Continuing Resolutions: Overview of
May 16, 2023
Components and Practices
James V. Saturno,
The program activities of most federal agencies are generally funded on an annual basis
Coordinator
through the enactment of regular appropriations acts. When those annual appropriations
Specialist on Congress and
acts are not enacted by the beginning of the fiscal year (October 1), one or more
the Legislative Process
continuing appropriations acts (commonly known as continuing resolutions or CRs) may
be enacted to provide temporary funding to continue certain programs and activities
Megan S. Lynch
until action on the regular appropriations acts is completed.
Specialist on Congress and
the Legislative Process
There are six main features of CRs. First, CRs have provided funding for certain

activities (coverage), which are typically specified with reference to the prior fiscal
Bill Heniff Jr.
year’s appropriations acts. Second, CRs provide budget authority for a specified
Analyst on Congress and
duration of time. This duration may be as short as a single day or as long as the
the Legislative Process
remainder of the fiscal year. Third, in recent practice, CRs have typically provided funds

based on an overall funding rate rather than in specified amounts. Fourth, the use of
Drew C. Aherne
budget authority provided in the CR has been prohibited for new activities not funded in
Analyst on Congress and
the previous fiscal year. Fifth, the duration and amount of funds in the CR, and purposes
the Legislative Process
for which they may be used for specified activities, may be adjusted through anomalies.

Sixth, legislative provisions—which create, amend, or extend other laws—have been
Justin Murray
included in some instances.
Senior Research Librarian

Congress has enacted one or more CRs in all but three of the 47 fiscal years since the

start of the fiscal year was changed to October 1 beginning in FY1977. FY1997 was the
last fiscal year for which no CRs were enacted. Fourteen times between FY1998 and FY2023, the initial CR (and
for some years, subsequent CRs as well) provided continuing appropriations for all of the regular appropriations
acts. During that same period, funding for one or more regular appropriations acts was provided in CRs for an
average of 137 days before the appropriations process was completed for that year.
For some fiscal years, a CR has provided continuing appropriations through the end of that year (often referred to
as a full-year CR). Some of the full-year CRs enacted in the 1980s included the full text of certain regular
appropriations acts (thus having a form more akin to an omnibus appropriations act rather than a typical CR).
More recently, full-year CRs were enacted covering most of the regular appropriations acts for FY2007, FY2011,
and FY2013.

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Continuing Resolutions: Overview of Components and Practices

Introduction
As expressed in Article I, section 9 of the U. S. Constitution, “No Money shall be drawn from the
Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law” so that the power of the purse
must be exercised through the lawmaking process. This allows Congress to craft the terms of
appropriations or deny appropriations outright by funding programs and activities of most federal
agencies on an annual basis through the enactment of 12 regular appropriations acts.1 When
those annual appropriations acts are not enacted by the beginning of the fiscal year (October 1),
one or more continuing appropriations acts may be enacted to provide temporary funding to
continue certain programs and activities until action on regular appropriations acts is completed.
Such funding is provided for a specified period of time, which may be extended through the
enactment of subsequent continuing appropriations.
A continuing appropriations act is commonly referred to as a continuing resolution or CR because
it has typically been in the form of a joint resolution rather than a bill. But there is no procedural
requirement as to its form. Continuing appropriations are also occasionally provided through a
bill.
If appropriations are not enacted for a fiscal year through a regular appropriations act or a CR, a
“funding gap” occurs until such appropriations are provided. When a funding gap occurs, federal
agencies may be directed to begin a “shutdown” of the affected programs and activities.2
Agencies are generally prohibited from obligating or expending federal funds in the absence of
appropriations.3
Congress has enacted one or more CRs in all but three fiscal years since FY1977.4 In total, 200
CRs were enacted into law during the period FY1977-FY2023, ranging from zero to 21 in any
single fiscal year. Continuing appropriations acts provided funding for one or more regular
appropriations acts for an average of 137 days before the appropriations process was completed
for that year.

1 For further information on the appropriations process, see CRS Report R47106, The Appropriations Process: A Brief
Overview, by James V. Saturno and Megan S. Lynch. Appropriations acts provide agencies with budget authority,
which is defined as authority provided by federal law to enter into contracts or other financial obligations and for the
Treasury to subsequently outlay the funds to meet those obligations. For further explanation, see CRS In Focus
IF12105, Introduction to Budget Authority, by James V. Saturno. For the purposes of this report, the terms budget
authority and funding are used interchangeably.
2 For further information on funding gaps and shutdowns, see respectively,CRS Report RS20348, Federal Funding
Gaps: A Brief Overview, by James V. Saturno; and CRS Report RL34680, Shutdown of the Federal Government:
Causes, Processes, and Effects, coordinated by Clinton T. Brass.
3 These prohibitions are codified by the Antideficiency Acts (31 U.S.C. §§1341-1342, 1511-1519). Exceptions are
made under the act, including for activities involving “the safety of human life or the protection of property” (31 U.S.C.
§1342). The Antideficiency Acts are discussed in CRS Report RL30795, General Management Laws: A Compendium
(available to congressional clients upon request). In addition, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) provides
information about the act online at http://www.gao.gov/ada/antideficiency.htm.
4 The use of CRs had also been common prior to the fiscal year beginning on October 1. For example, in each of the 23
years prior to FY1977 (i.e., FY1954-FY1976), during which the federal fiscal year began on July 1, at least one CR
was enacted for each fiscal year. See Congressional Record, vol. 118 (May 31, 1972), pp. 19358-19359; and CRS
archived report, An Overview of the Use of Continuing Appropriations, September 26, 1980 (available to congressional
clients upon request).
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Main Components of Continuing Resolutions
There are six main features of CRs. First, CRs provide funding for certain activities (coverage),
which are typically specified with reference to the prior or current fiscal year’s appropriations
acts. Second, CRs provide budget authority for a specified duration of time. This duration may be
as short as a single day or as long as the remainder of the fiscal year. Third, in recent practice,
CRs have typically provided funds based on an overall funding rate rather than in specified
amounts. Fourth, the use of budget authority provided in the CR is typically prohibited for new
activities not funded in the previous fiscal year. Fifth, the duration and amount of funds in the CR,
and purposes for which they may be used for specified activities, may be adjusted through
anomalies. Sixth, legislative provisions—which create, amend, or extend other laws—have been
included in some instances.
Although this section discusses the above components as they have been enacted in CRs under
recent practice, it does not discuss their potential effects on budget execution or agency
operations. For analysis of these issues, see CRS Report RL34700, Interim Continuing
Resolutions (CRs): Potential Impacts on Agency Operations, and GAO-17-807T, Budget
Uncertainty and Disruptions Affect Timing of Agency Spending.
Coverage
A CR provides funds for certain activities, which are typically specified with reference to other
pieces of appropriations legislation or the appropriations acts for a previous fiscal year. Most
often, the coverage of a CR is defined with reference to the activities funded in prior fiscal years’
appropriations acts for which the current fiscal year’s regular appropriations have yet to be
enacted. For example, in Section 101 of P.L. 111-68 (the first CR for FY2010), the coverage
included activities funded in selected regular and supplemental appropriations acts for FY2008
and FY2009:
Sec. 101. Such amounts as may be necessary… under the authority and conditions provided
in such Acts, for continuing projects or activities (including the costs of direct loans and
loan guarantees) that are not otherwise specifically provided for in this joint resolution, that
were conducted in fiscal year 2009, and for which appropriations, funds, or other authority
were made available in the following appropriations Acts:
(1) Chapter 2 of title IX of the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 (P.L. 110-252).
(2) Section 155 of division A of the Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and
Continuing Appropriations Act, 2009 (P.L. 110-329), except that subsections (c), (d), and
(e) of such section shall not apply to funds made available under this joint resolution.
(3) Divisions C through E of the Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and
Continuing Appropriations Act, 2009 (P.L. 110-329).
(4) Divisions A through I of the Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009 (P.L. 111-8), as
amended by section 2 of P.L. 111-46.
(5) Titles III and VI (under the heading `Coast Guard’) of the Supplemental Appropriations
Act, 2009 (P.L. 111-32). [emphasis added]
Less frequently, CRs specify coverage with reference to regular appropriations bills for the
current fiscal year that have yet to be enacted.5 In these instances, it is possible that an activity
covered in the corresponding previous fiscal year’s appropriations bill might not be covered in the

