Order Code RL32793
CRS Report for Congress
Received through the CRS Web
House Committee Funding Legislation,
109th Congress
March 4, 2005
R. Eric Petersen
Analyst in American National Government
Government and Finance Division
Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of Congress

House Committee Funding Legislation, 109th Congress
Summary
Its Rules require the House of Representatives to act by March 31, 2005, to
provide operating funds for its standing and select committees (except for the
Appropriations Committee). Some, but not all, committees have introduced
resolutions providing amounts for the expenses of their committees; these have been
referred to the Committee on House Administration. On March 2, 2005,
Representative Bob Ney, chairman of the committee, introduced H.Res. 133, to
provide for the continuing expenses of standing and select committees of the House
from April 1, 2005, through April 30, 2005. The measure was referred to the
committee on House Administration.
The House Administration Committee typically holds hearings on each
committee’s request, and the chair of that committee typically introduces an omnibus
funding resolution, based on committee requests. The House normally acts on
committee funding resolutions during the last week of March in the first year of a
Congress.
This report, which will be updated as events warrant, provides committee
funding requests for the 109th Congress and authorizations for House committees in
the 104th - 108th Congresses. CRS Report RL32794, House Committee Funding
Requests and Authorizations, 104th - 108th Congresses
, by R. Eric Petersen, provides
historical and analytical data on funding requests and authorizations for House
committees since 1995. Information on Senate committee funding is available in
CRS Report RL32779, Senate Committee Funding Resolutions, 109th Congress, and
Funding Authorizations 104th - 109th Congresses
, by R. Eric Petersen.

Contents
Recent Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
House Committee Funding Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
List of Tables
Table 1. House Committee Funding Requests, 109th Congress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Table 2. House Committee Funding Authorizations, 108th Congress, and
Committee Funding Requests, 109th Congress, Actual Dollars . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Table 3. House Committee Funding Authorizations, 108th Congress, and
Committee Funding Requests, 109th Congress, Constant Dollars . . . . . . . . . 5
Table 4. House Committee Funding Authorizations, 104th - 108th Congresses,
Actual Dollars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Table 5. House Committee Funding Authorizations, 104th -108th
Congresses, Constant Dollars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

House Committee Funding Legislation,
109th Congress
Recent Action
House Rules require the chamber to act by March 31, 2005, to provide operating
funds for its standing and select committees, except for the Appropriations
Committee, which is funded separately through legislative branch appropriations
bills. Several committees have introduced resolutions providing amounts for the
expenses of their committees. On March 2, 2005, Representative Bob Ney, chairman
of the committee, introduced H. Res. 133, to provide for the continuing expenses of
standing and select committees of the House from April 1, 2005, through April 30,
2005. The measure was referred to the committee on House Administration.
Measures introduced to fund individual committee activities, which are
summarized in Table 1, have been referred to the Committee on House
Administration. The committee typically holds hearings on each committee’s
request. The chair of the House Administration Committee then typically introduces
an omnibus funding resolution, which, after its referral to the House Administration
Committee, has traditionally served as the legislative vehicle for a full committee
markup. The House normally acts on committee funding resolutions during the last
week of March in the first year of a Congress.
Table 2 provides committee funding requests for the 109th Congress and
authorizations for House committees in the 108th Congress. Table 3 provides the
same information, calculated in constant (January 2005) dollars.1 Tables 4 and 5
include authorizations for House committees in the 104th -108th Congresses in actual
and constant dollars.
House Committee Funding Process
Under House Rule X, clause 6, each standing and select committee of the House
(except the Appropriations Committee) is required to submit an operating budget
request for its necessary expenses over the two years of a Congress. The budgetary
requests include estimated salary needs for staff, costs of consulting services, printing
costs, office equipment and supply costs, and travel costs for committee members
and staff. Some costs (such as pension and insurance contributions for committee
employees) are not directly billed to the committee and are paid from other
1 Information on Senate committee funding is available in CRS Report RL32779, Senate
Committee Funding Resolutions, 109th Congress, and Funding Authorizations 104th - 109th
Congresses
, by R. Eric Petersen.

