	Most Recent Developments

On January 23, 2004, President Bush signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2004( H.R. 108-199 ), which included the conference version of theTransportation, Treasury and Independent Agencies Appropriations bill (Division F); theHouse had passed the bill on December 8, 2003, the Senate on January 22, 2004. Transportation-Treasury conferees agreed on a total of $89.8 billion; the Act includes anacross-the-board rescission of 0.59% (the figures in this report do not reflect the impact of thatrescission). On November 21, 2003, Congress passed the fourth continuing resolution for FY2004 funding, extending funding for those programs whose FY2004 appropriations bills had not already beenpassed by Congress to January 31, 2004. On October 23, the Senate passed its version of the FY2004 Transportation, Treasury and Independent Agencies Appropriation bill. The major financial change from the Administrationrequest was an additional $4.5 billion in highway funding. The bill provides$85.8 billion. Key financial differences from the Administration request include an additional $4.4billion in highway funding; another major difference, the deletion of the $3.4 billion for grants-in-aidto airports, was the result of a point of order against funding the administrative expenses of theprogram from contract authority. Prior to FY2004, appropriations for the Department of Transportation and the Department of the Treasury were in separate bills. Funding for these programsmay be restored in conference. These figures do not reflect the 0.59% across-the-board rescission included in H.R.2673. The same amount was included in both the House and Senate bills. Grants-in-Aid for Airports. The bill set the obligation limitation at $33.4 billion, $1.8 billion above the FY2003level and $4.1 billion above the President's request. Amtrak's authorization expired at the end of FY2002. For FY2003, in the Consolidated Appropriations Resolution ( P.L. 2989 on September 9, 2003. 2989 prohibited the IRS from using appropriated funds to issue final regulations lifting a 1999moratorium on the conversion of corporate pension plans from traditionaldefined-benefit plans to cash-balance plans. (22)
Included with the FY2004 budget request for consolidation is a proposal for a Title VI general provision that would provide for a 10% transfer authority among thefollowing accounts:
The White House (Compensation of the President, White House Office (including the Office of Homeland Security), Executive Residence,White House Repair and Restoration, Office of Administration, Office of PolicyDevelopment, National Security Council, Council of EconomicAdvisers)
Office of Management and Budget
Office of National Drug Control Policy
Special Assistance to the President and Official Residence ofthe Vice President (transfers would be subject to the approval of the VicePresident)
Council on Environmental Quality and Office of EnvironmentalQuality
Office of Science and Technology Policy
Office of the United States TradeRepresentative (23)
According to the EOP budget submission, the transfer authority would "allow the President to address, in a limited way, emerging priorities and shifting demands"and would "provide the President with flexibility, improve the efficiency of the EOP,and reduce administrative burdens." Cuba Sanctions

 (117)
Both House- and Senate-approved versions of the FY2004 Transportation-Treasury appropriations bill, H.R. But the provisions weredropped in the conference report to the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2004, P.L.108-199 (H.R.
For FY2004 Congress began providing, in a single bill, appropriations for the Departments of Transportation and the Treasury, the United States Postal Service, the Executive Office of thePresident, and Related Agencies, as well as General Government provisions.
On January 23, 2004, President Bush signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2004 ( H.R. 2673 ; P.L. 108-199 ), which included the conference version of the FY2004Transportation, Treasury and Independent Agencies Appropriations bill. On September 9, 2003, theHouse passed H.R. 2989 , the FY2004 Transportation, Treasury and IndependentAgencies Appropriations bill, which provided $85.8 billion. The major financial change from theAdministration's request was to recommend an additional $4.4 billion in highway spending (anothermajor change, the deletion of the $3.4 billion for grants-in-aid to airports, was a procedural change;funding may be restored in conference). On October 23, the Senate passed its version of the bill,which provided $91.0 billion, adding $4.5 billion in highway funding to the Administration'srequest. Conferees agreed on $89.8 billion on November 25th. The conference version of the billwas added to the Consolidated Appropriations bill, which the House passed on December 8, 2003. The Senate adjourned for the year without voting on the bill; they approved the bill on January 22,2004. The Consolidated Appropriations Act contains a 0.59% across-the-board rescission; thefigures in this report do not reflect the impact of that rescission. They also do not reflect the $55million in transportation projects and $1 billion for election reform grants projects located in the"Miscellaneous Appropriations" Division at the end of the Act.
Prior to passage of P.L. 108-199 , FY2004 funding for agencies and programs in the Transportation, Treasury, and Independent Agencies appropriations bill was provided, at FY2003levels, through January 31, 2004 by a series of continuing resolutions.
Key issues in the FY2004 appropriations bill included: pay for federal civilian employees (the White House proposed a 2% raise; the bill provides a 4.1% raise for federal civilian employees, inline with the military pay raise); outsourcing of federal work (the bill restricts the Administration'splan to increase outsourcing, but the broader restrictions contained in both House and Senate billswere dropped due to veto threats); "cash balance" pension plans (the bill prohibits the TreasuryDepartment from finalizing rules affecting conversion of traditional pension plans to cash balancebasis); and Cuba (the conference bill omitted provisions contained in both House and Senate billsthat constrained enforcement of travel restrictions to Cuba). This report will not be updated.
Key Policy Staff
DSP = Domestic Social Policy
G&F= Government & Finance
RSI = Resources, Science, and Industry Division.