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Budget Reconciliation Process: Timing of Committee Responses to Reconciliation Directives

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Budget Reconciliation Process: Timing of Committee Responses to Reconciliation Directives Megan S. Lynch Analyst on Congress and the Legislative Process October 24, 2013 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov R41151 Budget Reconciliation Process: Timing of Committee Responses to Reconciliation Directives Summary When reconciliation directives, also referred to as reconciliation instructions, are included in an annual budget resolution, their purpose is to require committees to develop and report reconciliation legislation that will achieve the budgetary goals set forth in the annual budget resolution. The reconciliation directives included in the budget resolution specify several things, including the committee instructed to report reconciliation legislation, the level of budgetary changes the committee should report, and the date by which the committee should report. Although reconciliation directives included in an annual budget resolution direct a committee to report legislation achieving a specific budgetary outcome by a specific date, there is no procedural mechanism for enforcing this date. Committees have often reported reconciliation legislation in response to their directives after the date specified, with no impact on whether the resultant legislation was considered under House and Senate procedures as reconciliation legislation. In some years, committees have not formally responded to the reconciliation directive instructing them to report legislation. Although there is no procedural mechanism for enforcing the date included in the committee’s reconciliation directive, Congress may employ methods of moving forward with reconciliation legislation that falls within a non-reporting committee’s jurisdiction in the event that the committee has not yet reported. These methods vary by chamber and are only employable in certain situations. Both the legislative committees and the Budget Committees in both chambers have important roles to play in using the reconciliation process. This report examines the timing of certain stages of the reconciliation process and the extent to which the submission due date included in a reconciliation instruction is a predictor for the timing of committee response. Specifically, it provides information on the dates by which committees have been directed to respond to reconciliation directives and the timing of House and Senate committees in responding to such directives in the past 10 Congresses (101st-111th Congresses). This report will be updated as needed. Congressional Research Service Budget Reconciliation Process: Timing of Committee Responses to Reconciliation Directives Contents The Reconciliation Process.............................................................................................................. 1 Overview of the Reconciliation Process.................................................................................... 1 Reconciliation Directives................................................................................................................. 2 The Committee(s) Directed to Report Reconciliation Legislation ............................................ 3 Single Committee Directive vs. Multiple Committee Directives........................................ 3 Particular Committees Directed to Report .......................................................................... 3 Multiple Directives to a Single Committee ......................................................................... 4 The Date by Which Committees Are Directed to Report .......................................................... 4 Procedural Enforcement of Budget Reconciliation Timing ................................................ 6 Extensions to the Committee Due Date .............................................................................. 6 In the Event that a Committee Does Not Respond to a Reconciliation Directive by the Date Indicated ............................................................................................................................... 7 House of Representatives .......................................................................................................... 7 Senate ........................................................................................................................................ 7 The Recent Practice of House and Senate Committees in Responding to Reconciliation Directives ...................................................................................................................................... 8 The House of Representatives ................................................................................................... 8 The Senate ............................................................................................................................... 12 Figures Figure 1. Major Stages of the Reconciliation Process ..................................................................... 2 Figure 2. A Comparative Timeline of House Action on Reconciliation in Selected Years ............ 12 Figure 3. A Comparative Timeline of Senate Action on Reconciliation in Selected Years............ 16 Tables Table 1. Due Dates for Committee Reconciliation Response .......................................................... 5 Table 2. Timing of House Committees Responses for Omnibus Reconciliation Measures: 1989-2009 ................................................................................................................................... 10 Table 3. Timing of Senate Committees Responses for Omnibus Reconciliation Measures: 1989-2009 ................................................................................................................................... 14 Table 4. Dates Related to House Committee Reconciliation Directives........................................ 18 Table 5. Dates Related to Senate Committee Reconciliation Directives ....................................... 26 Contacts Author Contact Information........................................................................................................... 33 Congressional Research Service Budget Reconciliation Process: Timing of Committee Responses to Reconciliation Directives The Reconciliation Process The purpose of the reconciliation process is to enhance Congress’s ability to bring existing spending, revenue, and debt-limit laws into compliance with current fiscal priorities established in the annual budget resolution.1 When Congress adopts a budget resolution, it is agreeing upon budgetary goals for the upcoming fiscal year. In some cases, for these goals to be achieved, Congress must pass legislation that alters current revenue, direct spending, or debt-limit laws. In Directives January 19, 2016 (R41151) Jump to Main Text of Report

Contents

Summary

When reconciliation directives (also referred to as reconciliation instructions) are included in an annual budget resolution, their purpose is to require committees to develop and report reconciliation legislation that will achieve the budgetary goals set forth in the annual budget resolution. The reconciliation directives included in the budget resolution specify several things, including the committee instructed to report reconciliation legislation, the level of budgetary changes the committee should report, and the date by which the committee should report.

Although reconciliation directives included in an annual budget resolution direct a committee to report legislation achieving a specific budgetary outcome by a specific date, there is no procedural mechanism for enforcing this date. Committees have often reported reconciliation legislation in response to their directives after the date specified with no impact on whether the resultant legislation was considered under House and Senate procedures as reconciliation legislation.

In some years, committees have not formally responded to the reconciliation directive instructing them to report legislation. Although there is no procedural mechanism for enforcing the date included in the committee's reconciliation directive, Congress may employ methods of moving forward with reconciliation legislation that falls within a non-reporting committee's jurisdiction in the event that the committee has not yet reported. These methods vary by chamber and are employable only in certain situations.

Both the legislative committees and the Budget Committees in both chambers have important roles to play in using the reconciliation process. This report examines the timing of certain stages of the reconciliation process and the extent to which the submission due date included in a reconciliation instruction is a predictor for the timing of committee response. Specifically, it provides information on the dates by which committees have been directed to respond to reconciliation directives and the timing of House and Senate committees in responding to such directives in the past 14 Congresses (101st-114th Congresses).

This report will be updated as needed.

Budget Reconciliation Process: Timing of Committee Responses to Reconciliation Directives

The Reconciliation Process

The purpose of the reconciliation process is to enhance Congress's ability to bring existing spending, revenue, and debt limit laws into compliance with current fiscal priorities established in the annual budget resolution.1 When Congress adopts a budget resolution, it is agreeing upon budgetary goals for the upcoming fiscal year. In some cases, for these goals to be achieved, Congress must pass legislation that alters current revenue, direct spending, or debt limit laws. In
this situation Congress seeks to reconcile existing law with its current priorities. The reconciliation process is still a relatively new congressional process in that there have only been 23been only 24 reconciliation bills passed by Congress since the first use of reconciliation in 1980. Overview of the Reconciliation Process Budget reconciliation is an optional congressional process that consists of several different stages ( (Figure 1). The first stage in the reconciliation process is the adoption of the budget resolution. If Congress intends to utilizeuse the reconciliation process, reconciliation directives (also referred to as reconciliation instructions) must be included in the annual budget resolution. These directives trigger the second stage of the process by instructing individual committees to develop and report legislation that would change laws within their jurisdictionrespective jurisdictions related to spending, revenue, or the debt- debt limit. These directives detail which committee(s) should report reconciliation legislation, the date by which the committee(s) should report, the dollar amount of budgetary change to be achieved in the reconciliation legislation, and the time period over which the impact of the budgetary change should be measured.22 If a single committee is directed in the budget resolution to develop reconciliation legislation, it will likely be instructed to report this language directly to its full chamber. If, however, several committees are directed to report reconciliation legislation, they they will typically will be directed to submit the language to their respective Budget Committee for Committees for packaging, without any substantive change, into an omnibus measure.3 3 During the second stage of the reconciliation process, the specified committee develops legislation in response to the reconciliation directive included in the budget resolution. The committee will then meet to vote whether to report that language. The committee may vote to report the language favorably or unfavorably, the latter meaning that although it satisfied its directive, the committee did not support the language.4 4 As stated above, if more than one committee has been directed to report reconciliation legislation, they are directed to submit such language to their respective Budget Committee. The Budget Committee then packages all committee responses into an omnibus budget reconciliation bill 1 As provided in the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 as amended, Titles I-IX of P.L. 93-344, 2 U.S.C. 601-688 (the Budget Act). Section 310 of the act is codified at 2 U.S.C. 641. Although the reconciliation process was first used by the House and Senate in 1980 (for FY1981), this report focuses on the period covering 1989 (for FY1990) through 2009 (for FY2010). 2 Directives sometimes also include language regarding the type of change that should be reported as well as procedural provisions, contingencies, and programmatic direction. For more information on the language of directives, see the section below. 3 Section 310(b)(2) of the Budget Act. 4 For example, on October 15, 1990, the Post Office and Civil Service committee voted unanimously to report unfavorably reconciliation language to satisfy its reconciliation directive. Congressional Research Service 1 Budget Reconciliation Process: Timing of Committee Responses to Reconciliation Directives Committees. Each Budget Committee then packages all committee responses into an omnibus budget reconciliation bill without making any substantive revisions and votes on whether to report the omnibus reconciliation bill to the full chamber. In this way, both the legislative committees and the Budget Committees in both chambers have important roles to play in using the reconciliation process. During the final stages of the reconciliation process, the reported legislation is considered under expedited procedures in both the House and Senate.55 As with all legislation, any differences in the reconciliation legislation as passed by the two chambers must be resolved before the bill can be sent to the President for the final stage of the process,: either approval or veto. Sometimes the reconciliation process triggered in the annual budget resolution of a specific year is not completed until the subsequent year. For instance, the FY2006 budget resolution,66 agreed to on April 28, 2005, included reconciliation directives that resulted in the enactment of two reconciliation bills, but these bills were not signed into law until February and May of 2006.7 7