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appropriated funds. Individual committee requests are then packaged by the House
Administration Committee into an omnibus “primary expense resolution.”
Clause 6(c) requires that “the minority party (be) treated fairly in the
appointment” of committee staff employed pursuant to such expense resolutions.
Prior to the 104th Congress, House rules provided a base level of 30 so-called
“statutory” staff positions for all House standing committees (except the
Appropriations Committee). Funds for these staff were provided through a line-item
appropriation and were not included in the funding resolutions reported from the
House Administration Committee. In the 104th Congress, House rules were changed
to (1) provide for biennial committee funding resolutions, and (2) include funding
authorization for the baseline 30 staff positions in each committee’s funding
authorization.2 Twenty of these positions are allotted to the committee majority and
10 to the committee minority. The House majority leadership has encouraged its
committee leaders to move as quickly as possible to provide the minority with one-
third of the remaining committee staff and resources authorized in the biennial
funding resolutions. Statements made by leaders of the House Administration
Committee at the beginning of its committee funding review for the 107th Congress,
and reaffirmed at the beginning of the 108th Congress, indicate a general consensus
that all House committees should provide at least one-third minority staffing this
Congress.
Each committee is encouraged to discuss its proposed budget and approve it at
a committee organization meeting. Some committees, however, do not prepare or
approve their draft budgets this way. Each committee chair normally introduces a
House resolution to provide his or her committee with the requisite funds for the two
years of the Congress. These individual resolutions are then referred to the House
Administration Committee, which holds public hearings on each committee’s
request. The chair and the ranking minority member from each committee normally
testify at these hearings.
The chair of the House Administration Committee then typically introduces an
omnibus funding resolution, which, after its referral to the House Administration
Committee, has served as the legislative vehicle for a full committee markup. The
chairman’s resolution usually incorporates, without change, the amounts requested
by each committee.
The House normally acts on committee funding resolutions during the last week
of March in the first year of a Congress. The committee funding resolution is
normally called up as privileged business under the Rules of the House, allowing it
to be called up and considered without the need for a special rule from the Rules
Committee. Privileged funding resolutions are considered in the House under the
one-hour rule and, typically, the majority party manager does not yield the floor to
permit amendments to be offered. (The committee-reported amendment is
automatically laid before the House.) At the end of one hour of debate, the majority
party manager moves the previous question and, if agreed to, the House votes on final
2 As before, these provisions were not made applicable to the House Appropriations
Committee.

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passage of the resolution. Before the vote on final passage, it has become customary
for the minority party to offer a motion to recommit the funding resolution. This
motion normally permits the minority to offer an alternative funding proposal and to
obtain a House vote on it. Owing to the bipartisan consensus on the funding
resolution in the past two Congresses, House Democrats did not offer such a motion
in 2001 or 2003.
Table 1. House Committee Funding Requests, 109th Congress
109th Congress
Committee
Request
1st Session
2nd Session
Agriculture
$11,562,481
$5,595,604
$5,966,877
Armed Services
$13,333,137
$6,387,373
$6,945,764
Budget
$12,026,478
$6,013,239
$6,013,239
Education and the Workforce
$15,493,286
$7,708,622
$7,784,664
Energy and Commerce
$21,388,076
$10,297,200
$11,090,876
Financial Services
$16,127,977
$7,831,097
$8,296,880
Government Reform
$12,349,000
$10,624,500
$1,724,500
Homeland Security
$15,787,494
$7,462,855
$8,324,639
House Administrationa



International Relations
$18,869,785
$9,092,015
$9,777,770
Judiciary
$18,263,201
$8,972,238
$9,290,962
Resources
$14,805,934
$7,289,521
$7,516,413
Rules
$6,365,600
$3,176,144
$3,189,456
Science
$13,146,852
$6,388,306
$6,758,546
Small Business
$6,034,058
$2,987,331
$3,046,727
Standardsa



Transportation and Infrastructure
$18,582,105
$9,007,388
$9,574,717
Veterans’ Affairs
$7,933,081
$3,832,415
$4,100,666
Ways and Means
$17,819,494
$8,732,509
$9,086,985
Permanent Select Intelligencea



Source: Data taken from committee funding resolutions introduced in the House for the 109th
Congress.
Notes: Introduced as of March 4, 2005.
a. The committee has not yet introduced a funding resolution.

