	FY2017 Consideration: Overview of Actions

The first section of this report provides an overview of the consideration of FY2017 legislative branch appropriations, with subsections covering each action, including
the initial submission of the request on February 9, 2016; hearings held by the House and Senate Legislative Branch Subcommittees in March; the House subcommittee markup on April 20, 2016; the House full committee markup on May 17, 2016; the Senate full committee markup on May 19, 2016; House consideration of a special rule on June 8, 2016; House floor consideration on June 9 and 10, 2016; the enactment of three continuing resolutions ( P.L. 114-223 , through December 9, 2016; P.L. 114-254 , through April 28, 2017; and P.L. 115-30 , through May 5, 2017); and the enactment of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 on May 5, 2017 ( P.L. 115-31 ), which provides $4.440 billion for legislative branch activities. It contains a request for $4.659 billion in new budget authority for legislative branch activities. By law, the legislative branch request is submitted to the President and included in the budget without change. The bill was reported out of committee by voice vote ( H.R. 5325 , H.Rept. 114-594 ). Senate Appropriations Committee Legislative Branch Markup

On May 19, 2016, the Senate Appropriations Committee met to mark up its version of the FY2017 bill. No amendments were offered, and the bill was ordered reported by a vote of 30-0 ( S. 2955 , S.Rept. 114-258 ). These include $4.399 billion for the legislative branch, or 0.4% of total discretionary budget authority. The House- and Senate-proposed suballocations for the legislative branch differ by $37.0 million. 771 , which made in order 13 amendments. Six were agreed to (all voice votes), and four were not (all recorded votes). H.R. 5325 , as amended, was agreed to on June 10, with a vote of 233-175 (Roll no. 294). The $4.300 billion provided by the act represented an increase of $41.7 million (1.0%) from FY2014 and was $164.9 million (-3.7%) less than the request. The act funded legislative branch accounts at the FY2012 enacted level, with some exceptions (also known as "anomalies"), and not including across-the-board rescissions required by Section 3004 of P.L. This level represented a $125.1 million decrease from the $4.668 billion provided in the FY2010 Legislative Branch Appropriations Act ( P.L. The FY2017 level (not included in the table and figure) of $4.440 billion remains nearly 5% below the FY2010 level (not adjusted for inflation), which was the peak of legislative branch funding. An amendment agreed to during the full committee markup increased this level by $8.3 million, offset by a reduction to the Architect of the Capitol's account, to a total of $1.189 billion (an increase of $8.3 million, or 0.7%, from the FY2016 enacted level) in the bill reported by the House Appropriations Committee (hereinafter House-reported bill). H.R. The Senate-reported bill would have provided $67.0 million (+1.5%). The House Appropriations Committee Legislative Branch Subcommittee recommended $560.1 million, not including funding for the Senate office buildings. During consideration of H.R. Government Publishing Office (GPO)32

The FY2017 act provides $117.1 million, the same level as provided in FY2016 and contained in GPO's budget request and the House-passed and Senate-reported versions of the bill. 2. The FY2011 level of $11.4 million represented a decrease of $623,000 (-5.2%) from the $12.0 million provided for FY2010.
The legislative branch appropriations bill provides funding for the Senate; House of Representatives; Joint Items; Capitol Police; Office of Compliance; Congressional Budget Office (CBO); Architect of the Capitol (AOC); Library of Congress (LOC), including the Congressional Research Service (CRS); Government Publishing Office (GPO); Government Accountability Office (GAO); Open World Leadership Center; and the John C. Stennis Center.
The FY2017 legislative branch budget request of $4.659 billion was submitted on February 9, 2016. By law, the President includes the legislative branch request in the annual budget submission without change.
The House and Senate Appropriations Committees' Legislative Branch Subcommittees held hearings in March to consider the FY2017 legislative branch requests.
On April 20, 2016, the House Appropriations Committee Legislative Branch Subcommittee held a markup of the draft bill. The bill was ordered reported to the full committee by voice vote.
On May 17, the House Appropriations Committee held a markup of the bill. Seven amendments were considered: two were adopted, four were not adopted, and one was withdrawn. The bill was ordered reported by voice vote. It would have provided $3.481 billion, not including Senate items (H.R. 5325, H.Rept. 114-594).
On June 9, 2016, the House agreed to a structured rule for consideration of the legislative branch bill (H.Res. 771), which made 13 amendments in order. During consideration of H.R. 5325, 10 amendments were offered. Six were agreed to (all voice votes), and four were not (all recorded votes). H.R. 5325 was agreed to on June 10, with a vote of 233-175 (Roll no. 294).
On May 19, the Senate Appropriations Committee held a markup of its version of the FY2017 bill. It would have provided $3.021 billion, not including House items. The bill was reported by a vote of 30-0 (S. 2955, S.Rept. 114-258).
The House- and Senate-proposed totals for legislative branch activities (including all House and Senate items) differ by $37.0 million, with the House proposing $4.436 billion for FY2017 and the Senate proposing $4.399 billion.
H.R. 5325 was not enacted, however, and funding for the beginning of FY2017 was provided by three continuing resolutions (P.L. 114-223, through December 9, 2016; P.L. 114-254, through April 28, 2017; and P.L. 115-30, through May 5, 2017).
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 (P.L. 115-31), enacted on May 5, 2017, provides $4.440 billion for legislative branch activities for FY2017 (+1.7% from FY2016).
The enacted FY2017 level remains nearly 5% below the FY2010 level, which was the peak of legislative branch funding, not adjusted for inflation. The FY2016 level of $4.363 billion represented an increase of $63 million (+1.5%) from the FY2015 level of $4.300 billion, and the FY2015 level represented an increase of $41.7 million (+1.0%) from the FY2014 funding level of $4.259 billion. The FY2013 act funded legislative branch accounts at the FY2012 enacted level, with some exceptions (also known as "anomalies"), less across-the-board rescissions that applied to all appropriations in the act, and not including sequestration reductions implemented on March 1. The FY2012 level of $4.307 billion represented a decrease of $236.9 million (-5.2%) from the FY2011 level, which itself represented a $125.1 million decrease (-2.7%) from FY2010.
The smallest of the appropriations bills, the legislative branch comprises approximately 0.4% of total discretionary budget authority.