Federal Budget: Social Spending Targets in the FY 1999 House Budget Resolution

Publication Date: June 1998

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

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Research Area: Government

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Abstract:

Each year Congress adopts a concurrent resolution on the budget specifying aggregate budget totals (revenues, budget authority, outlays, and deficits/surpluses) over a 5-year period. The congressional budget resolution is a spending plan; it carries no statutory authority. It provides a framework for the 13 regular appropriations bills (discretionary spending allocations) and budget reconciliation measures (direct spending legislation). As required under Section 302(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the resolution provides total spending allocations for the Appropriations Committee (known as 302(a) allocations) to be divided among the 13 subcommittees (known as 302(b) allocations). The resolution may instruct authorizing committees to submit legislation making changes to existing law or pending legislation to comply with direct spending, revenue, and deficit reduction levels outlined by the Budget Committee. These reconciliation instructions specify which authorizing committee(s) must submit legislation as well as spending targets and submission deadlines. If more than one authorizing committee is required to submit legislation, the Budget Committee combines the measures and reports an omnibus budget reconciliation bill. Differences between the
House and Senate versions of the budget plan must be resolved and final passage given to the measure in both chambers. The House approved its version of the 1999 budget resolution (H.Con.Res. 284, amended, H.Rept. 105-555) on June 5, 1998, by a vote of 216 to 204.

This fact sheet will not be updated. A fact sheet on the Senate budget resolution is available (98-415 EPW), and a fact sheet on the conference agreement will be produced. In this discussion, all years are fiscal years.