	FY2018 Consideration: Overview of Actions

The first section of this report provides an overview of the consideration of FY2018 judiciary appropriations, with subsections covering each major action, including
the initial submission of the request on May 23, 2017; a hearing held by the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government; the House Appropriations subcommittee markup on June 29, 2017; and the House Appropriations Committee markup on July 13, 2017. It contains a request for $7.86 billion in new budget authority for judicial branch activities, including $7.23 billion in discretionary funds and $0.64 billion in mandatory funding for judges' salaries and benefits. By law, the judicial branch request is submitted to the President and included in the budget submission without change. Funding in Recent Years: Brief Overview

		FY2017

FY2017 judiciary funding was provided in Division E, Title 3, of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 ( P.L. 115-31 ), which was enacted on May 5, 2017. The Judiciary Budget and Key Issues

Appropriations for the judiciary comprise approximately 0.2% of total budget authority. The rest of the judiciary's budget provides funding for the lower federal courts and related judicial services. The largest account, approximately 72% of the total FY2017 enacted level, is the Salaries and Expenses account for the U.S. Courts of Appeals, District Courts, and Other Judicial Services. The remaining judiciary budget is divided among the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (0.4% of FY2017 enacted), U.S. Court of International Trade (0.3%), Fees of Jurors and Commissioners (0.5%), Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (1.2%), Federal Judicial Center (0.4%), U.S. Sentencing Commission (0.2%), and Judicial Retirement Funds (2.1%). The total represents a 2.5% increase over the FY2017 enacted level.
Funds for the judicial branch are included annually in the Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) appropriations bill. The bill provides funding for the Supreme Court; the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit; the U.S. Court of International Trade; the U.S. Courts of Appeals and District Courts; Defender Services; Court Security; Fees of Jurors and Commissioners; the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts; the Federal Judicial Center; the U.S. Sentencing Commission; and Judicial Retirement Funds.
The judiciary's FY2018 budget request of $7.86 billion, including $7.23 billion in discretionary funding and $636.1 million in mandatory funding, was submitted on May 23, 2017. By law, the President includes the requests submitted by the judiciary in the annual budget submission without change.
The FY2018 budget request represents a 4.3% increase in discretionary funds over the FY2017 enacted level of $6.93 billion provided in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 (P.L. 115-31, Division E, Title III), enacted May 5, 2017.
The House Appropriations Committee held a markup (H.R. 3280) on July 13, 2017, and recommended a total of $7.09 billion in discretionary funds, as well as such sums as necessary to provide for mandatory expenses.
Appropriations for the judiciary comprise approximately 0.2% of total budget authority for the federal government.