Figure 1. Major Stages of the Reconciliation Process Source: Congressional Research Service. Reconciliation Directives Reconciliation Directives As described above, Congress has the option of including reconciliation directives in its annual budget resolution. These directives trigger the reconciliation process, and without their inclusion in a budget resolution, no measure would be eligible to be considered under expedited reconciliation procedures. When reconciliation directives are included in an annual budget resolution, their purpose is to require committees to develop and report legislation that will allow Congress to achieve the budgetary goals set forth in the annual budget resolution. These directives detail which committee(s) should report reconciliation legislation, the date by which the committee(s) should report, the dollar amount of budgetary change that should exist within the reconciliation 5 For more information on the consideration of reconciliation legislation in the House and Senate, see CRS Report RL33030, The Budget Reconciliation Process: House and Senate Procedures, by Robert Keith and Bill Heniff Jr. 6 H.Con.Res. 95 (109th Congress). 7 Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-171), signed into law on February 8, 2006, and Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-222) signed into law on May 17, 2006. Congressional Research Service 2 Budget Reconciliation Process: Timing of Committee Responses to Reconciliation Directives legislation, and the time period over which the budgetary change should occur. They might also include language regarding the type of budgetary change that should be reported (revenue, spending, or debt- limit legislation), as well as other procedural provisions, contingencies, and programmatic direction. In this way, the reconciliation process allows the Budget Committees to assist Congress in implementing the budgetary changes outlined in the budget resolution, while, at the same time , protecting legislative committee jurisdiction over direct spending and revenue laws by allowing them to report legislative changes of their choice. The Committee(s) Directed to Report Reconciliation Legislation As described above, reconciliation directives in a budget resolution direct a specific committee or committees to develop legislation achieving a desired budgetary outcome. Single Committee Directive vs. Multiple Committee Directives In both the House and Senate, reconciliation instructions in a budget resolution have directed either a single committee to report or multiple committees to report. In cases when only one committee has been directed to report, the process directs the committee to report its reconciliation legislation directly to its full chamber. If the budget resolution instructs more than one committee to report reconciliation legislation, then those committees have beenare directed to submit their legislative recommendations to their respective Budget Committee.8 The Budget Committees.8 Each Budget Committee then packages the committee responses into an omnibus budget reconciliation bill without making any substantive revisions, and votes on whether to report the omnibus reconciliation bill. Particular Committees Directed to Report Any legislative committee with jurisdiction over spending, revenues, or the debt limit may be directed to report reconciliation legislation, and many have been instructed to report reconciliation legislation at some point. Because the Senate Finance Committee and the House Committee on Ways and Means each have jurisdiction within their respective chambers over all revenue and debt- limit legislation, as well as some direct spending legislation, these committees are often directed to report some type of reconciliation legislation when reconciliation directives are included in a budget resolution. Since 1989, 1314 budget resolutions have included reconciliation directives to Senate committees. Twelve of those 13 budget resolutionsThirteen of those 14 directed the Senate Finance Committee to report reconciliation legislation. Similarly, since 1989, 1314 budget resolutions have included reconciliation directives to House committees. Twelve of those 13 budget resolutionsThirteen of those 14 directed the House Ways and Means Committee to report reconciliation legislation. In current practice, reconciliation may include direct spending legislation, but does not include discretionary spending provisions. Discretionary spending is subject to other enforcement mechanisms.99 The Appropriations Committees have only been directed to report reconciliation 8 Section 310(b) of the Budget Act. Discretionary spending levels are enforced by Section 302(f) of the Budget Act, which prohibits consideration of any (continued...) 9 Congressional Research Service 3 Budget Reconciliation Process: Timing of Committee Responses to Reconciliation Directives been directed to report reconciliation legislation on only two occasions, and have not been directed to report reconciliation legislationdo so since 1981.10 10 Multiple Directives to a Single Committee Individual committees sometimes areare sometimes given several separate reconciliation directives within a single budget resolution. In 2000, for instance, the budget resolution included four separate reconciliation instructions to the House Ways and Means Committee.11 11 There are several reasons why a budget resolution may include multiple directives to a single committee. First, a committee may be directed to report more than one kind of reconciliation legislation with a separate directive given for each type. Section 310 of the Budget Act recognizes three types of reconciliation legislation that committees may be directed to report: spending, revenue, and debt limit. The Budget Act also recognizes that committees may be directed to report a combination of spending and revenue legislation, including a direction to achieve deficitneutraldeficit-neutral reductions. If a committee is given more than one directive, for instance, to increase revenues and decrease spending, then the committee may respond with separate pieces of legislation. Under current practice in the Senate, however, this provision has been interpreted to mean that no more than one reconciliation measure of each type is permitted. Reconciliation instructions, therefore, may result in the creation of no more than three reconciliation bills that may be considered on the floor under expedited procedures, and only if they are divided so that there is one for spending, one for revenue, and one for the debt limit. A committee also maymay also be asked to report reconciliation legislation that achieves budgetary goals over different periods of time. Lastly, reconciliation directives may be separated to make clear that the directives are intended to achieve separate policy goals.12 12 The Date by Which Committees Are Directed to Report Reconciliation directives included in an annual budget resolution direct a committee to report (or submit to the Budget Committee) legislation by a specific date. For example, : (b) Not later than June 20, 1980, each committee specified in subsection (a) shall submit its recommendations to the Committee on the Budget of its House.13 (...continued) measure or amendment that would cause 302(a) committee allocations or 302(b) subdivisions to be exceeded. For more information, see CRS Report R40472, The Budget Resolution and Spending Legislation, by Megan S. Lynch. 10 In the budget resolution for FY1981 (H.Con.Res. 307, 96th Congress), the House Appropriations Committee and the Senate Appropriations Committee were directed to report reconciliation legislation, and in the budget resolution for FY1982 (H.Con.Res. 115, 97th Congress), the Senate Appropriations Committee was directed to report reconciliation legislation. 11 H.Con.Res. 290 (106th Congress), the budget resolution for FY2001, Sec. 103. 12 For instance, the budget resolution for FY2010 (S.Con.Res. 13) included two directives to the House Committee on Education and Labor: one under the subheading Health Care Reform, and the other under Investing in Education. 13 H.Con.Res. 307 (96th Congress). Congressional Research Service 4 Budget Reconciliation Process: Timing of Committee Responses to Reconciliation Directives recommendations to the Committee on the Budget of its House.13 (1) Not later than July 23, 1999, the Senate Committee on Finance shall report to the Senate a reconciliation bill....14 14 As can be seen in Table 1, these due dates may vary in several respects. In some years, they have been the same for both the House and Senate committees, though not always. Due dates sometimes have have sometimes been as early as April or as late as October15October15 and have fallen within every month between except August (due to the annually scheduled recess). The decision regarding when to set committee response dates may be influenced by various factors. One factor may be a desire to achieve the President's legislative priorities as quickly as possible, particularly in the first year of his term. For instance, in 20002001, President George W. Bush proposed the enactment of revenue reductions. Congress used reconciliation to consider revenue reduction legislation, setting a May due date for committee submissions, and clearing the measure for the President by May 26.16 16 Conversely, submission deadlines may be set for later in the session when the need for extensive negotiations is foreseen. For example, the FY1996 budget resolution was adopted on June 29, but the submission date for reconciliation legislation was September 22. In 1990, prolonged negotiations with the President over a "budget summit" agreement delayed the adoption of the budget resolution until October, which also prolonged the triggering of the reconciliation process. As a result, the FY1991 budget resolution set a submission deadline in both chambers of October 15, five days after the annual budget resolution was agreed to. When a single committee is directed to report multiple pieces of reconciliation legislation, staggered deadlines may be used to regulate the pace of legislative activity. For example, the reconciliation instructions included in the FY2006 budget resolution in 2005 included three sets of instructions for the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee with three different due dates. These due dates were staggered with a week between each, allowing the committees time to develop and report legislation to satisfy each individual directive. Table 1. Due Dates for Committee Reconciliation Response (1989-2009) Budget Resolution (Related Fiscal Year) House Due Date(s) Senate Due Date(s)

(1989-2015)

Budget Resolution (Related Fiscal Year)

House Due Date(s)

Senate Due Date(s)

H.Con.Res. 106 (1990)

07/15/89

07/15/89

(1990) 07/15/89 07/15/89 H.Con.Res. 310 (1991)

10/15/90

10/15/90

(1991) 10/15/90 10/15/90 H.Con.Res. 64 (1994) 04/02/93; 05/14/93 04/02/93; 06/18/93 H.Con.Res. 67 (1996)

09/22/95

09/22/95

(1996) 09/22/95 09/22/95 H.Con.Res. 178 (1997) 06/13/96; 07/18/96; 09/06/96 06/21/96; 07/24/96; 09/18/96 14 H.Con.Res. 68 (106th Congress). H.Con.Res. 64 (103rd Congress) included a due date of April 2. S.Con.Res. 13 (111th Congress) and H.Con.Res. 310 (101st Congress) both included due dates of October 15. 16 The revenue reduction legislation, the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001, was signed into law on June 7, 2001, as P.L. 107-16. 15 Congressional Research Service 5 Budget Reconciliation Process: Timing of Committee Responses to Reconciliation Directives Budget Resolution (Related Fiscal Year) House Due Date(s) Senate Due Date(s)

06/21/96; 07/24/96; 09/18/96

H.Con.Res. 84 (1998) 06/13/97; 06/14/97 06/13/97; 06/20/97 H.Con.Res. 68 (2000)

07/16/99

07/23/99

(2000) 07/16/99 07/23/99 H.Con.Res. 290 (2001) 07/14/00; 09/13/00 07/14/00; 09/13/00 H.Con.Res. 83 (2002)

05/08/01

05/18/01

(2002) 05/08/01 05/18/01 H.Con.Res. 95 (2004)

05/08/03

05/08/03

(2004) 05/08/03 05/08/03 H.Con.Res. 95 (2006) 09/16/05; 09/23/05; 09/30/05 09/16/05; 09/23/05; 09/30/05 S.Con.Res. 21 (2008)

09/10/07

09/10/07

(2008) 09/10/07 09/10/07 S.Con.Res. 13 (2010)

10/15/09

10/15/09

S.Con.Res. 11 (2016)