5 See, for example, Section 101 of P.L. 105-240.
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CR. Alternatively, a CR might stipulate that activities funded in the previous fiscal year are
covered only if they are included in a regular appropriations bill for the current fiscal year. For
example, Section 101 of P.L. 105-240, the first CR for FY1999, provided that funding would
continue only under such circumstances.
SEC. 101. (a) Such amounts as may be necessary under the authority and conditions
provided in the applicable appropriations Act for the fiscal year 1998 for continuing
projects or activities including the costs of direct loans and loan guarantees (not otherwise
specifically provided for in this joint resolution) which were conducted in the fiscal year
1998 and for which appropriations, funds, or other authority would be available in the
following appropriations Acts:
(1) the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related
Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999….
(8) the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related
Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999, the House and Senate reported versions of which shall
be deemed to have passed the House and Senate respectively as of October 1, 1998, for the
purposes of this joint resolution, unless a reported version is passed as of October 1, 1998,
in which case the passed version shall be used in place of the reported version for purposes
of this joint resolution;
(9) the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 1999…. [emphasis added]
CRs may be enacted as standalone legislative vehicles or as provisions attached to other
legislation, such as a regular appropriations bill or an omnibus bill.6 In instances in which one or
more regular appropriations bills are near completion, Congress may find it expeditious to include
a CR in that same legislative vehicle to cover activities in the remaining regular bills that are not
yet enacted. In such instances, some activities may be covered by reference, while funding for
others is provided through the text of the measure. For example, Division C of P.L. 115-245—the
Department of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations
Act, 2019, and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2019—provided continuing appropriations
through December 7, 2018, by referencing the FY2018 regular appropriations acts, while the
other divisions of P.L. 115-245 provided full-year regular appropriations for the FY2019 Defense
and Labor-HHS-ED bills.
Duration
The duration of a CR refers to the period for which budget authority is provided for covered
activities. The period ends either upon the enactment of the applicable regular appropriations act
or on an expiration date specified in the CR, whichever occurs first. When a CR expires prior to
the completion of all regular appropriations bills for a fiscal year, one or more additional CRs
may be enacted to prevent funding gaps and secure additional increments of time to complete the
remaining regular appropriations bills. The duration of any further CRs may be brief, sometimes a
single day, to encourage the process to conclude swiftly, or it may be for weeks or months to
accommodate further negotiations or congressional recesses. In some cases, CRs have carried
over into the next session of Congress.
In most of the fiscal years in which CRs have been used, a series of two or more have been
enacted into law. Such CRs may be designated by their order (e.g., “first” CR, “second” CR) or,
after the initial CR has been enacted, designated as a “further” CR. When action on the regular

