, through February 28, 2009.

On February 14, 2007, the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration held a hearing on Senate committee expense resolutions. Under a year-long continuing resolution setting Senate expenditures for FY2007, committee spending levels were generally set at FY2006 levels plus a small increase to provide cost of living adjustments (COLA) to staff salaries. Most Senate committees submitted requests that fell within guidelines established by the Committee on Rules and Administration that would allow the panel to mark up and report a resolution that fell within the limitations of available resources for Senate committee activity. The panel heard statements from the chairman and ranking member of the Select Committee on Intelligence, and the ranking members of the Committees on Foreign Relations and Finance, whose budget requests were higher than the established guidelines. Each Senator offered a statement in support of their larger budgets due to anticipated increases in workloads for their panels in the next two years. Areas accounting for the increases included increased oversight, expansion of other committee activities, or the need to add or retain appropriately qualified staff.

On January 12, 2007, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell signed a joint leadership letter stating that committee budgets would be apportioned to reflect the membership ratio of the Senate, with up to an additional 10% to be allocated to committee chairs for administrative expenses, as determined by the Rules Committee. The joint leadership letter noted that no committee budget may be allocated to reduce the Republican staff salary baseline below that of FY2006, if that money is available.

The Senate Committee on Rules and Administration has jurisdiction over committee funding resolutions and issues regulations governing committee funding and staff. Committee funding and staff are also regulated by Senate rules, as well as by statute. The funds authorized by resolution are appropriated in legislative branch appropriations acts.

This report, which will be updated as events warrant, provides committee funding requests and authorizations for Senate committees in the 104th-110th Congresses.