7/24/2015

7/24/2015

(2010) 10/15/09 10/15/09 Source: Information in this table is based on data from Table 4 and Table 5. . Procedural Enforcement of Budget Reconciliation Timing The Budget Act includes a budget process timetable stating that Congress is to complete action on reconciliation legislation on or before June 15.1717 There is no corresponding enforcement mechanism, however, for ensuring that reconciliation legislation be completed by that date, and Congress has instead followed a timetable established by the committee due dates in reconciliation directives in the budget resolution. Another provision in the Budget Act prohibits House consideration of any resolution providing for adjournment of more than three days during the month of July if the House has not completed action on any required reconciliation legislation.18 18 There is no procedural mechanism, such as a point of order, for enforcing the date specified in the reconciliation directive as it appears in the budget resolution. Committees have sometimes have reported reconciliation legislation in response to their directives after the date specified in the directive with no impact on whether the resultant legislation was considered as reconciliation legislation. In other words, the late response of one or more committees did not cause the bill to lose its privileged status as a reconciliation bill.19 19 In the case of omnibus reconciliation measures, the House and Senate Budget Committees have at times delayed reporting a bill until tardy committee submissions were received. Extensions to the Committee Due Date During the first years in which the reconciliation process was used, explicit extensions were sometimes granted to committees that were unable to meet their reporting due date. For instance, in 1983, the House and Senate extended their committee submission due date from July 22 to September 23. Since this specific extension, however, the House has not employed the use of due date extensions, although the Senate continued the practice through the 1980s. 17 Section 300 of the Budget Act. It does not speak to when committees should respond to reconciliation directives. Section 310(f) of the Budget Act. 19 For information on the dates of committee responses to reconciliation directives that have resulted in a bill being presented to the President, see Table 4 and Table 5. 18 Congressional Research Service 6 Budget Reconciliation Process: Timing of Committee Responses to Reconciliation Directives Because committee due dates have no mechanism for enforcement, in current practice neither chamber utilizesuses formal committee due date extensions. In the Event thatThat a Committee Does Not Respond to a Reconciliation Directive by the Date Indicated In some years, committees have not formally responded to the reconciliation directive instructing them to report legislation. There may be several reasons for the lack of a formal committee submission. For instance, there may have been a shift in policy priorities and Congress no longer desired desires to pass reconciliation legislation. It could also be that a committee fails to approve reconciliation language20language,20 or it may be that although committees did not respond formally to the directive, they reported freestanding legislation that was not considered under reconciliation procedures but that may have satisfied the goal of the reconciliation directive. As explained above, there is no procedural mechanism for requiring a committee to report reconciliation legislation by the date indicated in the reconciliation directive. Each chamber, however, may employ methods of moving forward with reconciliation legislation, and to include and include legislative language that falls within the non-reporting committee's jurisdiction, in the event that the committee has not yet reported. These methods vary by chamber. House of Representatives In the House, if a committee has not responded to a reconciliation directive, it still may be may still be possible to consider reconciliation legislation on the House floor that would satisfy the committee’ committee's directive. The Budget Act states that the House Rules Committee may make in order amendments to a reconciliation bill to satisfy reconciliation directives if a committee has not submitted reconciliation legislation to the House Budget Committee.2121 This would be in order only if there were a reconciliation bill available for consideration by the House, either reported from the Budget Committee or received from the Senate. Senate Senate In the Senate, if a committee has not responded to a reconciliation directive, it still may be may still be possible to consider reconciliation legislation on the Senate floor that would satisfy the committee’ committee's directive. This would be in order on the floor in the form of a motion to recommit the bill to that committee with instructions that it report the measure back to the Senate forthwith with an amendment.2222 Unlike amendments to the reconciliation bill, the motion to recommit would not have to be germane if it were made in this situation. Such a motion to recommit would 20 In 1995, the House Agriculture Committee became deadlocked and was unable to adopt a recommendation. For more information on special rules and the amending process, see CRS Report 98-612, Special Rules and Options for Regulating the Amending Process, by Megan S. Lynch. 22 If adopted, a motion to recommit sends the bill to a specified committee. It may be offered with or without instructions, and instructions typically direct a committee to amend a bill in a specific way. Motions to recommit with instructions can be offered “forthwith,” which means if successful, the amendments would be made immediately on the Senate floor and the measure would not be returned to committee. 21 Congressional Research Service 7 Budget Reconciliation Process: Timing of Committee Responses to Reconciliation Directives allow any Senator to craft legislative language within the directed committee's jurisdiction on the floor. The Recent Practice of House and Senate Committees in Responding to Reconciliation Directives Directives The following section provides information on the timing of committee responses to reconciliation directives during the period covering 1989-20092015 and offers insight on the extent to which the submission due date included in a reconciliation instruction is a predictor for the timing of committee responses. The House of Representatives Table 2 provides information on the timing of House committee responses to reconciliation directives. The table only includesincludes only reconciliation acts that involved multiple committee directives. It includes the relevant reconciliation act;, the number of directives to House committees included in the budget resolution;, the number of committee responses that were submitted on time;, the number of responses that were submitted late;, the number of House committee directives that were not formally responded to;, and the number of days before or after the deadline that the last reporting committee submitted its response. It does not speak to the content of the response. The table also includes the date the House Budget Committee reported and, the number of days between the final included committee submission to the House Budget Committee, and the date when the House Budget Committee reported. The data in Table 2Table 2 illustrate several concepts. First, they show that directed committees have sometimes submitted reconciliation legislation before the due date, at the due date, and after the due date, and that in some cases, committees never formally responded. Further, they show that the table shows that reconciliation legislation has been passed by the House regardless of whether committees reported late or thatwhether some committees never formally submitted a response. Table 2 illustrates at least three practices of the House Budget Committee. First, the Budget Committee has sometimes delayed the reporting of an omnibus reconciliation bill in order to allow a committee that has missed its directed date to submit its response. Conversely, it shows that in some cases, the Budget Committee has not waited for all committees to submit before reporting the bill. Lastly, it shows that, except for in one case, once the House Budget Committee has received the last submission to ultimately be included in the omnibus bill, it reports the legislation without substantial delay.23 23 The House Budget Committee waited 153 days before reporting the Heath Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, perhaps because the committee (as well as its Senate counterpart and the leadership of both chambers) expected the legislative text that it received to be considered outside of the reconciliation process as shown in the following excerpt from an article that appeared in Congressional Quarterly: Schumer said that “if Baucus cannot get a deal by September 15, Democrats may move forward with budget reconciliation procedures that would require only 50 votes to pass a bill.” “If the (continued...) Congressional Research Service 8 Budget Reconciliation Process: Timing of Committee Responses to Reconciliation Directives legislation without substantial delay.23 In the case of omnibus reconciliation bills, the committee responses ranged from all committees submitting on time (Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990), to all committees submitting late (Deficit Reduction Act of 1997). Several omnibus bills included both timely and tardy responses. In some years, reconciliation was included in budget resolutions adopted by one or both chambers, but in the absence of final agreement, the process was not triggered. Such years are not included in this report.24 (...continued) Republicans are not able to produce an agreement, we will have contingencies in place,” said Schumer, indicating that he was talking about budget reconciliation. “These plans will likely be considered as a last resort, but they are on the table.” Drew Armstrong, “Hopes for Bipartisan Health Care Deal Lie With Baucus; Reconciliation Still on the Table,” Congressional Quarterly, August 3, 2009, CQ Today Print Edition-Health. 24 The FY2013 budget resolution agreed to by the House (H.Con.Res. 112, 112th Congress, agreed to on March 29, 2012), for example, contained reconciliation directives to six House committees. Although the House and Senate did not come to agreement on a budget resolution, the six specified House committees submitted their reconciliation language to the House Budget Committee by the specified deadline (April 27, 2012). The House Budget Committee reported the measure (May 7) and the House passed H.R. 5652, the Sequester Replacement Reconciliation Act (May 10). The House was able to develop and consider H.R. 5652 as a reconciliation measure because the budget resolution passed by the House was “deemed” enforceable by the House as if the Senate had agreed to it (H.Res. 614, 112th Congress).24 Because Congress had not agreed to the underlying budget resolution, the House reconciliation bill, H.R. 5652, was not considered a reconciliation measure in the Senate, and, therefore was not eligible for consideration in the Senate under reconciliation procedures. Congressional Research Service 9 Table 2. Timing of House Committees Responses for Omnibus Reconciliation Measures: 1989-2009 House Budget Committee Report Number of Committee Reconciliation Directives Reconciliation Act Directives to Submit/Report Legislation Submitted/ Reported On Time Submitted/ Reported Late Not Submitted/ Reported Number of Days Latest Included Submission Made Before (-) or After (+) Due Date Date Reported Number of Days After Latest Committee Submission Reconciliation Acts Involving Multiple-Committee Directives Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1989 10 4 6 0 +65 9/20/89 2 Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 12 12 0 0 0 10/16/90 1 Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 13 10 3 0 +460 5/25/93 7 Balanced Budget Act of 1995 12 2 8 2 +19 10/17/95 6 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996b 4 3 1 0 +7 6/27/96 7 Balanced Budget Act of 1997 8 6 2 0 +4 6/24/97 7 Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 8 1 0 7 0 6/24/1997 10 Deficit Reduction Act (2005) 7 0 7 0 +46 11/07/05 6 Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 4 3 0 1 0 3/17/10 153 Source: included in this report.24 Table 2. Timing of House Committees Responses for Omnibus Reconciliation Measures: 1989-2015

Reconciliation Act

Number of Committee Reconciliation Directives

Number of Days Latest Included Submission Made Before (-) or After (+) Due Date

House Budget Committee Report

 

Directives to Submit/Report Legislation

Submitted/ Reported On Time

Submitted/ Reported Late

Not Submitted/ Reported

 

Date Reported

Number of Days After Latest Committee Submission

Reconciliation Acts Involving Multiple-Committee Directives

Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1989

10

4

6

0

+65

9/20/89

2

Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990

12

12

0

0

0

10/16/90

1

Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993

13

10

3

0

+46a

5/25/93

7

Balanced Budget Act of 1995

12

2

8

2

+19

10/17/95

6

Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996b

4

3

1

0

+7

6/27/96

7

Balanced Budget Act of 1997

8

6

2

0

+4

6/24/97

7

Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997

8

1

0

7

0

6/24/1997

10

Deficit Reduction Act (2005)

7

0

7

0

+46

11/07/05

6

Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010

4

3

0

1

0

3/17/10

153

Restoring Americans' Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act of 2015