6 Two or more regular appropriations bills are sometimes packaged into a single or “omnibus” legislative vehicle prior
to enactment. For a discussion of this practice, see CRS Report RL32473, Omnibus Appropriations Acts: Overview of
Recent Practices.
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appropriations bills is not complete by the time when the first CR expires, subsequent CRs will
often simply replace the expiration date in the preceding CR with a new expiration date. For
example, Section 1 of the third CR for FY2016, P.L. 114-100, stated that “Public Law 114-53 is
amended by striking the date specified in Section 106(3) and inserting ‘December 22, 2015.’”
This action extended the duration of the preceding CR by six days.
Funds provided by a CR will not necessarily be used by all covered activities through the date the
CR expires. In practice, the budget authority provided by a CR may be superseded by the
enactment of subsequent appropriations measures or the occurrence of other specified conditions.
In an instance in which a regular appropriations bill was enacted prior to the expiration of a CR,
the budget authority provided by the regular bill for covered activities would replace the funding
provided by the CR. All other activities in the CR, however, would continue to be funded by the
CR unless they were likewise superseded or the CR expired. The duration of funds for certain
activities could also be shortened if other conditions that are specified in the CR occur. For
example, Section 106 of P.L. 117-80, the first CR for FY2023, provided funds for 77 days or
fewer:
Sec. 106. Unless otherwise provided for in this Act or in the applicable appropriations Act
for fiscal year 2023, appropriations and funds made available and authority granted
pursuant to this Act shall be available until whichever of the following first occurs: (1) The
enactment into law of an appropriation for any project or activity provided for in this Act.
(2) The enactment into law of the applicable appropriations Act for fiscal year 2023
without any provision for such project or activity. (3) December 16, 2022. [emphasis
added]
In this instance, funding for all other activities to which these conditions didn’t apply would
continue under the CR until it expired or was otherwise superseded. While recent practice has
been to resolve all outstanding appropriations issues simultaneously, historically, one or more
regular appropriations acts would be enacted while a CR was in effect. As a consequence, not
only was the duration of the CR was shortened for those projects and activities, but the coverage
of the CR was reduced as well. For example, P.L. 107-240, the fourth CR for FY2003, was
enacted on October 18, 2002. It had an expiration of November 22, 2002, and included funding
for projects and activities covered by the Department of Defense Appropriations Act. However,
P.L. 107-248, the regular Department of Defense Appropriations Act of for FY2003, was enacted
on October 23, 2002, superseding the funding provided under the CR and reducing its coverage.
A CR may also be attached to a regular appropriations bill. In such a case, the activities covered
by the regular appropriations act are funded through the remainder of the fiscal year, whereas the
activities covered by the CR are funded through a specified date. One example of this is P.L. 114-
223, the first CR for FY2017. Division C of the measure was a continuing resolution with an
expiration date of December 9, 2016. Division A, however, was the regular appropriations act for
Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and provided funding for those accounts for the entire
fiscal year. Congress may also single out specific activities in a CR to receive funding for a
specified duration that differs from the majority of other accounts and activities.
Congress has occasionally enacted a CR to provide funds for the activities covered in such bills
through the remainder of the fiscal year as an alternative to separately enacting one or more of the
regular appropriations bills. This type of CR is referred to as a full-year CR. Full-year CRs may
provide funding for all bills that have yet to be enacted or include the full text of one or more
regular appropriations bills. For example, Division A of P.L. 112-10 contained the text of the
FY2011 Defense Appropriations Act, whereas the programs and activities covered by the 11
remaining regular appropriations bills were funded by the full-year CR in Division B.
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Funding Rate
CRs often fund activities under a formula-type approach that provides budget authority at a
restricted level but not a specified amount. This method of providing budget authority is
commonly referred to as the “funding rate.” Under a funding rate, the amount of budget authority
for an account7 is calculated as the total amount of budget authority annually available based on a
reference level (usually a dollar amount or calculation) multiplied by the fraction of the fiscal
year for which the funds are made available in the CR.8 This is in contrast to regular and
supplemental appropriations acts, which generally provide specific amounts for each account.
In previous years, some CRs have provided funding across accounts by reference to the amount
of budget authority available in specified appropriations acts from the previous fiscal year. For
example, Section 101 of P.L. 110-329, the first CR for FY2010, provided the following funding
rate:
Such amounts as may be necessary, at a rate for operations as provided in the applicable
appropriations Acts for fiscal year 2008 and under the authority and conditions provided
in such Acts, for continuing projects or activities (including the costs of direct loans and
loan guarantees) that are not otherwise specifically provided for in this joint resolution, that
were conducted in fiscal year 2008, and for which appropriations, funds, or other authority
were made available in the following appropriations Acts: divisions A, B, C, D, F, G, H, J,
and K of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 (P.L. 110-161). [emphasis added]
Other CRs have provided funding by reference to the levels available in the previous fiscal year,
with either an increase or decrease from the previous fiscal year’s level. For example, Section
101(a) and (b) of P.L. 112-33, the first CR for FY2012, provided the following funding rate:
(a) Such amounts as may be necessary, at a rate for operations as provided in the applicable
appropriations Acts for fiscal year 2011 and under the authority and conditions provided
in such Acts, for continuing projects or activities (including the costs of direct loans and
loan guarantees) that are not otherwise specifically provided for in this Act, that were
conducted in fiscal year 2011, and for which appropriations, funds, or other authority were
made available in the following appropriations Acts….
(b) The rate for operations provided by subsection (a) is hereby reduced by 1.503 percent.
[emphasis added]
Although these examples illustrate the most typical types of funding rates, other types of funding
rates have sometimes been used when providing continuing appropriations. For example, P.L.
105-240, the first CR for FY1999, provided a funding rate for covered activities based on three
possible reference amounts: the House- and Senate-passed FY1999 regular appropriations bills,
the amount of the President’s budget request, or “current operations” (the total amount of budget
authority available for obligation for an activity during the previous fiscal year), whichever was
the lowest. In instances where no funding was provided under the House- and Senate-passed
FY1999 appropriations bills, the funding rate would be based on the lower of the President’s
budget request or current operations. Similar formulations were regularly used for CRs in the
1980s. In addition, while the first CR for a fiscal year may provide a certain funding rate,
subsequent CRs sometimes may provide a different rate.

7 Regular appropriations bills are drafted as a series of unnumbered paragraphs with headings, with each one generally
reflecting a unique budget “account.” Elements within budget accounts are divided by “program, project or activity”
based upon the table “Comparative Statement of New Budget Authority” in the back of the report accompanying the
appropriations bill.
8 For a discussion of how funding rates are calculated, see GAO, Office of the General Counsel, Principles of Federal
Appropriations Law, vol. II, 3rd ed. (2004), at 8-10 to 8-14.
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CRs have also sometimes provided budget authority for some or all covered activities by
incorporating the actual text of one or more regular appropriations bills for that fiscal year rather
than providing funding according to the rate formula.9 For example, P.L. 112-10 provided funding
for the Department of Defense through the incorporation of a regular appropriations bill in
Division A, whereas Division B provided formulaic funding for all other activities for the
remainder of the fiscal year. In this type of instance, the formula in the CR applies only to
activities not covered in the text of the incorporated regular appropriations bill or bills.
Purpose for Funds and Restrictions on New Activities
Congress has often limited the funding provided by CRs so that agencies are not able to use those
funds to initiate new programs or activities or to avoid limitations imposed on previously
appropriated funds. CRs that provide a funding rate for activities often stipulate that funds may be
used for the same purposes and in the manner provided in specified appropriations acts for the
previous fiscal year. In practice, this is often characterized as a prohibition on “new starts.” CRs
also typically include language that would prohibit agencies from making final determinations
about new grants and other payments prior to the enactment of legislation that would provide the
total amount available for the fiscal year (either in the form of a regular appropriations act or a
full-year CR). In addition, conditions and limitations on program activity from the previous
year’s appropriations acts may be retained by language contained within the resolution’s text.
Examples of such language, from P.L. 112-33, are below:
Sec. 103. Appropriations made by section 101 shall be available to the extent and in the
manner that would be provided by the pertinent appropriations Act. [emphasis added]
Sec. 104. Except as otherwise provided in section 102, no appropriation or funds made
available or authority granted pursuant to section 101 shall be used to initiate or resume
any project or activity for which appropriations, funds, or other authority were not available
during fiscal year 2011. [emphasis added]
Sec. 109. ... no grants shall be awarded for such programs funded by this Act that would
impinge on final funding prerogatives.
This language prevents the initiation of new activities with the funds provided in the CR.
Agencies may use appropriated funds from prior fiscal years that remain available, however, to
initiate new activities in some circumstances.10
Anomalies: Exceptions to Duration, Amount, and Purpose
Even though CRs typically provide funds at a rate, they may also include provisions that
enumerate exceptions to the duration, amount, or purposes for which those funds may be used for
certain appropriations accounts or activities. Such provisions are commonly referred to as
“anomalies.” The purpose of anomalies is to preserve Congress’s constitutional prerogative to