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Table 2. House Committee Funding Authorizations, 108th Congress, and Committee Funding Requests,
109th Congress, Actual Dollars
108th Congress
109th Congress
109th Congress
Committee
Proposed
Approved
1st Session
2nd Session
Request
1st Session
2nd Session
Change
Agriculture
$10,327,531
$5,084,900
$5,242,632
$11,562,481
$5,595,604
$5,966,877
11.96%
Armed Services
$11,931,357
$5,871,876
$6,059,481
$13,333,137
$6,387,373
$6,945,764
11.75%
Budget
$11,869,572
$5,856,333
$6,013,239
$12,026,478
$6,013,239
$6,013,239
1.32%
Education and the Workforce
$14,673,371
$7,047,896
$7,625,475
$15,493,286
$7,708,622
$7,784,664
5.59%
Energy and Commerce
$18,622,138
$9,101,042
$9,521,097
$21,388,076
$10,297,200
$11,090,876
14.85%
Financial Services
$13,696,487
$6,601,085
$7,095,402
$16,127,977
$7,831,097
$8,296,880
17.75%
Government Reform
$19,614,435
$9,740,963
$9,873,472
$12,349,000
$10,624,500
$1,724,500
-37.04%
Homeland Securityb
$10,952,787
$5,366,866
$5,585,921
$15,787,494 $7,462,855
$8,324,639
44.14%
House Administrationa
$8,527,057
$4,122,092
$4,404,965




International Relations
$14,552,695
$6,993,645
$7,559,050
$18,869,785
$9,092,015
$9,777,770
29.67%
Judiciary
$14,048,616
$6,957,554
$7,091,062
$18,263,201
$8,972,238
$9,290,962
30.00%
Resources
$13,509,424
$6,492,029
$7,017,395
$14,805,934
$7,289,521
$7,516,413
9.60%
Rules
$5,669,311
$2,797,898
$2,871,413
$6,365,600
$3,176,144
$3,189,456
12.28%
Science
$11,690,845
$5,711,401
$5,979,444
$13,146,852
$6,388,306
$6,758,546
12.45%
Small Business
$5,120,301
$2,535,261
$2,585,041
$6,034,058
$2,987,331
$3,046,727
17.85%
Standardsa
$3,071,250
$1,527,825
$1,543,425




Transportation and Infrastructure
$16,461,893
$7,982,558
$8,479,334
$18,582,105
$9,007,388
$9,574,717
12.88%
Veterans’ Affairs
$5,486,795
$2,703,328
$2,783,466
$7,933,081
$3,832,415
$4,100,666
44.58%
Ways and Means
$15,976,288
$7,828,037
$8,148,251
$17,819,494
$8,732,509
$9,086,985
11.54%
Permanent Select Intelligence
$7,809,730
$3,780,487
$4,029,243



-100.00%
Source: Data taken from committee funding resolutions introduced in the House for the 108th and 109th Congresses.
Notes: Introduced as of March 4, 2005.
a. In the 109th Congress, the committee has not yet introduced a funding resolution .
b. In the 108th Congress, the Committee on Homeland Security was a select committee.

