	Introduction

The program activities of most federal agencies are generally funded on an annual basis through the enactment of 12 regular appropriations acts . When those annual appropriations acts are not enacted by the beginning of the fiscal year (i.e., by October 1), one or more continuing appropriations acts may be enacted to provide temporary funding to continue certain programs and activities until action on regular appropriations acts is completed. Congress has enacted one or more CRs in all but three of the 43 fiscal years since FY1977. The second section discusses the enactment of regular appropriations acts prior to the start of the fiscal year and the number of CRs enacted, beginning with FY1977, which was the first fiscal year that began on October 1. The third section provides information on the variation in the number and duration of CRs enacted each fiscal year after FY1997—the most recent fiscal year in which all regular appropriations were enacted before the start of the new fiscal year. Main Components of Continuing Resolutions

Congress has included six main components in CRs. First, CRs provide funding for certain activities ( coverage ), which are typically specified with reference to the prior or current fiscal year's appropriations acts. Second, CRs provide budget authority for a specified duration of time. This duration may be as short as a single day or as long as the remainder of the fiscal year. Third, CRs typically provide funds based on an overall funding rate . Fourth, the use of budget authority provided in the CR is typically prohibited for new activities not funded in the previous fiscal year. Fifth, the duration and amount of funds in the CR, and purposes for which they may be used for specified activities, may be adjusted through anomalies . Sixth, legislative provisions —which create, amend, or extend other laws—have been included in some instances. As an alternative to the separate enactment of one or more of the regular appropriations bills for a fiscal year, a CR may provide funds for the activities covered in such bills through the remainder of the fiscal year. This type of CR is referred to as a full-year CR. 110-329 , the first CR for FY2010, provided the following funding rate:
Such amounts as may be necessary, at a rate for operations as provided in the applicable appropriations Acts for fiscal year 2008 and under the authority and conditions provided in such Acts, for continuing projects or activities (including the costs of direct loans and loan guarantees) that are not otherwise specifically provided for in this joint resolution, that were conducted in fiscal year 2008, and for which appropriations, funds, or other authority were made available in the following appropriations Acts: divisions A, B, C, D, F, G, H, J, and K of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 ( P.L. Three full-year CRs were used during this period, for FY2007, FY2011, and FY2013. Three years later, another full-year CR was enacted for FY1992.
The program activities of most federal agencies are generally funded on an annual basis through the enactment of regular appropriations acts. When those annual appropriations acts are not enacted by the beginning of the fiscal year (i.e., by October 1), one or more continuing appropriations acts (commonly known as continuing resolutions or CRs) may be enacted to provide temporary funding to continue certain programs and activities until action on the regular appropriations acts is completed.
Congress has included six main components in CRs. First, CRs have provided funding for certain activities (coverage), which are typically specified with reference to the prior fiscal year's appropriations acts. Second, CRs have provided budget authority for a specified duration of time. This duration may be as short as a single day or as long as the remainder of the fiscal year. Third, CRs have provided funds based on an overall funding rate. Fourth, the use of budget authority provided in the CR has been prohibited for new activities not funded in the previous fiscal year. Fifth, the duration and amount of funds in the CR, and purposes for which they may be used for specified activities, may be adjusted through anomalies. Sixth, legislative provisions—which create, amend, or extend other laws—have been included in some instances.
This report provides detailed information on CRs beginning with FY1977, which was the first fiscal year that began on October 1. Congress has enacted one or more CRs in all but three of the last 43 fiscal years (FY1977-FY2019). In addition, in 10 of the last 18 fiscal years, the initial CR—and in some years subsequent CRs—provided continuing appropriations for all the regular appropriations acts.
After FY1997—the most recent fiscal year that all regular appropriations bills were enacted before the start of the new fiscal year—an average of at least five CRs were signed into law for each fiscal year before the appropriations process was completed for that year. During this period, CRs provided funding for an average of almost five months each fiscal year.
For some fiscal years, a CR has provided continuing appropriations (i.e., at a rate of operations) through the end of that year (often referred to as a full-year CR). Most recently, a full-year CR was enacted for most of the regular appropriations acts for FY2007, FY2011, and FY2013. In the 1980s, in contrast, some "full-year CRs" actually included the full text of certain regular appropriations acts (i.e., in the form of an omnibus appropriations act rather than a typical CR).