9 From a functional perspective, CRs that provide appropriations by using the full text of acts (including by cross-
reference), rather than by using a formulaic rate (as was the case in several years in the 1980s), may sometimes be
categorized as omnibus appropriations acts rather than CRs, even though they are entitled an act “making continuing
appropriations” or “making further continuing appropriations.”
10 Although appropriations bills most commonly provide budget authority that is available for obligation for one fiscal
year, budget authority for an activity may be provided for more than one year (“multiyear”) or indefinitely (“no-year”).
In instances where funds provided in previous years are still available for the purpose of initiating a new project or
activity, such funds may generally be used for this purpose, even though funds for the current fiscal year are provided
by a CR. GAO, Glossary, p. 22.
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provide appropriations in the manner it sees fit, even in instances when only short-term funding is
provided.11
Duration
A CR may contain anomalies that designate a duration of funding for certain activities that is
different from the overall duration provided. For example, Section 112 of P.L. 108-84 provided an
exception to the expiration date of October 31, 2003, specified in Section 107(c) of the CR:
For entitlements and other mandatory payments whose budget authority was provided in
appropriations Acts for fiscal year 2003, and for activities under the Food Stamp Act of
1977, activities shall be continued at the rate to maintain program levels under current law,
under the authority and conditions provided in the applicable appropriations Act for fiscal
year 2003, to be continued through the date specified in section 107(c): Provided, That
notwithstanding section 107, funds shall be available and obligations for mandatory
payments due on or about November 1 and December 1, 2003, may continue to be made.
[emphasis added]
Amount
Anomalies may also designate a different specific amount or rate of budget authority for certain
accounts or activities than the funding rate provided for the remainder of activities in the CR.
Typically, such funding is specified as an annualized rate based upon a lump sum. For example,
Section 120 of P.L. 112-33 provided the following lump-sum anomaly for a specific account,
which was an exception to the generally applicable funding rate in Section 101:
Notwithstanding section 101, amounts are provided for “Defense Nuclear Facilities
Safety Board—Salaries and Expenses” at a rate for operations of $29,130,000. [emphasis
added]
Funding adjustments can also be provided in anomalies for groups of accounts in the bill. For
example, Section 121 of P.L. 112-33 provided a different rate for certain funds in a group of
accounts:
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, except section 106, the District of
Columbia may expend local funds under the heading “District of Columbia Funds” for
such programs and activities under title IV of H.R. 2434 (112th Congress), as reported by
the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives, at the rate set forth
under ‘‘District of Columbia Funds—Summary of Expenses’’ as included in the Fiscal
Year 2012 Budget Request Act of 2011 (D.C. Act 19–92), as modified as of the date of the
enactment of this Act. [emphasis added]
Further, anomalies may provide exceptions to amounts specified in other laws. For example,
Section 121 of P.L. 110-329 provided that funds may be expended in excess of statutory limits up
to an alternative rate:
Notwithstanding the limitations on administrative expenses in subsections (c)(2) and
(c)(3)(A) of section 3005 of the Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Act of
2005 (P.L. 109-171; 120 Stat. 21), the Assistant Secretary (as such term is defined in
section 3001(b) of such Act) may expend funds made available under sections 3006, 3008,
and 3009 of such Act for additional administrative expenses of the digital-to-analog
converter box program established by such section 3005 at a rate not to exceed

11 For a discussion of anomalies provided in the first CR for FY2023, see CRS Report R47283, Overview of Continuing
Appropriations for FY2023 (Division A of P.L. 117-180), by Drew C. Aherne and Sarah B. Solomon.
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$180,000,000 through the date specified in section 106(3) of this joint resolution.
[emphasis added]
Purpose
CRs may also use anomalies to alter the purposes for which the funds may be expended. Such
anomalies may allow funds to be spent for activities that would otherwise be prohibited or
prohibit funds for activities that might otherwise be allowed. For example, Section 114 of P.L.
108-309, the first CR for FY2005, prohibited funds from being available to a particular
department for a certain activity:
Notwithstanding any other provision of this joint resolution, except sections 107 and 108,
amounts are made available for the Strategic National Stockpile (“SNS”) at a rate for
operations not exceeding the lower of the amount which would be made available under
H.R. 5006, as passed by the House of Representatives on September 9, 2004, or S. 2810,
as reported by the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate on September 15, 2004:
Provided, That no funds shall be made available for the SNS to the Department of
Homeland Security under this joint resolution. [emphasis added]
Legislative Provisions
Substantive legislative provisions, which have the effect of creating new law or changing existing
law, have also been included in some CRs. One reason why CRs have been attractive vehicles for
such provisions is that they are often widely considered to be must-pass measures to prevent
funding gaps. Legislative provisions previously included in CRs have varied considerably in
length, from a short paragraph to more than 200 pages.
House and Senate rules restrict the inclusion of legislative provisions in appropriations bills, but
such restrictions are applicable in different contexts. Although House rules prohibit legislative
provisions from being included in general appropriations measures (including amendments or any
conference report to such measures), these restrictions do not apply to CRs.12 Senate rules
prohibit non-germane amendments that include legislative provisions either on the Senate floor or
as an amendment between the houses.13 While these Senate restrictions do apply in the case of
CRs, there is considerable leeway on when such provisions may be included, such as when the
Senate amends a legislative provision included by the House.14 The rules of the House and Senate
are not self-enforcing, however. A point of order must be raised and sustained during floor
consideration to enforce the prohibition.15