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Table 3. House Committee Funding Authorizations, 108th Congress, and Committee Funding Requests, 109th
Congress, Constant Dollars
108th Congress
109th Congress
109th Congress
Committee
Proposed
Approved
1st Session
2nd Session
Request
1st Session
2nd Session
Change
Agriculture
$10,703,588
$5,270,057
$5,433,532
$11,562,481
$5,595,604
$5,966,877
8.02%
Armed Services
$12,365,814
$6,085,689
$6,280,125
$13,333,137
$6,387,373
$6,945,764
7.82%
Budget
$12,301,779
$6,069,580
$6,232,199
$12,026,478
$6,013,239
$6,013,239
-2.24%
Education and the Workforce
$15,207,673
$7,304,531
$7,903,142
$15,493,286
$7,708,622
$7,784,664
1.88%
Energy and Commerce
$19,300,227
$9,432,439
$9,867,789
$21,388,076
$10,297,200
$11,090,876
10.82%
Financial Services
$14,195,218
$6,841,451
$7,353,767
$16,127,977
$7,831,097
$8,296,880
13.62%
Government Reform
$20,328,656
$10,095,661
$10,232,995
$12,349,000
$10,624,500
$1,724,500
-39.25%
Homeland Securityb
$11,351,611
$5,562,290
$5,789,321
$15,787,494
$7,462,855
$8,324,639
39.08%
House Administrationa
$8,837,553
$4,272,190
$4,565,363




International Relations
$15,082,603
$7,248,305
$7,834,298
$18,869,785
$9,092,015
$9,777,770
25.11%
Judiciary
$14,560,169
$7,210,900
$7,349,269
$18,263,201
$8,972,238
$9,290,962
25.43%
Resources
$14,001,343
$6,728,424
$7,272,920
$14,805,934
$7,289,521
$7,516,413
5.75%
Rules
$5,875,748
$2,899,778
$2,975,970
$6,365,600
$3,176,144
$3,189,456
8.34%
Science
$12,116,544
$5,919,370
$6,197,174
$13,146,852
$6,388,306
$6,758,546
8.50%
Small Business
$5,306,747
$2,627,578
$2,679,170
$6,034,058
$2,987,331
$3,046,727
13.71%
Standardsa
$3,183,084
$1,583,458
$1,599,626




Transportation and Infrastructure
$17,061,321
$8,273,227
$8,788,092
$18,582,105
$9,007,388
$9,574,717
8.91%
Veterans’ Affairs
$5,686,586
$2,801,764
$2,884,820
$7,933,081
$3,832,415
$4,100,666
39.51%
Ways and Means
$16,558,033
$8,113,080
$8,444,954
$17,819,494
$8,732,509
$9,086,985
7.62%
Source: Based on data taken from committee funding resolutions introduced in the House for the 108th and 109th Congresses (as of March 4, 2005), and the Consumer Price Index.
See U.S. Department Of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index, Feb. 23, 2005, available at [ftp://ftp.bls.gov/pub/special.requests/cpi/cpiai.txt], visited Feb. 23, 2005.
Note: January, 2005 dollars.
a. In the 109th Congress, the committee has not yet introduced a funding resolution.
b. In the 108th Congress, the Committee on Homeland Security was a select committee.

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Table 4. House Committee Funding Authorizations, 104th - 108th Congresses, Actual Dollars
104th Congress
105th Congress
106th Congress
107th Congress
108th Congress
Committee
Approved
Approved
Approved
Approved
Approved
Agriculture
$7,406,899
$7,656,162
$8,414,033
$9,607,006
$10,327,531
Armed Services
$9,085,743
$9,721,745
$10,342,681
$10,872,677
$11,931,357
Budget
$9,912,000
$9,940,000
$9,940,000
$11,107,043
$11,869,572
Education and the Workforce
$9,621,539
$10,125,113
$11,200,497
$13,573,886
$14,673,371
Energy and Commerce
$13,686,823
$14,535,406
$15,285,113
$17,226,770
$18,622,138
Financial Services
$8,645,054
$8,901,617
$9,307,521
$11,846,231
$13,696,487
Government Reform
$13,520,037
$20,020,572
$19,770,233
$19,420,233
$19,614,435
Homeland Securitya




