	Introduction

This report tracks and provides an overview of actions taken by the Administration and Congress to provide FY2016 appropriations for Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) accounts. It also provides an overview of enacted FY2015 appropriations for agencies and bureaus funded as part of the annual appropriation for CJS. The vast majority of funding for the science agencies goes to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Science Foundation. FY2015 and FY2016 Appropriations for CJS

		FY2015 Appropriations

On December 16, 2014, President Obama signed into law the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 ( P.L. 113-235 ). The act provided a total of $61.753 billion for the agencies and bureaus funded by the annual CJS appropriations act, including $8.467 billion for the Department of Commerce, $27.030 billion for DOJ, $25.360 billion for the science agencies, and $896 million for the related agencies. The House-Passed FY2016 CJS Appropriations Bill

H.R. 2578 would have provided a total of $62.845 billion for CJS. The House recommended $8.086 billion for the Department of Commerce, $28.007 billion for DOJ, $25.929 billion for the science agencies, and $823 million for the related agencies. The Senate Committee-Reported FY2016 CJS Appropriations Bill

The Senate Committee on Appropriations recommended $62.849 billion for CJS, an amount that was 1.8% greater than the FY2015 appropriation, 5.3% below the Administration's request, and nearly equal to the House-passed amount. The amount recommended by the committee included $8.477 billion for the Department of Commerce, $27.828 billion for DOJ, $25.639 billion for the science agencies, and $906 million for the related agencies. 114-113 ). Division B of the act (the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016) provides $66.000 billion for CJS, which includes $9.246 billion for the Department of Commerce, $29.090 billion for the Department of Justice, $26.754 billion for the science agencies, and $910 million for the related agencies. The FY2016 appropriation for CJS is 6.9% greater than the FY2015 appropriation, but 0.5% less than the Administration's request. The data show that nominal appropriations for CJS increased starting with FY2006. After adjusting for inflation, appropriations for CJS for FY2013-FY2015 were generally at the same level they were in FY2006. The data show that the increases in CJS appropriations in FY2009 (not including ARRA funding), FY2010, and FY2011 resulted from Congress appropriating more funding for the Department of Commerce in support of the 2010 decennial census. While decreased appropriations for the Department of Commerce mostly explain the overall decrease in CJS appropriations since FY2010, there have also been cuts in funding for DOJ and NASA. DOJ's FY2015 appropriation is 4.4% below its FY2010 appropriation, and NASA's FY2014 appropriation was 3.8% below its FY2010 appropriation. Funding for the NSF has, for the most part, steadily increased over the past 10 fiscal years.
This report tracks and describes actions taken by the Administration and Congress to provide FY2016 appropriations for the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) accounts. It also provides an overview of FY2015 appropriations for agencies and bureaus funded as part of the annual appropriation for CJS.
The Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (P.L. 113-235) provided a total of $61.753 billion for the agencies and bureaus funded by the annual CJS appropriations act, including $8.467 billion for the Department of Commerce, $27.030 billion for the Department of Justice (DOJ), $25.360 billion for the science agencies, and $896 million for the related agencies.
The Administration requested a total of $66.332 billion for CJS for FY2016, including $9.803 billion for the Department of Commerce, $29.240 billion for the Department of Justice, $26.258 billion for the science agencies, and $1.031 billion for the related agencies.
The House passed the FY2016 CJS appropriations bill (H.R. 2578) on June 3, 2015. The House-passed bill included a total of $62.845 billion for CJS, which included $8.086 billion for the Department of Commerce, $28.007 billion for the Department of Justice, $25.929 billion for the science agencies, and $823 million for the related agencies.
The Senate Committee on Appropriations approved its FY2016 CJS appropriations bill, which was offered as an amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 2578, on June 16, 2015. The Senate committee-reported bill recommended $62.849 billion for CJS, which included $8.477 billion for the Department of Commerce, $27.828 billion for the Department of Justice, $25.639 billion for the science agencies, and $906 million for the related agencies.
On December 18, 2015, President Obama signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 (P.L. 114-113). Division B of the act provides $66.000 billion for CJS, which includes $9.246 billion for the Department of Commerce, $29.090 billion for the Department of Justice, $26.754 billion for the science agencies, and $910 million for the related agencies. The FY2016 appropriation for CJS is 6.9% greater than the FY2015 appropriation, but 0.5% less than the Administration's request.
Over the past 10 fiscal years, nominal appropriations for CJS increased starting with FY2006, peaked in FY2010, and generally declined between FY2010 and FY2013. Nominal appropriations for CJS were relatively flat in FY2014 and FY2015. Inflation-adjusted appropriations for CJS for FY2013-FY2015 were generally at the same level they were in FY2006.
The data show that the increases in CJS appropriations in FY2009, FY2010, and FY2011 resulted from Congress appropriating more funding for the Department of Commerce in support of the 2010 decennial census. While decreased appropriations for the Department of Commerce mostly explain the overall decrease in CJS appropriations since FY2010, there have also been cuts in funding for DOJ and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). DOJ's FY2015 appropriation is 4.4% below its FY2010 appropriation, and NASA's FY2014 appropriation was 3.8% below its FY2010 appropriation.