12 House Rule XXI, clause 2, prohibits such language in general appropriations measures and applicable amendments.
House Rule XXII, clause 5, in effect, generally extends the House Rule XXI, clause 2, prohibition to conference
reports. CRs, however, are not considered to be general appropriations bills because they provide only temporary
appropriations. Charles W. Johnson, John V. Sullivan, and Thomas J. Wickham, Jr., House Practice: A Guide to the
Rules, Precedents and Procedures of the House, 115th Cong., 1st sess. (Washington: GPO, 2017), ch. 4, §6, pp. 78-79;
and Lewis Deschler, Deschler's Precedents of the United States House of Representatives, vol. vii, ch. 25, §7.1, §7.2,
H.Doc 94-661, 94th Cong., 2nd sess. (Washington: GPO, 1994), pp. 637-40.
13 Senate Rule XVI, paragraphs 2-6.
14 For further information on House and Senate restrictions on legislation in appropriations, see CRS Report R41634,
Limitations in Appropriations Measures: An Overview of Procedural Issues, by James V. Saturno.
15 For further information on points of order, see CRS Report 98-307, Points of Order, Rulings, and Appeals in the
House of Representatives, by Valerie Heitshusen; and CRS Report 98-306, Points of Order, Rulings, and Appeals in
the Senate, by Valerie Heitshusen.
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Substantive provisions in CRs have included language that established major new policies, such
as an FY1985 CR, which contained the Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984.16
More frequently, CRs have been used to amend or renew provisions of law. For example, Section
140 of P.L. 112-33 retroactively renewed import restrictions under the Burmese Freedom and
Democracy Act of 2003 (P.L. 108-61):
(a) Renewal of Import Restrictions Under Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of
2003.—
(1) In general.—Congress approves the renewal of the import restrictions contained in
section 3(a)(1) and section 3A (b)(1) and (c)(1) of the Burmese Freedom and Democracy
Act of 2003.
(2) Rule of construction.—This section shall be deemed to be a “renewal resolution” for
purposes of section 9 of the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003.
(b) Effective Date.—This section shall take effect on July 26, 2011.
CRs have also contained legislative provisions that temporarily extended expiring laws. For
example, Section 146 of P.L. 116-159 extended the National Flood Insurance Program:
(a) Section 1309(a) of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4016(a)) is
amended by striking “September 30, 2019” and inserting “September 30, 2021”.
(b) Section 1319 of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4026) is amended
by striking “September 30, 2019” and inserting “September 30, 2021”.
(c) (1) This section shall become effective immediately upon enactment of this Act.
(2) If this Act is enacted after September 30, 2020, this section shall be applied as if it were
in effect on September 30, 2020.
Legislative provisions that temporarily extend expiring laws are effective through the date the CR
expires, unless otherwise specified.
The Timing of Enactment of Regular
Appropriations Bills and Use of CRs
As mentioned previously, regular appropriations were enacted after October 1 in all but four
fiscal years between FY1977 and FY2023. Consequently, CRs have been needed in almost all of
these years to prevent one or more funding gaps from occurring.
Table 1 provides an overview of the enactment of regular appropriations bills and the use of CRs
between FY1977 and FY2023. All appropriations were enacted on or before the start of the new
fiscal year four times during this period: FY1977, FY1989, FY1995, and FY1997. Over half of
the regular appropriations bills for a fiscal year were enacted before the start of the new fiscal
year in one other instance (FY1978). In all other fiscal years, fewer than six regular
appropriations acts were enacted on or before October 1. In addition, no regular appropriations
bills were enacted prior to the start of the fiscal year in 19 of the 47 fiscal years since FY1977, 14
of these since FY1997, the last fiscal year in which no CRs were enacted.

16 P.L. 98-473, 98 Stat. 1837.
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Table 1. Timing of Enactment of Regular Appropriations Bills and
Use of Continuing Resolutions (CRs): FY1977-FY2023
Number of Regular
Regular Appropriations Bills Enacted
Fiscal Year
Appropriations Billsa
on or Before October 1
CRs Enacted
1977
13
13
2b
1978
13
9
3
1979
13
5
1
1980
13
3
2
1981
13
1
3
1982
13
1
4
1983
13
1
2
1984
13
4
2
1985
13
4
5
1986
13
0
5
1987
13
0
6
1988
13
0
5
1989
13
13
0
1990
13
1
3
1991
13
0
5
1992
13
3
4
1993
13
1
1
1994
13
2
3
1995
13
13
0
1996
13
0
13
1997
13
13
0
1998
13
1
6
1999
13
1
6
2000
13
4
7
2001
13
2
21
2002
13
0
8
2003
13
0
8
2004
13
3
5
2005
13
1
3
2006
11
2
3
2007
11
1
4
2008
12
0
4
2009
12
3
2
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Number of Regular
Regular Appropriations Bills Enacted
Fiscal Year
Appropriations Billsa
on or Before October 1
CRs Enacted
2010
12
1
2
2011
12
0
8
2012
12
0
5
2013
12
0
2
2014
12
0
4
2015
12
0
5
2016
12
0
3
2017
12
1
3
2018
12
0
5
2019
12
5
3
2020
12
0
2
2021
12
0
5
2022
12
0
4
2023
12
0
3
Source: U.S. Congress, Senate Committee on Appropriations, Appropriations, Budget Estimates, Etc., 94th Cong.,
2nd sess.-104th Cong., 1st sess. (Washington: GPO, 1976-1995). U.S. Congress, House of Representatives,
Calendars of the U.S. House of Representatives and History of Legislation, 104th Cong., 1st sess.-113th Cong., 1st sess.
(Washington: GPO, 1995-2012). CRS appropriations status tables (FY1999-FY2023), http://www.crs.gov/pages/
AppropriationsStatusTable.aspx.
Notes:
a. Between the 95th and 108th Congresses, there were 13 House and Senate Appropriations subcommittees
each responsible for one regular appropriations bil . During the 109th Congress, due to subcommittee
realignment, the total number of regular appropriations bil s was effectively reduced to 11 during each year
of the Congress. Beginning in the 110th Congress, subcommittee jurisdictions were again realigned for a
total of 12 subcommittees, each of which is currently responsible for a single regular appropriations bil . For
further information on subcommittee realignment during this period, see CRS Report RL31572,
Appropriations Subcommittee Structure: History of Changes from 1920 to 2023, by James V. Saturno.
b. Although all 13 FY1977 regular appropriations bil s became law on or before the start of the fiscal year, two
CRs were enacted to provide funding for certain activities that had not been included in the regular
appropriations acts.
CRs were enacted in all but three of these fiscal years (FY1989, FY1995, and FY1997). In
FY1977, although all 13 regular appropriations bills became law on or before the start of the
fiscal year, two CRs were enacted to provide funding for certain activities that had not been
included in the regular appropriations acts.
Duration and Frequency of Continuing Resolutions,
FY1998-FY2023
CRs have been a significant element of the recent annual appropriations process.17 As shown in
Table 2, a total of 131 CRs were enacted into law from FY1998 to FY2023. While the average

