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May 18, 2017
House Committee Funding and Process, 115th Congress
Overview
witnesses who testify at these hearings, giving them an
Funding for House committees (except for the Committee
opportunity to explain and defend their budgets.
on Appropriations) follows a two-step process of
authorization and appropriation. Operating budgets for all
After completion of the hearings, the chair of the
standing and select committees of the House (except for the
Committee on House Administration introduces the
Committee on Appropriations) are authorized pursuant to a
omnibus funding resolution for that two-year Congress,
chamber funding resolution, and funding is provided by
which, after its referral to the Committee on House
annual appropriations in the Legislative Branch
Administration, serves as the legislative vehicle for
Appropriations bill and other appropriations acts.
committee markup. The resolution is typically reported out
of committee without amendment.
On March 17, 2017, the House adopted H.Res. 173,
providing for the expenses of certain committees of the
The primary expense resolution is usually considered by the
House of Representatives in the 115th Congress, by voice
House in March of the first session of a Congress, and
vote. The resolution authorized a total of $266.3 million for
agreed to with little debate. Prior to this consideration,
committee expenses, $132.7 million for the first session and
during the first three months of each new Congress, House
$133.6 million for the second session.
Rule X, clause 7, authorizes House committees to continue
operations at funding levels based on their authorizations
The use of committee funds is subject to chamber rules,
from the preceding Congress. Under Rule X, clause 7, this
law, and regulations promulgated by the Committee on
interim funding may not exceed, per month, 9% of the
House Administration, the Commission on Congressional
previous year’s funding.
Mailing Standards, and the Ethics Committee, among other
House entities. These regulations may be found in a wide
Authorization Trends
variety of sources, including statute, House rules,
Figure 1 reports the aggregate committee funding
committee resolutions, the Committee Handbook, the
authorization level from 1996 to 2018, in both nominal and
Franking Manual, the House Ethics Manual, “Dear
real dollars. Since 1996, aggregate committee funding has
Colleague” letters, and formal and informal guidance.
increased by slightly more than 68%, from $79.4 million in
Committee funds may only be used to support the conduct
1996 to $133.6.0 million in 2018, for an average annual
of official committee business. They may not be used for
increase of 3.1%. In constant dollars, however, aggregate
personal or campaign purposes, or comingled with any
funding has increased 8.0% between 1996 and 2017, for an
Members’ Representational Allowance (MRA).
annual average real increase of less than four-tenths of 1%.
Information on individual committee spending is published
quarterly in the Statements of Disbursement of the House.
Figure 1. Aggregate House Committee
Authorizations, 101st – 115th Congresses
Authorization Process
Pursuant to House Rule X, clause 6, the Committee on
House Administration reports an omnibus, biennial
“primary expense resolution” to cover the expenses of each
standing and select committee of the House, except the
Committee on Appropriations.
In preparation for the biennial resolution, House
committees (except the Appropriations Committee) are
required by regulations of the Committee on House
Administration to submit an operating budget request for
the two years of a Congress. Each committee is also
Source: House Committee Funding Resolutions, 101st-115th
required to introduce a House resolution with its proposed
Congress.
authorization. These actions typically take place during late
February, with committees typically approving their
Appropriations
budgets at a committee organizing meeting.
Funding for House committees is provided in the
Legislative Branch Appropriations bill. Line-item
The individual resolutions are referred to the Committee on
appropriations are not made for individual committees,
House Administration, which may hold hearings on each
except the Committee on Appropriations. Instead, funding
committee’s request. The chair and the ranking minority
is provided as a single total amount for all committees,
Member from each committee are typically the only
under the heading “Committee Employees” and the
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House Committee Funding and Process, 115th Congress
subheading “Standing Committees, Special and Select,”
aggregates expenditures for individual committees across
within the House account “Salaries and Expenses.”
standard budget object classes used by the federal
government. These include personnel compensation;
Consequently, the amount appropriated for committee
personnel benefits; travel; rent, communications, and
funding places a ceiling on total committee expenditures,
utilities; printing and reproduction; other services; supplies
but not on any individual committee’s expenditures. The
and materials; transportation of things; and equipment.
expenditures of individual committees are constrained
instead by their authorization.
Figure 2 reports aggregate committee spending by category
during the second session of the 112th Congress, the most
In addition, because authorizations for committee funds are
recent Congress for which complete data has been
made biennially on a calendar-year basis and appropriations
analyzed.
are made annually on a fiscal-year basis, there is no one-to-
one correspondence between the authorization and the
Figure 2. House Committee Expenditures, by
appropriations in any given year. For any individual
Category
biennial funding resolution, funds may be drawn from
112th Congress, second session (2012)
money appropriated in three different fiscal years.
In FY2017, $127.1 million was appropriated for House
standing committees (except for the Appropriations
Committee) in the Consolidated Appropriations Acts, 2017,
to remain available until December 31, 2018.1 In FY2016,
$123.9 million was appropriated for House standing
committees (except for the Appropriations Committee) in
the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations
Acts, 2016, to remain available until December 31, 2016.2
Majority / Minority Distribution
Clause 6(c) of House Rule X requires that “the minority
party (be) treated fairly in the appointment” of committee
As shown in the figure, “Personnel Compensation”
staff employed pursuant to such expense resolutions. In
accounted for 92% of total committee spending. Beyond
recent years, the House majority leadership has encouraged
these staff expenses, committees spent an aggregate of
its committee leaders to provide the minority with one-third
1.9% of their expenditures on “Equipment,” 2.6% on
of the committee staff and resources authorized in the
“Supplies and Materials,” and 0.5% on travel.
biennial funding resolutions. Statements made by the chair
and ranking Member of the Committee on House
For more information on House committee funding, see
Administration at the beginning of its committee funding
CRS Report RL32794, House Committee Funding Requests
review in recent Congresses indicate a general consensus
and Authorizations, 104th-115th Congresses, by Matthew
that all House committees should provide at least one-third
E. Glassman and CRS Report R42778, House Committee
minority staffing.
Funding: Description of Process and Analysis of
Disbursements.
Usage
Data on committee expenditures were compiled using the
Matthew E. Glassman, Analyst on the Congress
quarterly Statement of Disbursements of the House, which
reports all individual House expenditures disbursed during
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the previous quarter. The Statement of Disbursements
1 P.L. 115-31.
2 P.L. 114-113.
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House Committee Funding and Process, 115th Congress
Disclaimer
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