Congressional Budget Resolutions: Historical Information (CRS Report for Congress)
Premium Purchase PDF for $24.95 (42 pages)
add to cart or
subscribe for unlimited access
Pro Premium subscribers have free access to our full library of CRS reports.
Subscribe today, or
request a demo to learn more.
| Release Date |
Revised Nov. 16, 2015 |
| Report Number |
RL30297 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
Bill Heniff, Jr., Analyst on the Congress and Legislative Process; Justin Murray, Information Research Specialist |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
| Older Revisions |
-
Premium Revised Feb. 7, 2014 (45 pages, $24.95)
add
-
Premium Revised March 13, 2012 (42 pages, $24.95)
add
-
Premium Revised April 4, 2011 (42 pages, $24.95)
add
-
Premium Revised Jan. 29, 2010 (42 pages, $24.95)
add
-
Premium Revised Feb. 26, 2008 (56 pages, $24.95)
add
-
Premium Revised March 5, 2007 (57 pages, $24.95)
add
-
Premium Revised Feb. 10, 2006 (54 pages, $24.95)
add
-
Premium Revised Jan. 25, 2005 (51 pages, $24.95)
add
-
Premium Revised Aug. 19, 2004 (52 pages, $24.95)
add
-
Premium Revised Feb. 9, 2004 (51 pages, $24.95)
add
-
Premium Revised March 5, 2003 (56 pages, $24.95)
add
-
Premium March 18, 2002 (48 pages, $24.95)
add
|
Summary:
The Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (Titles I-IX of P.L. 93-344, as amended; 2 U.S.C. 601-688) provides for the annual adoption of a concurrent resolution on the budget each year. The congressional budget resolution represents 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. Instead, when adopted by Congress, the budget resolution serves as an agreement between the House and Senate on a congressional budget plan. As such, it provides the framework for subsequent legislative action on budget matters during each congressional session.
In 32 of the 41 years under the Budget Act, Congress adopted at least one budget resolution for the fiscal year beginning in such year. Congress did not complete action on a budget resolution for nine fiscal years, most recently for FY2015. A second budget resolution for a fiscal year was adopted in each of the first seven years, and a third budget resolution was adopted in one year (for FY1977). Since 1982, Congress has considered 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 budget reconciliation directives instructing one or more committees to recommend legislative changes to meet the direct spending and revenue levels included in the budget resolution. In the past 41 years, Congress included budget reconciliation directives in 22 budget resolutions. Such directives have resulted in 24 budget reconciliation measures and the enactment of 20 of them. (Four budget reconciliation measures have been vetoed.)
The House has considered and adopted fewer amendments to the budget resolution than the Senate. For the last three decades, the House has considered the budget resolutions under special rules that generally have made in order only amendments in the nature of a substitute. Since 1983, the House typically has considered between three and seven such amendments to the budget resolution each year, rejecting all but two of these. In contrast, during the period between 1975 and 2015, the Senate considered an average of almost 54 amendments per budget resolution, agreeing to an average of about 31 of these.
The Budget Act sets April 15 as a target date for completing action on the annual budget resolution. (Prior to 1986, the date was May 15.) During the past 41 years, when Congress has completed action on a budget resolution, Congress adopted the budget resolution by the target date only six times, most recently in 2003 with the FY2004 budget resolution. Budget resolutions have been adopted an average of almost 36 days after the target date.
This report will be updated as warranted.