3

0

3

0

+73

10/16/2015

11

Source:
This information is based on data included in Table 4. . Notes: The number of days is calendar days and not legislative days. a. a. Note that the submission made 46 days after the due date was a directive pertaining to the debt limit and that, otherwise, the latest included submission was submitted 3 three days after due date. b. b. There were three sets of reconciliation directives included in the FY1997 budget resolution, H.Con.Res. 178. This information only refersrefers only to the first set of directives. There were no formal committee responses to the second and third set of directives. CRS-10 Budget Reconciliation Process: Timing of Committee Responses to Reconciliation Directives Figure 2 Table 4 presents a timeline of four particular stages of reconciliation action in the House for six eight different reconciliation acts. The figure includes reconciliation acts agreed to by both chambers that involved multiple committee instructions with the same due date. It shows (1) the date that the budget resolution whichthat directed committees to report reconciliation was agreed to by both chambers; chambers, (2) the date by which the instructed committees were directed to submit their responses to the House Budget Committee;, (3) the date that the last responding committee submitted reconciliation legislation to the House Budget Committee;, and (4) the date that the House Budget Committee reported reconciliation legislation. Figure 2 Figure 2 shows the variability in timing for three of the four stages. Although the first stage shown (budget resolution agreed to) tends to occur between April and June, the timing for the other three stages varies. Further, there is considerable variation in the total time taken for all four stages to be completed. In one case it took only a month (1997), and in another other case it took almost 11 months (2009/2010). There is also variability in the stages as they relate to one another. For instance, sometimes the first two stages (adoption of budget resolution and the due date for committee submission) have been within the same month, and sometimes they have been several months apart. This is true alsoalso true for the relationship between the second and third stages (committee submission due dates and actual committee submission date). However, the amount of time between stages three and four (the submission date of the last committee formally submitting and the date the budget committee reports an omnibus bill) has been fairly consistent, except in one case. As in Table 2, , this shows that, except in one case, the House Budget Committee has reported the omnibus legislation shortly after it has received the final submission to be included in the omnibus bill. Congressional Research Service 11 Budget Reconciliation Process: Timing of Committee Responses to Reconciliation Directives

Figure 2. A Comparative Timeline of House Action on Reconciliation in Selected Years Source: This information is based on data included in Table 4. The Senate Table 4. The Senate Table 3 provides information on the timing of Senate committee responses to reconciliation directives. The table only includes only reconciliation acts that involved multiple committee directives. It includes the relevant reconciliation act;, the number of directives to Senate committees included in the budget resolution;, the number of committee responses that were submitted on time;, the number of committee responses that were submitted late;, the number of committees directives that were not formally responded to;, and the number of days before or after the deadline that the last reporting committee submitted its response. It does not speak to the content of the response. The table also includes the date the Senate Budget Committee reported the omnibus bill, the number of days between the final included committee submission to the Senate Budget Committee, and the date when the Senate Budget Committee reported. The data in Table 3 illustrate several concepts. First, they show that directed committees have sometimes reported or submitted reconciliation legislation before the due date, at the due date, and after the due date, and that, in some cases, committees never formally responded. Further, it the table shows that reconciliation legislation has been passed by the Senate regardless of whether committees submitted late or thatwhether some committees never formally submitted a response. Congressional Research Service 12 Budget Reconciliation Process: Timing of Committee Responses to Reconciliation Directives Table 3 illustrates at least three practices of the Senate Budget Committee. First, the Budget Committee has sometimes delayed the reporting of a reconciliation bill to allow a committee that has missed its deadline to submit. Conversely, it shows that in some cases, the Budget Committee has not waited for all committees to submit before reporting the omnibus reconciliation bill. Lastly, it shows that once the Senate Budget Committee has received the last submission to be included in the omnibus, it reports the legislation without substantial delay. In the case of omnibus reconciliation bills, the committee responses ranged from all committees submitting on time (Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990), to all committees submitting late (Deficit Reduction Act). Several omnibus bills included both timely and tardy responses. Congressional Research Service 13 Table 3. Timing of Senate Committees Responses for Omnibus Reconciliation Measures: 1989-2009 Senate Budget Committee Report Number of Committee Reconciliation Directives Reconciliation Act Directives to Submit/Report Legislation Submitted/ Reported On Time Submitted/ Reported Late Not Submitted/ Reported Number of Days Latest Included Submission Made Before (-) or After (+) Due Date Date Reported Number of Days After Latest Committee Submission Reconciliation Acts Involving Multiple-Committee Directives Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1989 8 0 7 1 +83 10/12/89 6 Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 10 10 0 0 0 10/16/90 1 Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1993 14 13 0 1 0 6/22/93 5 Balanced Budget Act of 1995 12 3 9 0 +25 10/23/95 4 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996a 2 0 2 0 +30 7/16/96 5 Balanced Budget Act of 1997 8 3 5 0 +6 6/20/97 1 Deficit Reduction Act (2005) 8 0 8 0 +39 10/27/05 2 Source:2015

Reconciliation Act

Number of Committee Reconciliation Directives

Number of Days Latest Included Submission Made Before (-) or After (+) Due Date

Senate Budget Committee Report

 

Directives to Submit/Report Legislation

Submitted/ Reported on Time

Submitted/ Reported Late

Not Submitted/ Reported

 

Date Reported

Number of Days After Latest Committee Submission

Reconciliation Acts Involving Multiple-Committee Directives

Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1989

8

0

7

1

+83

10/12/89

6

Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990

10

10

0

0

0

10/16/90

1

Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1993

14

13

0

1

0

6/22/93

5

Balanced Budget Act of 1995

12

3

9

0

+25

10/23/95

4

Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996a

2

0

2

0

+30

7/16/96

5

Balanced Budget Act of 1997

8

3

5

0

+6

6/20/97

1

Deficit Reduction Act (2005)

8

0

8

0

+39

10/27/05

2

Source:
This information is based on data included in Table 5. Notes:. Notes: The number of days is calendar days and not legislative days. a. CRS-14 a. There were three sets of reconciliation directives included in H.Con.Res. 178. This information only refersrefers only to the first set of directives. There were no formal committee responses to the second and third set of directives. Budget Reconciliation Process: Timing of Committee Responses to Reconciliation Directives Table 3 presents a timeline of reconciliation action in the Senate for six particular reconciliation acts. The figure includes reconciliation acts agreed to by both chambers that involved multiple committee instructions with the same due date. It shows (1) the date that the budget resolution which that directed committees to report reconciliation was agreed to by both chambers;, (2) the date by which the instructed committees were directed to submit their responses to the Senate Budget Committee; Committee, (3) the date that the last responding committee submitted reconciliation legislation to the Senate Budget Committee;, and (4) the date that the Senate Budget Committee reported reconciliation legislation. Figure 3 shows variability in timing for three of the four stages. Although the first stage shown (budget resolution agreed to) tends to occur between April and June, the timing for the other three stages varies. Further, there is considerable variation in the total time taken for all four stages to be completed. In one case, it took only one month (1997), and in another case it took eight months (2005). There is also variability in the stages as they relate to one another. For instance, sometimes the first two stages (adoption of budget resolution and the due date for committee submission) have been within the same month, and sometimes they have been several months apart. This is true alsoalso true for the relationship between the second and third stages (committee submission due dates and actual committee submission date). However, the amount of time between stages three and four (the submission date of the last committee formally submitting and the date the budget committee reports an omnibus bill) has been fairly consistent. As in Table 3, this shows that the Senate Budget Committee reports legislation shortly after it has received the last submission to be included in the omnibus bill. Congressional Research Service 15 Budget Reconciliation Process: Timing of Committee Responses to Reconciliation Directives

