	Most Recent Developments

The FY2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act, which was enacted on December 26, 2007, provides $3.97 billion in new budget authority for the legislative branch. From the beginning of the fiscal year on October 1, until the enactment of the consolidated bill ( H.R. 2764 ), the legislative branch was funded by a series of continuing appropriations resolutions. On September 29, 2007, the President signed into law P.L. The law provided for continued funding for most federal activities, including the legislative branch, at FY2007 levels through November 16, 2007. 110-116 , which was enacted on November 13, continued this funding through December 14, 2007. S. 1686 , the Senate version of the FY2008 Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill, was reported to the Senate on June 25, 2007. The bill, which proposed nearly $2.78 billion in new budget authority (not including House items), had been marked up by the Senate Committee on Appropriations on June 21. The House bill would have provided $3.1 billion in new budget authority (not including Senate items). Status of FY2008 Appropriations

		Action on the FY2008 Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill

			Submission of FY2008 Budget Request on February 5, 2007

The FY2008 U.S. Budget contained a request for $4.3 billion in new budget authority for legislative branch activities, an increase of 14% from FY2007 levels. The Senate Subcommittee on Legislative Branch held hearings on the FY2008 budget requests on March 2 for the Architect of the Capitol; on March 16 for the Government Accountability Office, the Government Printing Office, the Congressional Budget Office, and the Office of Compliance; on March 30 for the Office of the Senate Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper and the U.S. Capitol Police; and on May 3 for the Secretary of the Senate and the Library of Congress. Major issues considered at both markups included efforts to rename the Great Hall of the Capitol Visitor Center "Emancipation Hall," the future of the Open World Leadership Program, and the use of funds to renovate an FDA building proposed for use as swing space for House offices. Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, chairman of the Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch during the 110 th Congress, noted that the committee's bill would provide nearly $2.8 billion in new budget authority (not including House items), a 5% increase ($138.65 million) over the FY2007 budget and $289 million below agency requests. Both Senator Landrieu and Senator Wayne Allard of Colorado, the ranking minority member of the Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch, voiced their concern over using this bill to change the name of the main hall of the Capitol Visitor Center, as proposed by the House, and noted that the Senate version of the bill contains language to effectuate the merger between the U.S. Capitol Police and the Library of Congress Police. A new supplemental appropriations measure, H.R. 2771. In FY2007, $54.2 million was requested, but not provided, for this project in the Architect's Library Buildings and Grounds account.
From beginning of the fiscal year on October 1, 2007, until the enactment of the Consolidated Appropriations Act on December 26, 2007, funding for the legislative branch was provided through a series of interim continuing appropriations measures. The first, which was signed by President Bush on September 29, 2007, provided funding at FY2007 levels through November 16, 2007. Three additional continuing appropriations measures were enacted on November 13, December 14, and December 21, 2007.
Legislative branch entities requested $4.3 billion in new budget authority for FY2008. The House version of the FY2008 Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill, H.R. 2771, was introduced on June 19, 2007. The bill proposed $3.1 billion in new budget authority for the legislative branch for FY2008, not including Senate items. This amount reflects a 4.1% increase over the $2.98 billion (including the FY2007 supplemental but not including Senate items) approved by Congress for FY2007 and less than the 13% increase requested.
The Senate version of the FY2008 Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill, S. 1686, was reported to the Senate on June 25, 2007. The bill would have provided approximately $2.78 billion in new budget authority, not including House items. This amount reflects an increase of 5.2% over the nearly $2.65 billion (including the FY2007 supplemental but not including House items) approved by Congress for FY2007 and less than the 16% increase requested.
By comparison, in FY2007, overall legislative branch budget authority was increased by approximately 1.5% (including supplemental appropriations), which had followed a 4.2% increase in new budget authority for FY2006 and a 3.1% increase approved for FY2005.
Among issues that were considered during discussions on the FY2008 budget are the following:
completion of the Capitol Visitor Center and consideration of the Architect of the Capitol's request for an additional $20 million for this project; the renaming of the "Great Hall" of the Capitol Visitor Center; repair of the Capitol Power Plant tunnels and the role of the Office of Compliance in monitoring progress on this effort; funds requested to support the "Greening of the Capitol" initiative and the use of alternative fuels; the merger of the U.S. Capitol Police and the Library of Congress Police; funding for the acquisition of new technology for the "Books for the Blind" program; and the future of the Open World Leadership Program.
This report will be updated to reflect major congressional action.