17 FY1997 was the most recent fiscal year that all regular appropriations bills were completed by the start of the fiscal
year.
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number of such measures enacted per year was about five, the number enacted ranged from two
measures (for FY2009, FY2010, FY2013, and FY2020) to 21 (for FY2001).
During the past 26 fiscal years, Congress used a CR to provide funding for an average of almost
five months (137 days) each fiscal year. Taking into account the total duration of all CRs for each
fiscal year, the period for which continuing appropriations were provided ranged from 21 days to
365 days with full-year CRs used during this period for three fiscal years (FY2007, FY2011, and
FY2013). For the other 23 fiscal years, the expiration date of the final CR has varied
substantially. For 10 fiscal years since FY1997, one or more CRs were enacted to cover a period
that extended into the following session. In the remaining 13 of the 26 fiscal years of this period,
the expiration date of the final CR was set in the first quarter of the fiscal year on a date occurring
between October 21 and December 31.
Table 2. Number and Duration of Continuing Resolutions (CRs): FY1998-FY2023
Total
Final
Number of
Duration
Expiration
Fiscal Year
CRs
in Daysa
Dateb
1998
6
57
11-26-1997
1999
6
21
10-21-1998
2000
7
63
12-02-1999
2001
21
82
12-21-2000
2002
8
102
01-10-2002
2003
8
143
02-20-2003
2004
5c
123
01-31-2004
2005
3
69
12-08-2004
2006
3
92
12-31-2005
2007
4
365
09-30-2007
2008
4
92
12-31-2007
2009
2
162
03-11-2009
2010
2
79
12-18-2009
2011
8
365
9-30-2011
2012
5
84
12-23-2011
2013
2
365
9-30-2013
2014
4d
110d
01-18-2014
2015
5
156
03-06-2015
2016
3
83
12-22-2015
2017
3
216
05-05-2017
2018
5
173
03-23-2018
2019
3
138
02-15-2019
2020
2
81
12-20-2019
2021
5
88
12-28-2020
2022
4
166
03-15-2022
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Total
Final
Number of
Duration
Expiration
Fiscal Year
CRs
in Daysa
Dateb
2023
3
91
12-30-2022
Annual Average
5.04
137.15
—
Source: Prepared by CRS using data from the Legislative Information System (LIS)/Congres.gov; CRS,
appropriations status tables (various fiscal years), available at http://crs.gov/Pages/appover.aspx.
Notes:
a. Duration in days is measured, in the case of the first CR for a fiscal year, from the first day of the year
(October 1). For example, a CR enacted on September 30 that provided funding through October 12
would be measured as having a12-day duration. For subsequent CRs for a fiscal year, duration in days is
measured from the day after the expiration of the preceding CR. The duration of CRs that ended a lapse in
appropriations includes the period of that funding gap and is calculated from the first ful day after the final
day that budget authority was provided through the expiration date of the CR.
b. The final expiration date is the date the CR expired. In some of these instances, the CR had previously been
superseded by the enactment of the remaining regular appropriations acts for that fiscal year. For example,
in FY2014, the expiration date of P.L. 113-73, the fourth CR for FY2014, was January 18, 2014. However,
final regular appropriations were enacted the previous day in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014
(P.L. 113-76).
c. The fifth CR for FY2004 did not change the expiration date of January 31, 2004, established in the preceding
CR.
d. A total of four CRs were enacted for FY2014. This count includes two CRs that provided funding for only
specific programs and activities during the FY2014 funding gap. The Pay Our Military Act (P.L. 113-39) was
enacted on September 30, 2013. The Department of Defense Survivor Benefits Continuing Appropriations
Resolution, 2014 (P.L. 113-44), was enacted on October 10, 2013. The funding provided by both of these
CRs was terminated on October 17, 2013, through the enactment of a third CR, P.L. 113-46, which broadly
funded the previous fiscal year’s activities through January 15, 2014. The funding provided by this third CR
was extended through January 18 through the enactment of a fourth CR (P.L. 113-73). Section 118 of P.L.
113-46 provided that the time covered by that act was to have begun on October 1, 2013. To preserve
counting consistency, the FY2014 duration of days for the purposes of this table begins on October 1 and
ends on January 18, 2014. For further information on the FY2014 funding gap and congressional action on
CRs, see CRS Report RS20348, Federal Funding Gaps: A Brief Overview.
The Appendix to this report provides more detailed information on the number and duration of
each CR enacted for FY1977-FY2023. As indicated previously, the duration of CRs for a fiscal
year represents the period after the start of the federal fiscal year required to complete
appropriations actions for that fiscal year. Although the recent practice has been to resolve all
outstanding appropriations issues simultaneously, this has not always been the case. Historically,
regular appropriations acts were routinely enacted prior to the expiration of a CR. As a
consequence, the duration of a specific CR, should not be interpreted to mean that the funding for
all programs and activities funded by the CR at the time of enactment were still funded by the CR
at the time of its expiration.
The data show that there is no significant correlation between the number and duration of CRs or
even with respect to the way shorter-term and longer-term CRs are used within a single fiscal
year. For example, six CRs were enacted for both FY1998 and FY1999, but lasted for a period of
57 days for FY1998 and 21 days for FY1999. The largest number of CRs enacted for a single
fiscal year was 21 for FY2001, covering a period lasting 82 days. The smallest number enacted—
two each for FY2009, FY2010, FY2013, and FY2020—covered 162 days, 79 days, 365 days, and
81 days, respectively.
Overall, 46 CRs were enacted to provide funds for periods or 30 days or longer, but less than the
remainder of the fiscal year, 29 of these have been enacted since FY1997. In contrast, 83 CRs
were enacted to cover periods of seven days or fewer.
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Recent practice (since FY2015) has been for the first CR for a fiscal year to be enacted by
October 1 to cover an average of just over 68 days, with a range of between 52 and 77 days. The
data show, however, that after that initial CR, the pattern of usage is less clear. During that same
period, between one and four additional CRs have been enacted each year, covering between 11
and 146 additional days before the completion of appropriations actions for that fiscal year.18
Features of Full-Year CRs Since FY1977
Full-year CRs have been used to provide annual discretionary spending on a number of
occasions. Prior to the full implementation of the Congressional Budget Act in FY1977, full-year
CRs were used occasionally, particularly in the 1970s. Full-year CRs were enacted into law for
four of the six preceding fiscal years (FY1971, FY1973, FY1975, and FY1976).19 Following the
successful completion of all 13 regular appropriations acts prior to the start of FY1977, full-year
CRs were used in each of the 11 succeeding fiscal years (FY1978-FY1988) to cover at least one
regular appropriations act. Three years later, another full-year CR was enacted for FY1992. Most
recently, full-year CRs were enacted for FY2007, FY2011, and FY2013.
Table 3 identifies the 15 full-year CRs enacted for the period since FY1977. Nine of the 15 full-
year CRs during this period were enacted in the first quarter of the fiscal year—three in October,
two in November, and four in December. The six remaining measures were enacted during the
following session of Congress between February 15 and June 5.
The full-year CRs enacted during this period also varied in terms of length and the form of
funding provided. Prior to FY1983, full-year CRs were relatively short measures. Full-year CRs
for FY1983 through FY1988, were much lengthier, as Congress incorporated the full text of some
or all of the covered regular appropriations acts rather than using formulaic references for the
funding level. None of the full-year CRs enacted between 1985 and 1988 used formulaic funding
provisions. Secondly, the number of regular appropriations acts covered by full-year CRs
increased significantly during the FY1983-FY1988 period. For the period covering FY1978-
FY1982, the number of regular appropriations acts covered by CRs for the full fiscal year ranged
from one to six (averaging about three). Beginning with FY1983 and extending through FY1988,
the number of covered acts ranged from five to 13, averaging about 10.
The next two full-year CRs, for FY1992 and FY2007, returned to the earlier practice of using
formulaic references and anomalies to establish funding levels. Both CRs provided funding only
through this means. As a consequence, the length of these measures was considerably shorter than
the FY1983-FY1988 full-year CRs.
The two most recent full-year CRs, for FY2011 and FY2013, in some respects were a hybrid of
the earlier and more recent approaches. The FY2011 full-year CR provided funding for 11 bills
through formulaic provisions and anomalies, and it also carried the full text of one regular
appropriations bill in a separate division of the act (the FY2011 Department of Defense
Appropriations Act). Similarly, the FY2013 CR contained the texts of five regular appropriations
bills in Divisions A-E of the act—the FY2013 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug
Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act; the Commerce, Justice, Science, and
Related Agencies Appropriations Act; the Department of Defense Appropriations Act; the
Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act; and the Military Construction and