Figure 3. A Comparative Timeline of Senate Action on Reconciliation in Selected Years Source: This information is based on data included in Table 5. . The following tables provide more detailed information on House and Senate committee responses to reconciliation directives. Table 4 pertains to the House, and Table 5 pertains to the Senate. Both include the relevant Congress and session;, the fiscal year to which the budget resolution pertains;, the budget resolution number;, the date the budget resolution was agreed to by both chambers;, the committees directed to report reconciliation legislation;, the date by which the committee was directed to respond;, the date on which the committee responded;, the date that the budget committee reported a reconciliation bill (if applicable);, and the reconciliation legislation that was subsequently passed by Congress. The date of response for each committee has been determined in two ways, depending on whether the committee was directed to report to the full chamber or to submit to the Budget Committee. In the case that a committee was instructed to report directly to the full chamber, the date of the committee report was used. In the case that the committee was directed to report to its respective Budget Committee, the date on the submission letters accompanying theirits reconciliation responses was used. These letters were found in committee reports and committee prints Congressional Research Service 16 Budget Reconciliation Process: Timing of Committee Responses to Reconciliation Directives accompanying the reconciliation legislation. In some cases these letters had been inserted into the Congressional Record. . In some cases, the tables do not show a committee response date. Committees have not always formally responded to the reconciliation directive instructing them to report legislation. There may be a number of reasons for the lack of a formal submission. For instance, there may have been a shift in policy priorities over the course of the year and Congress no longer desired to consider reconciliation legislation within that committee's jurisdiction. It may also be that even though committees did not respond formally to the reconciliation directive, they did report freestanding legislation that would have satisfied the goal of the reconciliation directive. Congressional Research Service 17 Table 4. Dates Related to House Committee Reconciliation Directives Reconciliation Directives for FY1990-FY2010 Congress/ Session 101/1 CRS-18 Date by Which Date Budget House Committee Committee was Resolution Directed to Directed to was Agreed to Report Submit/ Report Date Committee Related by Both Reconciliation (Type of Submitted/ Budget Resolution Fiscal Year Chambers Legislation Directive) Reported H.Con.Res. 106 1990 05/18/89 Agriculture 07/15/89 07/21/89 Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs 07/15/89 07/15/89 Education and Labor 07/15/89 07/26/89 Energy and Commerce 07/15/89 09/15/89 Government Operations 07/15/89 06/28/89 Date Budget Committee Reported (If Applicable) 09/20/89 Interior and Insular Affairs 07/15/89 07/10/89 Merchant Marine and Fisheries 07/15/89 08/02/89 Post Office and Civil Service 07/15/89 07/14/89 Veterans’ Affairs 07/15/89 07/17/89 Ways and Means 07/15/89 09/18/89 Reconciliation Bill Passed Both Chambers Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1989 (P.L. 101-239) Congress/ Session 101/2 Date by Which Date Budget House Committee Committee was Directed to Resolution Directed to was Agreed to Report Submit/ Report Date Committee by Both Related Reconciliation (Type of Submitted/ Legislation Budget Resolution Fiscal Year Chambers Directive) Reported H.Con.Res. 310 1991 10/10/90 Agriculture 10/15/90 10/15/90 Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs 10/15/90 10/15/90 Education and Labor 10/15/90 10/15/90 Energy and Commerce 10/15/90 10/15/90 Interior and Insular Affairs 10/15/90 10/12/90 Judiciary 10/15/90 10/12/90 10/16/90 Merchant Marine and Fisheries 10/15/90 10/14/90 Post Office and Civil Service 10/15/90 10/15/90 Public Works and Transportation 10/15/90 10/12/90 Science, Space, and Technology 10/15/90 10/14/90 Veterans’ Affairs 10/15/90 10/13/90 Ways and Means 10/15/90 10/15/90 102/1 H.Con.Res. 121 1992 05/22/91 No reconciliation directives included in the budget resolution 102/2 H.Con.Res. 287 1993 03/20/92 No reconciliation directives included in the budget resolution CRS-19 Date Budget Committee Reported (If Applicable) Reconciliation Bill Passed Both Chambers Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-508) Congress/ Session 103/1 103/2 CRS-20 Date by Which Date Budget House Committee Committee was Directed to Resolution Directed to was Agreed to Report Submit/ Report Date Committee by Both Related Reconciliation (Type of Submitted/ Legislation Budget Resolution Fiscal Year Chambers Directive) Reported H.Con.Res. 64 H.Con.Res. 218 1994 1995 Agriculture 05/14/93 05/14/93 Armed Services 05/14/93 05/14/93 Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs 05/14/93 05/14/93 Education and Labor 05/14/93 05/17/93 Energy and Commerce 05/14/93 05/14/93 Foreign Affairs 05/14/93 05/13/93 Judiciary 05/14/93 05/12/93 04/01/93 05/14/94 Date Budget Committee Reported (If Applicable) 05/25/93 Merchant Marines and Fisheries 05/14/93 05/14/93 Natural Resources 05/14/93 05/13/93 Post Office and Civil Service 05/14/93 05/17/93 Public Works and Transportation 05/14/93 05/14/93 Veterans' Affairs 05/14/93 05/14/93 Ways and Means 04/02/93 05/18/93 No reconciliation directives included in the budget resolution Reconciliation Bill Passed Both Chambers Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 (P.L. 103-66) Congress/ Session 104/1 CRS-21 Date by Which Date Budget House Committee Committee was Directed to Resolution Directed to was Agreed to Report Submit/ Report Date Committee by Both Related Reconciliation (Type of Submitted/ Legislation Budget Resolution Fiscal Year Chambers Directive) Reported H.Con.Res. 67 1996 06/29/95 Agriculture 09/22/95 - Government Reform and Oversight 09/22/95 - Banking and Financial Services 09/22/95 09/19/95 Commerce 09/22/95 10/06/95 Economic and Educational Opportunities 09/22/95 09/29/95 International Relations 09/22/95 09/28/95 Judiciary 09/22/95 09/19/95 National Security 09/22/95 09/26/95 Resources 09/22/95 09/29/95 Transportation and Infrastructure 09/22/95 10/11/95 Veterans' Affairs 09/22/95 09/29/95 Ways and Means 09/22/95 09/28/95 Date Budget Committee Reported (If Applicable) 10/17/95 Reconciliation Bill Passed Both Chambers Balanced Budget Act of 1995 (Vetoed) Congress/ Session 104/2 CRS-22 Date by Which Date Budget House Committee Committee was Directed to Resolution Directed to was Agreed to Report Submit/ Report Date Committee by Both Related Reconciliation (Type of Submitted/ Legislation Budget Resolution Fiscal Year Chambers Directive) Reported H.Con.Res. 178 1997 05/23/96 Agriculture (1) 06/13/96 06/13/96 Commerce (1) 06/13/96 06/20/96 Economic and Educational Opportunities (1) 06/13/96 06/13/96 Ways and Means (1) 06/13/96 06/13/96 Commerce (2) 07/18/96 - Ways and Means (2) 07/18/96 - Agriculture (3) 09/06/96 - Banking and Financial Services (3) 09/06/96 - Commerce (3) 09/06/96 - Economic and Educational Opportunities (3) 09/06/96 - Government and Reform Oversight (3) 09/06/96 - International Relations (3) 09/06/96 - Judiciary (3) 09/06/96 - National Security (3) 09/06/96 - Resources (3) 09/06/96 - Science (3) 09/06/96 - Transportation and Infrastructure 3 09/06/96 - Date Budget Committee Reported (If Applicable) 06/27/96 Reconciliation Bill Passed Both Chambers Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-193) Congress/ Session 105/1 CRS-23 Date by Which Date Budget House Committee Committee was Directed to Resolution Directed to was Agreed to Report Submit/ Report Date Committee by Both Related Reconciliation (Type of Submitted/ Legislation Budget Resolution Fiscal Year Chambers Directive) Reported H.Con.Res. 84 1998 06/04/97 Veterans' Affairs 3 09/06/96 - Ways and Means (3) 09/06/96 - Agriculture (1) 06/13/97 06/16/97 Banking and Financial Services (1) 06/13/97 06/13/97 Commerce (1) 06/13/97 06/17/97 Education and the Workforce (1) 06/13/97 06/13/97 Date Budget Committee Reported (If Applicable) 06/24/97 Governmental Reform and Oversight (1) 06/13/97 06/13/97 Transportation and Infrastructure (1) 06/13/97 06/13/97 Veteran's Affairs (1) 06/13/97 06/13/97 Ways and Means (1) 06/13/97 06/13/97 Agriculture (2) 06/14/97 - Banking and Financial Services (2) 06/14/97 - Commerce (2) 06/14/97 - Education and the Workforce (2) 06/14/97 - Government Reform and Oversight (2) 06/14/97 - Transportation and Infrastructure (2) 06/14/97 - Reconciliation Bill Passed Both Chambers Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (P.L. 105-33) Congress/ Session 105/2 106/1 106/2 107/1 107/2 108/1 108/2 109/1 CRS-24 Date by Which Date Budget House Committee Committee was Directed to Resolution Directed to was Agreed to Report Submit/ Report Date Committee by Both Related Reconciliation (Type of Submitted/ Legislation Budget Resolution Fiscal Year Chambers Directive) Reported Veterans' Affairs (2) 06/14/97 - Ways and Means (2) 06/14/97 06/14/97 Date Budget Committee Reported (If Applicable) 06/24/97 Reconciliation Bill Passed Both Chambers Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 (P.L. 105-34) No budget resolution was agreed to H.Con.Res. 68 H.Con.Res. 290 H.Con.Res. 83 2000 2001 2002 Taxpayer Refund and Relief Act of 1999 (Vetoed) 04/14/99 Ways and Means 07/16/99 07/16/99 Ways and Means (1) 07/14/00 - Ways and Means (2) 09/13/00 - Ways and Means (3) 07/14/00 - Ways and Means (4) 09/13/00 - 05/08/01 Ways and Means 05/18/01 - Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (P.L. 107-16) 04/10/03 Ways and Means 05/08/03 05/08/03 Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 (P.L. 108-27) Agriculture 09/16/05 11/01/05 Education and the Workforce 09/16/05 10/28/05 Energy and Commerce 09/16/05 11/01/05 04/12/00 Marriage Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2000 (Vetoed) No budget resolution was agreed to H.Con.Res. 95 2004 No budget resolution was agreed to H.Con.Res. 95 2006 04/28/05 11/07/05 Deficit Reduction Act (P.L. 109-171) Congress/ Session 109/2 Date by Which Date Budget House Committee Committee was Directed to Resolution Directed to was Agreed to Report Submit/ Report Date Committee by Both Related Reconciliation (Type of Submitted/ Legislation Budget Resolution Fiscal Year Chambers Directive) Reported Reconciliation Bill Passed Both Chambers Financial Services 09/16/05 10/31/05 Judiciary 09/16/05 10/28/05 Resources 09/16/05 10/28/05 Ways and Means (1) 09/16/05 10/28/05 Ways and Means (2) 09/23/05 11/17/05 Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-222) 09/10/07 06/25/07 College Cost Reduction and Access Act (P.L. 110-84) No budget resolution was agreed to 110/1 S.Con.Res. 21 2008 05/17/07 Education and Labor 110/2 S.Con.Res. 70 2009 06/05/08 No reconciliation directives included in the budget resolution 111/1 Date Budget Committee Reported (If Applicable) S.Con.Res. 13 2010 04/27/09 Energy and Commerce 10/15/09 - Ways and Means 10/15/09 10/15/09 Education and Labor (1) 10/15/09 10/13/09a Education and Labor (2) 10/15/09 10/07/09b 03/17/ 10 Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (P.L. 111152) Source: Prepared by the Congressional Research Service. Notes: A number following the name of the committee directed to report reconciliation indicates separate sets of reconciliation directives within the budget resolution. a. Although the Committee voted on July 17, 2009, to authorize the chairman to transmit language to the Budget Committee, the date on the letter of transmittal to the Budget Committee included in H.Rept. 111-443 Part II, is October 13, 2009. b. Although the Committee voted on July 21, 2009, to authorize the chairman to transmit language to the Budget Committee, the date on the letter of transmittal to the Budget Committee included in H.Rept. 111-443 Part II, is October 7, 2009. CRS-25 Table 5. Dates Related to Senate Committee Reconciliation Directives Reconciliation Directives for FY1990-FY2010 Congress/ Session 101/1 101/2 CRS-26 Budget Resolution H.Con.Res. 106 H.Con.Res. 310 Related Fiscal Year 1990 1991 Date Budget Resolution was Agreed to by Both Chambers 05/18/89 10/10/90 Senate Committee Directed to Report Reconciliation Legislation Date by Which Committee was Directed to Submit/ Report Date Committee Submitted/ Reported Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs 07/15/89 - Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 07/15/89 10/03/89 Commerce, Science, and Transportation 07/15/89 08/04/89 Environment and Public Works 07/15/89 07/27/89 Finance 07/15/89 10/06/89 Governmental Affairs 07/15/89 07/21/89 Labor and Human Resources 07/15/89 10/05/89 Veterans' Affairs 07/15/89 07/24/89 Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 10/15/90 10/15/90 Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs 10/15/90 10/12/90 Commerce, Science, and Transportation 10/15/90 10/12/90 Energy and Natural Resources 10/15/90 10/15/90 Date Budget Committee Reported (If Applicable) Reconciliation Bill Passed Both Chambers 10/12/89 Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1989 (P.L. 101-239) 10/16/90 Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-508) Congress/ Session Budget Resolution Related Fiscal Year Date Budget Resolution was Agreed to by Both Chambers Senate Committee Directed to Report Reconciliation Legislation Date by Which Committee was Directed to Submit/ Report Date Committee Submitted/ Reported Environment and Public Works 10/15/90 10/15/90 Finance 10/15/90 10/15/90 Governmental Affairs 10/15/90 10/15/90 Judiciary 10/15/90 10/12/90 Labor and Human Resources 10/15/90 10/12/90 Veterans' Affairs 10/15/90 10/12/90 Date Budget Committee Reported (If Applicable) 102/1 H.Con.Res. 121 1992 05/22/91 No reconciliation directives included in the budget resolution 102/2 H.Con.Res. 287 1993 03/20/92 No reconciliation directives included in the budget resolution 103/1 CRS-27 H.Con.Res. 64 1994 04/01/93 Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 06/18/93 06/18/93 Armed Services 06/18/93 06/10/93 Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs 06/18/93 06/15/93 Commerce, Science, and Transportation 06/18/93 06/16/93 Energy and Natural Resources 06/18/93 06/17/93 Environment and Public Works 06/18/93 06/11/93 Finance (1) 06/18/93 06/18/93 Finance (2) 06/18/93 06/18/93 06/22/93 Reconciliation Bill Passed Both Chambers Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 (P.L. 103-66) Congress/ Session 103/2 104/1 CRS-28 Budget Resolution H.Con.Res. 218 H.Con.Res. 67 Related Fiscal Year 1995 1996 Date Budget Resolution was Agreed to by Both Chambers 05/14/94 06/26/95 Senate Committee Directed to Report Reconciliation Legislation Date by Which Committee was Directed to Submit/ Report Date Committee Submitted/ Reported Foreign Relations 06/18/93 06/10/93 Governmental Affairs 06/18/93 06/09/93 Judiciary 06/18/93 06/10/93 Labor and Human Resources 06/18/93 06/17/93 Veterans' Affairs 06/18/93 06/15/93 Finance (3) 04/02/93 - Date Budget Committee Reported (If Applicable) Reconciliation Bill Passed Both Chambers No reconciliation directives included in the budget resolution Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 09/22/95 09/29/95 Armed Services 09/22/95 09/26/95 Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs 09/22/95 09/29/95 Commerce, Science, and Transportation 09/22/95 09/29/95 Energy and Natural Resources 09/22/95 09/27/95 Environment and Public Works 09/22/95 09/22/95 Finance (1) 09/22/95 10/17/95 Governmental Affairs 09/22/95 09/28/95 Judiciary 09/22/95 09/22/95 10/23/95 Balanced Budget Act of 1995 (Vetoed) Congress/ Session Budget Resolution Related Fiscal Year Date Budget Resolution was Agreed to by Both Chambers Senate Committee Directed to Report Reconciliation Legislation Date by Which Committee was Directed to Submit/ Report Date Committee Submitted/ Reported Labor and Human Resources 09/22/95 10/03/95 Veterans' Affairs 09/22/95 10/05/95 Finance (2) 104/2 CRS-29 H.Con.Res. 178 1997 05/23/96 5 days after certification by CBOa Date Budget Committee Reported (If Applicable) Reconciliation Bill Passed Both Chambers 10/19/95 Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry (1) 06/21/96 06/28/96 Finance (1) 06/21/96 07/11/96 Finance (2) 07/24/96 - Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry (2) 09/18/96 - Armed Services 09/18/96 - Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs 09/18/96 - Commerce, Science, and Transportation 09/18/96 - Energy and Natural Resources 09/18/96 - Environment and Public Works 09/18/96 - Finance (3) 09/18/96 - Governmental Affairs 09/18/96 - 07/16/96 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-193) Congress/ Session 105/1 105/2 Budget Resolution H.Con.Res. 84 Related Fiscal Year Date Budget Resolution was Agreed to by Both Chambers 1998 06/04/97 Date by Which Committee was Directed to Submit/ Report Date Committee Submitted/ Reported Judiciary 09/18/96 - Labor and Human Resources 09/18/96 - Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 06/13/97 06/13/97 Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs 06/13/97 06/18/97 Commerce, Science, and Transportation 06/13/97 06/19/97 Date Budget Committee Reported (If Applicable) 06/20/97 Reconciliation Bill Passed Both Chambers Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (P.L. 105-33) Energy and Natural Resources 06/13/97 06/13/97 Finance (1) 06/13/97 06/19/97 Governmental Affairs 06/13/97 06/19/97 Labor and Human Resources 06/13/97 06/18/97 Veterans' Affairs 06/13/97 06/12/97 Finance (2) 06/20/97 6/20/97 Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 (P.L. 105-34) Finance 07/23/99 07/26/99 Taxpayer Refund and Relief Act of 1999 (Vetoed) Finance 07/14/00 07/05/00 Finance 09/13/00 07/05/00 No budget resolution was agreed to 106/1 H.Con.Res. 68 2000 04/14/99 106/2 H.Con.Res. 290 2001 04/12/00 CRS-30 Senate Committee Directed to Report Reconciliation Legislation Marriage Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2000 (Vetoed) Congress/ Session 107/1 Budget Resolution Related Fiscal Year Date Budget Resolution was Agreed to by Both Chambers H.Con.Res. 83 2002 05/08/01 Senate Committee Directed to Report Reconciliation Legislation Finance 107/2 108/1 108/2 109/1 05/18/01 Date Committee Submitted/ Reported Date Budget Committee Reported (If Applicable) Reconciliation Bill Passed Both Chambers 05/16/01 Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (P.L. 107-16) Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 (P.L. 108-27) No budget resolution was agreed to H.Con.Res. 95 2004 04/10/03 Finance 05/08/03 05/13/03 Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 09/16/05 10/21/05 Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs 09/16/05 10/21/05 Commerce, Science, and Transportation 09/16/05 10/20/05 No budget resolution was agreed to H.Con.Res. 95 2006 04/28/05 10/27/05 Energy and Natural Resources 09/16/05 10/19/05 Environment and Public Works 09/16/05 10/19/05 Finance 09/16/05 10/25/05 Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 09/16/05 10/19/05 Judiciary 09/16/05 10/25/05 Finance (2) CRS-31 Date by Which Committee was Directed to Submit/ Report 09/23/05 11/16/05 Deficit Reduction Act (P.L. 109-171) Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-222) Congress/ Session Budget Resolution Related Fiscal Year Date Budget Resolution was Agreed to by Both Chambers Senate Committee Directed to Report Reconciliation Legislation Finance (3) 109/2 110/1 110/2 Date Committee Submitted/ Reported 09/30/05 - Date Budget Committee Reported (If Applicable) Reconciliation Bill Passed Both Chambers No budget resolution was agreed to S.Con.Res. 21 S.Con.Res. 70 2008 2009 05/17/07 06/05/08 Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions S.Con.Res. 13 2010 04/27/09 09/10/07 07/10/07 College Cost Reduction and Access Act (P.L. 11084) No reconciliation directives included in the budget resolution Finance 111/1 Date by Which Committee was Directed to Submit/ Report Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 10/15/09 10/15/09 - - Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-152) Source: Prepared by the Congressional Research Service. a. CRS-32 Section 105(b)(2) of the budget resolution stated that Committee on Finance should report revenue related reconciliation legislation no later than five days after a certification from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) stating that certain legislative recommendations would balance the budget by FY2003. The CBO certification was dated October 18, 1995. Budget Reconciliation Process: Timing of Committee Responses to Reconciliation Directives Author Contact Information Megan S. Lynch Analyst on Congress and the Legislative Process mlynch@crs.loc.gov, 7-7853 Congressional Research Service 33

