Fiscal Year 1998 Continuing Resolutions

Publication Date: December 1997

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: Government

Type:

Abstract:

Congress annually considers 13 regular appropriations bills providing funding for agency operations. If any of these bills are not enacted by the start of the fiscal year (October 1), the nonessential activities of the agencies funded in the outstanding bills must cease. In those years in which all 13 bills are not enacted by the deadline, Congress adopts measures continuing funding until the regular bills are enacted. These measures are referred to as continuing resolutions.

Enactment of some of the FY1998 regular appropriations bills was delayed for over eight weeks. The delay was primarily due to disputes over certain provisions in the regular appropriations bills and negotiations between Members of Congress and the White House on trade-offs between the appropriations bills and the fast-track trade procedures legislation. This legislation was subsequently withdrawn.

Due to the delay, six short-term FY1998 continuing resolutions were enacted. The first continuing resolution (H.J.Res. 94, P.L. 105-46) provided funding generally at the FY1997 funding levels and expired at midnight October 23. The remaining five continuing resolutions extended the expiration date provided in H.J.Res. 94: H.J.Res. 97 (P.L. 105-64) extended funding through midnight November 7; H.J.Res. 101 (P.L. 105-68) extended funding through midnight November 9; H.J.Res. 104 (P.L. 105-69) extended funding through midnight November 10; H.J.Res. 105 (P.L. 105-71) extended funding through midnight November 14;
And H.J.Res. 106 (P.L. 105-84) extended funding through midnight November 26.

The last of the 13 FY1998 regular appropriations bills was enacted on November 26, 1997.