18 This included periods in which there were funding gaps of two days in FY2018 and 34 days in FY2019.
19 The full-year CR for FY1976, P.L. 94-254, provided funding through the end of the fiscal year (June 30, 1976) as
well as through the end of a “transition quarter” (September 30, 1976). The additional quarter of funding was necessary
to facilitate the change in the start of the federal government fiscal year from July 1 to October 1.
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Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. In addition, Division F provided
continuing appropriations for the remaining seven regular appropriations bills through formulaic
provisions and anomalies. Unlike previous years, the formula for providing continuing
appropriations was based on the amount provided in FY2012 rather than a rate.
Table 3. Appropriations Acts Containing Full-Year Continuing Resolutions (CRs):
FY1977-FY2023
Number of
Appropriations
Included
Acts Covered or
Fiscal
Public Law
Enactment
Formulaic Funding
Contained in the
Year
Number
Date
Provision(s)?
Acta
1978
P.L. 95-205
12-09-1977
No
2/13b
1979
P.L. 95-482
10-18-1978
No
1/13
1980
P.L. 96-123
11-20-1979
Yes
6/13c
1981
P.L. 97-12
06-05-1981
Yes
5/13d
1982
P.L. 97-161
03-31-1982
Yes
3/13e
1983
P.L. 97-377
12-21-1982
Yes
7/13
1984
P.L. 98-151
11-14-1983
Yes
5/13f
1985
P.L. 98-473
10-12-1984
No
9/13g
1986
P.L. 99-190
12-19-1985
No
8/13h
1987
P.L. 99-591
10-30-1986
No
13/13
1988
P.L. 100-202
12-22-1987
No
13/13
1992
P.L. 102-266
04-01-1992
Yes
1/13i
2007
P.L. 110-5
02-15-2007
Yes
9/11j
2011
P.L. 112-10
04-15-2011
Yes
12/12k
2013
P.L. 113-6
03-26-2013
Yes
12/12l
Source: Prepared by CRS using data from the Legislative Information System/Congress.gov; CRS, appropriations
status tables (various fiscal years), available at http://crs.gov/Pages/appover.aspx.
Notes:
a. Between the 95th and 108th Congresses, there were 13 House and Senate Appropriations subcommittees
each responsible for one regular appropriations bil . During the 109th Congress, due to subcommittee
realignment, the total number of regular appropriations bil s was effectively reduced to 11 during each year
of the Congress. Beginning in the 110th Congress, subcommittee jurisdictions were again realigned for a
total of 12 subcommittees, each of which is currently responsible for a single regular appropriations bil . For
further information on subcommittee realignment during this period, see CRS Report RL31572,
Appropriations Subcommittee Structure: History of Changes from 1920 to 2023.
b. The ful -year continuing appropriations for the District of Columbia provided by this act were later
superseded by a standalone regular appropriations act (P.L. 95-288).
c. Some of the appropriations acts covered by this ful -year CR were later superseded by standalone regular
appropriations acts for Interior and Related Agencies (P.L. 96-126); Military Construction (96-130);
Department of Defense (P.L. 96-154); and Transportation (P.L. 96-131).
d. This ful -year CR was contained within the FY1981 Supplemental Appropriations and Rescissions Act 1981
(P.L. 97-12, see Title IV, “Further Continuing Appropriations”). Title IV extended through the end of the
fiscal year the expiration of P.L. 96-536, which covered the appropriations acts that had not yet been
enacted for Foreign Assistance; the Legislative Branch; Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services,
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Education, and Related Agencies; Departments of State, Justice, and Commerce, the Judiciary, and Related
Agencies; and the Treasury, Postal Service and General Government.
e. This ful -year CR extended through the end of the fiscal year the expiration date of P.L. 97-92, which
covered the appropriations acts that had not yet been enacted for the Treasury, Postal Service and General
Government; Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary; and Departments of Labor,
Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies.
f.
Some of the appropriations acts covered by this ful -year CR were later superseded by standalone regular
appropriations acts for the Department of Defense (P.L. 98-121); Commerce, Justice, and State, the
Judiciary, and Related Agencies (P.L. 98-166); and the Treasury, Postal Service and General Government
(P.L. 98-151).
g. The ful -year continuing appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services,
Education, and Related Agencies that were provided by this act were later superseded by a standalone
regular appropriations act (P.L. 98-619).
h. The ful -year continuing appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services,
Education, and Related Agencies that were provided by this CR were superseded by the enactment of P.L.
99-178.
i.
This ful -year CR extended through the end of FY1992 the expiration date of P.L. 102-163, which covered
appropriations that had not yet been enacted for Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related
Programs.
j.
Despite the reorganization of the House and Senate Appropriations subcommittees at the beginning of the
110th Congress, the FY2007 CR (P.L. 110-5), which was enacted on February 15, 2007, reflected the
subcommittee jurisdictions in the 109th Congress.
k. P.L. 112-10, Division B, provided continuing appropriations through the end of the fiscal year for
Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies; Commerce, Justice,
Science, and Related Agencies; Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies; Financial Services and
General Government; Department of Homeland Security; Department of the Interior, Environment, and
Related Agencies; Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies;
Legislative Branch; Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies; Department of State,
Foreign Operations, and Related Programs; and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and
Related Agencies. Division A contained the text of the FY2011 Department of Defense Appropriations Act.
l.
P.L. 113-6, Division F, provided continuing appropriations for FY2013 for Energy and Water Development
and Related Agencies; Financial Services and General Government; Department of the Interior,
Environment, and Related Agencies; Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and
Related Agencies; Legislative Branch; Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs; and
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies. Divisions A-E contained the texts
of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
Appropriations Act; Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act; the Department
of Defense Appropriations Act; Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act; and Military
Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act.