Reconciliation Directives for FY1990-FY2015

Congress/ Session

Budget Resolution

Related Fiscal Year

Date Budget Resolution Was Agreed to by Both Chambers

House Committee Directed to Report Reconciliation Legislation

Date by Which Committee Was Directed to Submit/ Report (Type of Directive)

Date Committee Submitted/ Reported

Date Budget Committee Reported (If Applicable)

Reconciliation Bill Passed Both Chambers

101/1

H.Con.Res. 106

1990

05/18/89

Agriculture

07/15/89

07/21/89

09/20/89

Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1989 (P.L. 101-239)

       

Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs

07/15/89

07/15/89

           

Education and Labor

07/15/89

07/26/89

           

Energy and Commerce

07/15/89

09/15/89

           

Government Operations

07/15/89

06/28/89

           

Interior and Insular Affairs

07/15/89

07/10/89

           

Merchant Marine and Fisheries

07/15/89

08/02/89

           

Post Office and Civil Service

07/15/89

07/14/89

           

Veterans Affairs

07/15/89

07/17/89

           

Ways and Means

07/15/89

09/18/89

   

101/2

H.Con.Res. 310

1991

10/10/90

Agriculture

10/15/90

10/15/90

10/16/90

Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-508)

       

Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs

10/15/90

10/15/90

           

Education and Labor

10/15/90

10/15/90

           

Energy and Commerce

10/15/90

10/15/90

           

Interior and Insular Affairs

10/15/90

10/12/90

           

Judiciary

10/15/90

10/12/90

           

Merchant Marine and Fisheries

10/15/90

10/14/90

           

Post Office and Civil Service

10/15/90

10/15/90

           

