Appropriations for FY1999: Interior and Related Agencies (CRS Report for Congress)
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| Release Date |
Oct. 29, 1998 |
| Report Number |
98-206 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
Alfred R. Greenwood, Environment and Natural Resources Policy Division |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
Summary:
The Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations bill includes funding for agencies and programs
in five separate federal departments as well as numerous smaller agencies and diverse programs.
On February 2, 1998, the President submitted his FY1999 budget to Congress. The request for
Interior and Related Agencies totals $14.26 billion compared to the $13.79 billion enacted for
FY1998 ( P.L. 105-83 ), an increase of $470 million. The actual increase for Title I and Title II
agencies in the FY1999 request is $1.17 billion, offset by a nonrecurring appropriation of $699
million for priority land acquisitions and exchanges in Title V of the FY1998 Interior Appropriations
Act. However, the Emergency Supplemental ( P.L. 105-174 ) increased the FY1998 enacted level to
a total of $14.1 billion.
On June 25, 1998, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees reported versions of the
FY1999 Interior Appropriations bill. On July 23, the House passed H.R. 4193 by a vote
of 245-181, and increased funding by $60 million to $13.49 billion. The House-passed bill is $800
million below the President's request and $700 million below FY1998. During the debate on
H.R. 4193 , the House voted 253-173 to restore $98 million for the National Endowment
for the Arts (NEA) following a point of order deleting the funds since NEA had no program
authorization.
The House and Senate totals reflect scorekeeping adjustments (see Table 3 ).
Before these
adjustments, the Senate bill ( S. 2237 ) is $168 million more than the House bill. Changes
from the House bill include: $1.2 billion for the Bureau of Land Management (+ $20 million), $797.3
million for the Fish and Wildlife Service (+ $52.5 million), $1.66 billion for the National Park Service
(+ $55.5 million), $1.71 billion for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (- $11.5 million), $2.62 billion for the
Forest Service (+ $99.7 million), $1.25 billion for the Department of Energy (+ $18.4 million), and
$2.25 billion for the Indian Health Service (- $94 million).
On September 8, the Senate began debate on S. 2237 . On September 17, further
action on the bill was suspended in favor of other legislative business. The Office of Management
and Budget, in a Statement of Administration Policy, suggested the President might veto the bill in
its then-current form.
On October 19, following a series of temporary continuing resolutions, a conference report
( H.Rept. 105-825 ) was submitted on H.R. 4328 , the Omnibus Consolidated and
Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for FY1999. The total for Interior and Related Agencies
was $14.1 billion, matching FY1998 (including the Emergency Supplemental) and higher than passed
the House or reported to the Senate. The conference report and the bill passed the House on October
20 and the Senate on October 21, and was signed as P.L. 105-277 by the President on October 21.
