Congressional Budget Resolutions: Selected Statistics and Information Guide

Publication Date: January 2005

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: Government

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Abstract:

The Congressional Budget Act (CBA) of 1974 (Titles I-IX of P.L. 93-344, 88 Stat. 297-332), as amended, establishes the concurrent resolution on the budget as the centerpiece of the congressional budget process. The annual budget resolution is an agreement between the House and Senate on a budget plan for the upcoming fiscal year and at least the following four fiscal years. As a concurrent resolution, it is not presented to the President for his signature and thus does not become law. The budget resolution, however, provides the framework for subsequent legislative action on budgetary legislation during each congressional session.

Congress has adopted 35 budget resolutions during the 30 years that the congressional budget process has been in effect. At least one budget resolution has been adopted every year except 1998 (for FY1999), 2002 (for FY2003), and 2004 (for FY2005). A second budget resolution was adopted in each of the first seven years and a third budget resolution was adopted for FY1977. Since 1982, Congress has adopted only one budget resolution for each fiscal year. Congress initially was required to cover only the upcoming fiscal year in the budget resolution, but over the years Congress has expanded this time frame. Currently, the budget resolution must include at least five fiscal years.

The budget resolution may include reconciliation directives, instructing one or more committees to recommend legislative changes to meet the spending and revenue levels included in the budget resolution. In the past 30 years, Congress included reconciliation directives in 18 budget resolutions. Pursuant to these directives, 16 reconciliation measures have been enacted. Twice (in 1982 and 1997), Congress adopted two reconciliation measures in one year. Four reconciliation measures have been vetoed, in 1975, 1995, 1999, and 2000.

Over the past 30 years, the House has considered and adopted fewer amendments to the budget resolution than the Senate. The House has considered, on average, over six amendments per budget resolution, adopting, on average, one of these. For more than a decade, the House has considered the budget resolutions under special rules that allow only amendments in the nature of a substitute to be offered. In all but one year, the House has rejected all such amendments. In contrast, the Senate has considered, on average, about 37 amendments per budget resolution, adopting, on average, over 19 of these.

Congress originally was required to complete action on the budget resolution by May 15 of each year; this deadline was changed to April 15 beginning with the FY1987 budget resolution. The budget resolution deadline has been met only six times over the past 30 years, most recently in 2003 with the FY2004 budget resolution. Budget resolutions have been adopted, on average, about 38 days after the deadline.

This report will be updated as warranted.