Public Works and Transportation

10/15/90

10/12/90

           

Science, Space, and Technology

10/15/90

10/14/90

           

Veterans Affairs

10/15/90

10/13/90

           

Ways and Means

10/15/90

10/15/90

   

102/1

H.Con.Res. 121

1992

05/22/91

No reconciliation directives included in the budget resolution

102/2

H.Con.Res. 287

1993

03/20/92

No reconciliation directives included in the budget resolution

103/1

H.Con.Res. 64

1994

04/01/93

Agriculture

05/14/93

05/14/93

05/25/93

Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 (P.L. 103-66)

       

Armed Services

05/14/93

05/14/93

           

Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs

05/14/93

05/14/93

           

Education and Labor

05/14/93

05/17/93

           

Energy and Commerce

05/14/93

05/14/93

           

Foreign Affairs

05/14/93

05/13/93

           

Judiciary

05/14/93

05/12/93

           

Merchant Marines and Fisheries

05/14/93

05/14/93

           

Natural Resources

05/14/93

05/13/93

           

Post Office and Civil Service

05/14/93

05/17/93

           

Public Works and Transportation

05/14/93

05/14/93

           

Veterans Affairs

05/14/93

05/14/93

           

Ways and Means

04/02/93

05/18/93

   

103/2

H.Con.Res. 218

1995

05/14/94

No reconciliation directives included in the budget resolution

104/1

H.Con.Res. 67

1996

06/29/95

Agriculture

09/22/95

-

 

 

       

Government Reform and Oversight

09/22/95

-

 

 

       

Banking and Financial Services

09/22/95

09/19/95

10/17/95

Balanced Budget Act of 1995 (Vetoed)

       

Commerce

09/22/95

10/06/95

           

Economic and Educational Opportunities

09/22/95

09/29/95

           

International Relations

09/22/95

09/28/95

           

Judiciary

09/22/95

09/19/95

           

National Security

09/22/95

09/26/95

           

Resources

09/22/95

09/29/95

           

Transportation and Infrastructure

09/22/95

10/11/95

           

Veterans Affairs

09/22/95

09/29/95

           

Ways and Means

09/22/95

09/28/95

   

104/2

H.Con.Res. 178

1997

05/23/96

Agriculture (1)

06/13/96

06/13/96

06/27/96

Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-193)

       

Commerce (1)

06/13/96

06/20/96

           

Economic and Educational Opportunities (1)

06/13/96

06/13/96

           

Ways and Means (1)

06/13/96

06/13/96

           

Commerce (2)

07/18/96

-

 

 

       

Ways and Means (2)

07/18/96

-

 

 

       

Agriculture (3)

09/06/96

-

 

 

       

Banking and Financial Services (3)

09/06/96

-

 

 

       

Commerce (3)

09/06/96

-

 

 

       

Economic and Educational Opportunities (3)

09/06/96

-

 

 

       

Government and Reform Oversight (3)

09/06/96

-

 

 

       

International Relations (3)

09/06/96

-

 

 

       

Judiciary (3)

09/06/96

-

 

 

       

National Security (3)

09/06/96

-

 

 

       

Resources (3)

09/06/96

-

 

 

       

Science (3)

09/06/96

-

 

 

       

Transportation and Infrastructure (3)

09/06/96

-

 

 

       

Veterans Affairs (3)

09/06/96

-

 

 

       

Ways and Means (3)

09/06/96

-

 

 

105/1

H.Con.Res. 84

1998

06/04/97

Agriculture (1)

06/13/97

06/16/97

06/24/97

Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (P.L. 105-33)

       

Banking and Financial Services (1)

06/13/97

06/13/97

           

Commerce (1)

06/13/97

06/17/97

           

Education and the Workforce (1)

06/13/97

06/13/97

           

Governmental Reform and Oversight (1)

06/13/97

06/13/97

           

Transportation and Infrastructure (1)

06/13/97

06/13/97

           

Veteran's Affairs (1)

06/13/97

06/13/97

           

Ways and Means (1)

06/13/97

06/13/97

           

Agriculture (2)

06/14/97

-

 

 

       

Banking and Financial Services (2)

06/14/97

-

 

 

       

Commerce (2)

06/14/97

-

 

 

       

Education and the Workforce (2)

06/14/97

-

 

 

       

Government Reform and Oversight (2)

06/14/97

-

 

 

       

Transportation and Infrastructure (2)

06/14/97

-

 

 

       

Veterans Affairs (2)

06/14/97

-

 

 

       

Ways and Means (2)

06/14/97

06/14/97

06/24/97

Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 (P.L. 105-34)

105/2

No budget resolution was agreed to

106/1

H.Con.Res. 68

2000

04/14/99

Ways and Means

07/16/99

07/16/99

 

Taxpayer Refund and Relief Act of 1999 (Vetoed)

106/2

H.Con.Res. 290

2001

04/12/00

Ways and Means (1)

07/14/00

-

 

Marriage Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2000 (Vetoed)

       

Ways and Means (2)

09/13/00

-

 

         

Ways and Means (3)

07/14/00

-

 

         

Ways and Means (4)

09/13/00

-

 

 

107/1

H.Con.Res. 83

2002

05/08/01

Ways and Means

05/18/01

-

 

Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (P.L. 107-16)

107/2

No budget resolution was agreed to

108/1

H.Con.Res. 95

2004

04/10/03

Ways and Means

05/08/03

05/08/03

 

Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 (P.L. 108-27)

108/2

No budget resolution was agreed to

109/1

H.Con.Res. 95

2006

04/28/05

Agriculture

09/16/05

11/01/05

11/07/05

Deficit Reduction Act (P.L. 109-171)

       

Education and the Workforce

09/16/05

10/28/05

           

Energy and Commerce

09/16/05

11/01/05

           

Financial Services

09/16/05

10/31/05

           

Judiciary

09/16/05

10/28/05

           

Resources

09/16/05

10/28/05

           

Ways and Means (1)

09/16/05

10/28/05

           

Ways and Means (2)

09/23/05

11/17/05

 

Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-222)

109/2

No budget resolution was agreed to

110/1

S.Con.Res. 21

2008

05/17/07

Education and Labor

09/10/07

06/25/07

 

College Cost Reduction and Access Act (P.L. 110-84)

110/2

S.Con.Res. 70

2009

06/05/08

No reconciliation directives included in the budget resolution

111/1

S.Con.Res. 13

2010

04/27/09

Energy and Commerce

10/15/09

-

 

 

       

Ways and Means

10/15/09

10/15/09

03/17/ 10

Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-152)

       

Education and Labor (1)

10/15/09

10/13/09a            

Education and Labor (2)

10/15/09

10/07/09b    

111/2

No budget resolution was agreed to

112/1

No budget resolution was agreed to

112/2

No budget resolution was agreed to

113/1

No budget resolution was agreed to

113/2

No budget resolution was agreed to

114/1

S.Con.Res. 11

2016

05/05/2015

Education and the Workforce

7/24/2015

10/02/2015

10/16/2015

Restoring Americans' Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act of 2015 (Vetoed)

       

Energy and Commerce

7/24/2014

10/05/2015

           

Ways and Means

7/24/2015

10/02/2015

   

Source: Prepared by the Congressional Research Service.

Notes: A number following the name of the committee directed to report reconciliation indicates separate sets of reconciliation directives within the budget resolution.

a. Although the committee voted on July 17, 2009, to authorize the chairman to transmit language to the Budget Committee, the date on the letter of transmittal to the Budget Committee included in H.Rept. 111-443, Part II, is October 13, 2009. b. Although the committee voted on July 21, 2009, to authorize the chairman to transmit language to the Budget Committee, the date on the letter of transmittal to the Budget Committee included in H.Rept. 111-443, Part II, is October 7, 2009. Table 5. Dates Related to Senate Committee Reconciliation Directives

Reconciliation Directives for FY1990-FY2015

Congress/ Session

Budget Resolution

Related Fiscal Year

Date Budget Resolution Was Agreed to by Both Chambers

Senate Committee Directed to Report Reconciliation Legislation

Date by Which Committee Was Directed to Submit/ Report

Date Committee Submitted/ Reported

Date Budget Committee Reported (If Applicable)

Reconciliation Bill Passed Both Chambers

101/1

H.Con.Res. 106

1990

05/18/89

Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

07/15/89

-

 

 

       

Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

07/15/89

10/03/89

10/12/89

Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1989 (P.L. 101-239)

       

Commerce, Science, and Transportation

07/15/89

08/04/89

           

Environment and Public Works

07/15/89

07/27/89

           

Finance

07/15/89

10/06/89

           

Governmental Affairs

07/15/89

07/21/89

           

Labor and Human Resources

07/15/89

10/05/89

           

Veterans Affairs

07/15/89

07/24/89

   

101/2

H.Con.Res. 310

1991

10/10/90

Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

10/15/90

10/15/90

10/16/90

Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-508)

       

Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

10/15/90

10/12/90

           

Commerce, Science, and Transportation

10/15/90

10/12/90

           

Energy and Natural Resources

10/15/90

10/15/90

           

Environment and Public Works

10/15/90

10/15/90

           

Finance

10/15/90

10/15/90

           

Governmental Affairs

10/15/90

10/15/90

           

Judiciary

10/15/90

10/12/90

           

Labor and Human Resources

10/15/90

10/12/90

           

Veterans Affairs

10/15/90

10/12/90

   

102/1

H.Con.Res. 121

1992

05/22/91

No reconciliation directives included in the budget resolution

102/2

H.Con.Res. 287

1993

03/20/92

No reconciliation directives included in the budget resolution

103/1

H.Con.Res. 64

1994

04/01/93

Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

06/18/93

06/18/93

06/22/93

Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 (P.L. 103-66)

       

Armed Services

06/18/93

06/10/93

           

Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

06/18/93

06/15/93

           

Commerce, Science, and Transportation

06/18/93

06/16/93

           

Energy and Natural Resources

06/18/93

06/17/93

           

Environment and Public Works

06/18/93

06/11/93

           

Finance (1)

06/18/93

06/18/93

           

Finance (2)

06/18/93

06/18/93

           

Foreign Relations

06/18/93

06/10/93

           