$10,952,787
House Administration
$6,177,608
$6,050,349
$6,251,871
$7,418,045
$8,527,057
International Relations
$10,028,093
$10,368,358
$11,313,531
$12,672,626
$14,552,695
Judiciary
$9,553,190
$10,604,041
$12,152,275
$13,166,463
$14,048,616
Resources
$9,588,953
$9,876,550
$10,567,908
$11,601,260
$13,509,424
Rules
$4,433,817
$4,649,102
$5,069,424
$5,370,773
$5,669,311
Science
$8,411,326
$8,677,830
$8,931,726
$10,628,041
$11,690,845
Small Business
$3,791,580
$3,906,941
$4,148,880
$4,798,783
$5,120,301
Standards
$1,981,150
$2,456,300
$2,632,915
$2,871,091
$3,071,250
Transportation and Infrastructure
$10,878,981
$12,184,459
$13,220,138
$14,479,551
$16,461,893
Veterans’ Affairs
$4,220,605
$4,344,160
$4,735,135
$5,142,263
$5,486,795
Ways and Means
$10,219,358
$11,036,907
$11,930,338
$14,748,888
$15,976,288
Permanent Select Intelligence
$4,519,890
$4,815,526
$5,164,444
$6,955,074
$7,809,730
Reserve Fund

$7,900,000
$3,000,000


Source: Data taken from committee funding resolutions introduced in the House for each Congress.
Notes: Renamed committees are listed according to their names and types in the 109th Congress.
a. In the 108th Congress, the Committee on Homeland Security was a select committee.

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Table 5. House Committee Funding Authorizations, 104th -108th Congresses, Constant Dollars
104th Congress
105th Congress
106th Congress
107th Congress
108th Congress
Committee
Approved
Approved
Approved
Approved
Approved
Agriculture
$9,268,344
$9,096,761
$9,631,189
$10,344,755
$10,703,588
Armed Services
$11,369,102
$11,551,008
$11,838,831
$11,707,620
$12,365,814
Budget
$12,403,008
$11,810,330
$11,377,899
$11,959,984
$12,301,779
Education and the Workforce
$12,039,550
$12,030,274
$12,820,737
$14,616,262
$15,207,673
Energy and Commerce
$17,126,490
$17,270,417
$17,496,225
$18,549,661
$19,300,227
Financial Services
$10,817,663
$10,576,563
$10,653,927
$12,755,936
$14,195,218
Government Reform
$16,917,789
$23,787,683
$22,630,153
$20,911,567
$20,328,656
Homeland Securitya




$11,351,611
House Administration
$7,730,117
$7,188,795
$7,156,253
$7,987,697
$8,837,553
International Relations
$12,548,276
$12,319,289
$12,950,122
$13,645,792
$15,082,603
Judiciary
$11,954,024
$12,599,318
$13,910,197
$14,177,552
$14,560,169
Resources
$11,998,775
$11,734,941
$12,096,639
$12,492,153
$14,001,343
Rules
$5,548,090
$5,523,886
$5,802,756
$5,783,210
$5,875,748
Science
$10,525,196
$10,310,668
$10,223,770
$11,444,198
$12,116,544
Small Business
$4,744,451
$4,642,079
$4,749,048
$5,167,295
$5,306,747
Standards
$2,479,037
$2,918,482
$3,013,787
$3,091,570
$3,183,084
Transportation and Infrastructure
$13,613,003
$14,477,111
$15,132,535
$15,591,476
$17,061,321
Veterans’ Affairs
$5,281,295
$5,161,566
$5,420,110
$5,537,152
$5,686,586
Ways and Means
$12,787,609
$13,113,633
$13,656,155
$15,881,496
$16,558,033
Permanent Select Intelligence
$5,655,794
$5,721,625
$5,911,521
$7,489,173
$8,094,106
Reserve Fund
$9,386,480
$3,433,974
Source: Based on data taken from committee funding resolutions introduced in the House for each Congress, and the Consumer Price Index. See U.S. Department Of Labor, Bureau
of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index, Feb. 23, 2005, available at [ftp://ftp.bls.gov/pub/special.requests/cpi/cpiai.txt], visited Feb. 23, 2005.
Notes: January, 2005 dollars. Renamed committees are listed according to their names and types in the 109th Congress.
a. In the 108th Congress, the Committee on Homeland Security was a select committee.