Governmental Affairs

06/18/93

06/09/93

           

Judiciary

06/18/93

06/10/93

           

Labor and Human Resources

06/18/93

06/17/93

           

Veterans Affairs

06/18/93

06/15/93

           

Finance (3)

04/02/93

-

 

 

103/2

H.Con.Res. 218

1995

05/14/94

No reconciliation directives included in the budget resolution

104/1

H.Con.Res. 67

1996

06/26/95

Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

09/22/95

09/29/95

10/23/95

Balanced Budget Act of 1995 (Vetoed)

       

Armed Services

09/22/95

09/26/95

           

Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

09/22/95

09/29/95

           

Commerce, Science, and Transportation

09/22/95

09/29/95

           

Energy and Natural Resources

09/22/95

09/27/95

           

Environment and Public Works

09/22/95

09/22/95

           

Finance (1)

09/22/95

10/17/95

           

Governmental Affairs

09/22/95

09/28/95

           

Judiciary

09/22/95

09/22/95

           

Labor and Human Resources

09/22/95

10/03/95

           

Veterans Affairs

09/22/95

10/05/95

           

Finance (2)

5 days after certification by CBOa

10/19/95

   

104/2

H.Con.Res. 178

1997

05/23/96

Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry (1)

06/21/96

06/28/96

07/16/96

Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-193)

       

Finance (1)

06/21/96

07/11/96

           

Finance (2)

07/24/96

-

 

 

       

Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry (2)

09/18/96

-

 

 

       

Armed Services

09/18/96

-

 

 

       

Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

09/18/96

-

 

 

       

Commerce, Science, and Transportation

09/18/96

-

 

 

       

Energy and Natural Resources

09/18/96

-

 

 

       

Environment and Public Works

09/18/96

-

 

 

       

Finance (3)

09/18/96

-

 

 

       

Governmental Affairs

09/18/96

-

 

 

       

Judiciary

09/18/96

-

 

 

       

Labor and Human Resources

09/18/96

-

 

 

105/1

H.Con.Res. 84

1998

06/04/97

Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

06/13/97

06/13/97

06/20/97

Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (P.L. 105-33)

       

Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

06/13/97

06/18/97

           

Commerce, Science, and Transportation

06/13/97

06/19/97

           

Energy and Natural Resources

06/13/97

06/13/97

           

Finance (1)

06/13/97

06/19/97

           

Governmental Affairs

06/13/97

06/19/97

           

Labor and Human Resources

06/13/97

06/18/97

           

Veterans Affairs

06/13/97

06/12/97

           

Finance (2)

06/20/97

6/20/97

 

Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 (P.L. 105-34)

105/2

No budget resolution was agreed to

106/1

H.Con.Res. 68

2000

04/14/99

Finance

07/23/99

07/26/99

 

Taxpayer Refund and Relief Act of 1999 (Vetoed)

106/2

H.Con.Res. 290

2001

04/12/00

Finance

07/14/00

07/05/00

 

Marriage Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2000 (Vetoed)

 

 

 

 

Finance

09/13/00

07/05/00

   

107/1

H.Con.Res. 83

2002

05/08/01

Finance

05/18/01

05/16/01

 

Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (P.L. 107-16)

107/2

No budget resolution was agreed to

108/1

H.Con.Res. 95

2004

04/10/03

Finance

05/08/03

05/13/03

 

Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 (P.L. 108-27)

108/2

No budget resolution was agreed to

109/1

H.Con.Res. 95

2006

04/28/05

Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

09/16/05

10/21/05

10/27/05

Deficit Reduction Act (P.L. 109-171)

       

Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

09/16/05

10/21/05

           

Commerce, Science, and Transportation

09/16/05

10/20/05

           

Energy and Natural Resources

09/16/05

10/19/05

           

Environment and Public Works

09/16/05

10/19/05

           

Finance

09/16/05

10/25/05

           

Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

09/16/05

10/19/05

           

Judiciary

09/16/05

10/25/05

           

Finance (2)

09/23/05

11/16/05

 

Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-222)

       

Finance (3)

09/30/05

-

 

 

109/2

No budget resolution was agreed to

110/1

S.Con.Res. 21

2008

05/17/07

Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

09/10/07

07/10/07

 

College Cost Reduction and Access Act (P.L. 110-84)

110/2

S.Con.Res. 70

2009

06/05/08

No reconciliation directives included in the budget resolution

111/1

S.Con.Res. 13

2010

04/27/09

Finance

10/15/09

-

 

 

Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-152)

       

Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

10/15/09

-

   

111/2

No budget resolution was agreed to

112/1

No budget resolution was agreed to

112/2

No budget resolution was agreed to

113/1

No budget resolution was agreed to

113/2

No budget resolution was agreed to

114/1

S.Con.Res. 11

2016

05/05/2015

Finance

07/24/2015

-

 

Restoring Americans' Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act of 2015 (Vetoed)

       

Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

07/24/2015

-

    Source: Prepared by the Congressional Research Service. a. Section 105(b)(2) of the budget resolution stated that the Finance Committee should report revenue related reconciliation legislation no later than five days after a certification from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) stating that certain legislative recommendations would balance the budget by FY2003. The CBO certification was dated October 18, 1995.

Author Contact Information

[author name scrubbed], Analyst on Congress and the Legislative Process ([email address scrubbed], [phone number scrubbed])

Footnotes

1.

As provided in the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 as amended, Titles I-IX of P.L. 93-344, 2 U.S.C. 601-688 (the Budget Act). Section 310 of the act is codified at 2 U.S.C. 641. This report focuses on the period covering 1989 (for FY1990) through 2015 (for FY2016).

2.

Directives sometimes also include language regarding the type of change that should be reported as well as procedural provisions, contingencies, and programmatic direction. For more information on the language of directives, see the section below.

3.

Section 310(b)(2) of the Budget Act.

4.

For example, on October 15, 1990, the Post Office and Civil Service committee voted unanimously to report unfavorably reconciliation language to satisfy its reconciliation directive.

5.

For more information on the consideration of reconciliation legislation in the House and Senate, see CRS Report RL33030, The Budget Reconciliation Process: House and Senate Procedures, by [author name scrubbed] and [author name scrubbed]

6.

H.Con.Res. 95 (109th Congress).

7.

Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-171), signed into law on February 8, 2006; and Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-222), signed into law on May 17, 2006.

8.

Section 310(b) of the Budget Act.

9.

Discretionary spending levels are enforced by Section 302(f) of the Budget Act, which prohibits consideration of any measure or amendment that would cause 302(a) committee allocations or 302(b) subdivisions to be exceeded. For more information, see CRS Report R40472, The Budget Resolution and Spending Legislation, by [author name scrubbed].

10.

In the budget resolution for FY1981 (H.Con.Res. 307, 96th Congress), the House Appropriations Committee and the Senate Appropriations Committee were directed to report reconciliation legislation, and in the budget resolution for FY1982 (H.Con.Res. 115, 97th Congress), the Senate Appropriations Committee was directed to report reconciliation legislation.

11.

H.Con.Res. 290 (106th Congress), the budget resolution for FY2001, §103.

12.

For instance, the budget resolution for FY2010 (S.Con.Res. 13) included two directives to the House Committee on Education and Labor: one under the subheading Health Care Reform and the other under Investing in Education.

13.

H.Con.Res. 307 (96th Congress).

14.

H.Con.Res. 68 (106th Congress).

15.

H.Con.Res. 64 (103rd Congress) included a due date of April 2. S.Con.Res. 13 (111th Congress) and H.Con.Res. 310 (101st Congress) both included due dates of October 15.

16.

The revenue reduction legislation, the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001, was signed into law on June 7, 2001, as P.L. 107-16.

17.

Section 300 of the Budget Act. It does not speak to when committees should respond to reconciliation directives.

18.

Section 310(f) of the Budget Act.

19. For information on the dates of committee responses to reconciliation directives that have resulted in a bill being presented to the President, see Table 4 and Table 5. 20.

In 1995, the House Agriculture Committee became deadlocked and was unable to adopt a recommendation.

21.

For more information on special rules and the amending process, see CRS Report 98-612, Special Rules and Options for Regulating the Amending Process, by [author name scrubbed].

22.

If adopted, a motion to recommit sends the bill to a specified committee. It may be offered with or without instructions, and instructions typically direct a committee to amend a bill in a specific way. Motions to recommit with instructions can be offered "forthwith," which means if successful, the amendments would be made immediately on the Senate floor and the measure would not be returned to committee.

23.

The House Budget Committee waited 153 days before reporting the Heath Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, perhaps because the committee (as well as its Senate counterpart and the leadership of both chambers) expected the legislative text that it received to be considered outside of the reconciliation process, as shown in the following excerpt from Congressional Quarterly:

[Senator Chuck] Schumer said that "if [Senate Finance Chairman Max] Baucus cannot get a deal by September 15, Democrats may move forward with budget reconciliation procedures that would require only 50 votes to pass a bill." "If the Republicans are not able to produce an agreement, we will have contingencies in place," said Schumer, indicating that he was talking about budget reconciliation. "These plans will likely be considered as a last resort, but they are on the table."

Drew Armstrong, "Hopes for Bipartisan Health Care Deal Lie with Baucus; Reconciliation Still on the Table," Congressional Quarterly, August 3, 2009, CQ Today Print Edition-Health.

24.

For example, the FY2013 budget resolution agreed to by the House (H.Con.Res. 112, 112th Congress, agreed to on March 29, 2012) contained reconciliation directives to six House committees. Although the House and Senate did not come to agreement on a budget resolution, the six specified House committees submitted their reconciliation language to the House Budget Committee by the specified deadline (April 27, 2012). The House Budget Committee reported the measure (May 7) and the House passed H.R. 5652, the Sequester Replacement Reconciliation Act (May 10). The House was able to develop and consider H.R. 5652 as a reconciliation measure because the budget resolution passed by the House was "deemed" enforceable by the House as if the Senate had agreed to it (H.Res. 614, 112th Congress). Because Congress had not agreed to the underlying budget resolution, the House reconciliation bill, H.R. 5652, was not considered a reconciliation measure in the Senate and, therefore, was not eligible for consideration in the Senate under reconciliation procedures.