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Appendix.
Table A-1. Number, Page Length, and Duration of Continuing Resolutions (CRs)
FY1977-FY2023
Number of
Number
Fiscal
Acts by Fiscal
of Acts
Public Law
Statutes-at-Large
Duration
Year
Year
Cumulatively
Number
Citation
Enactment Date
Expiration Date
in Daysa
1977
1
1
P.L. 94-473
90 Stat. 2065
10-11-1976
03-31-1977
182

2
2
P.L. 95-16
91 Stat. 28
04-01-1977
04-30-1977
30
1978
1
3
P.L. 95-130
91 Stat. 1153
10-13-1977
10-31-1977
31

2
4
P.L. 95-165
91 Stat. 1323
11-09-1977
11-30-1977
30

3
5
P.L. 95-205
91 Stat. 1460
12-09-1977
09-30-1978
304
1979
1
6
P.L. 95-482
92 Stat. 1603
10-18-1978
09-30-1979
365
1980
1
7
P.L. 96-86
93 Stat. 656
10-12-1979
11-20-1979
51

2
8
P.L. 96-123
93 Stat. 923
11-20-1979
09-30-1980
315
1981
1
9
P.L. 96-369
94 Stat. 1351
10-01-1980
12-15-1980
76

2
10
P.L. 96-536
94 Stat. 3166
12-16-1980
06-05-1981
172

3
11
P.L. 97-12b
95 Stat. 95
06-05-1981
09-30-1981
117
1982
1
12
P.L. 97-51
95 Stat. 958
10-01-1981
11-20-1981
51

2
13
P.L. 97-85
95 Stat. 1098
11-23-1981
12-15-1981
22

3
14
P.L. 97-92
95 Stat. 1183
12-15-1981
03-31-1982
106

4
15
P.L. 97-161
96 Stat. 22
03-31-1982
09-30-1982
183
1983
1
16
P.L. 97-276
96 Stat. 1186
10-02-1982
12-17-1982
78

2
17
P.L. 97-377c
96 Stat. 1830
12-17-1982
09-30-1983
287
1984
1
18
P.L. 98-107
97 Stat. 733
10-01-1983
11-10-1983
41

2
19
P.L. 98-151
97 Stat. 964
11-14-1983
09-30-1984
321
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Number of
Number
Fiscal
Acts by Fiscal
of Acts
Public Law
Statutes-at-Large
Duration
Year
Year
Cumulatively
Number
Citation
Enactment Date
Expiration Date
in Daysa
1985
1
20
P.L. 98-441
98 Stat. 1699
10-03-1984
10-03-1984
3

2
21
P.L. 98-453
98 Stat. 1731
10-05-1984
10-05-1984
2

3
22
P.L. 98-455
98 Stat. 1747
10-06-1984
10-09-1984
4

4
23
P.L. 98-461
98 Stat. 1814
10-10-1984
10-11-1984
2

5
24
P.L. 98-473d
98 Stat. 1837
10-12-1984
09-30-1985
354
1986
1
25
P.L. 99-103
99 Stat. 471
09-30-1985
11-14-1985
45

2
26
P.L. 99-154
99 Stat. 813
11-14-1985
12-12-1985
28

3
27
P.L. 99-179
99 Stat. 1135
12-13-1985
12-16-1985
4

4
28
P.L. 99-184
99 Stat. 1176
12-17-1985
12-19-1985
3

5
29
P.L. 99-190e
99 Stat. 1185
12-19-1985
09-30-1986
285
1987
1
30
P.L. 99-434
100 Stat. 1076
10-01-1986
10-08-1986
8

2
31
P.L. 99-464
100 Stat. 1185
10-09-1986
10-10-1986
2

3
32
P.L. 99-465
100 Stat. 1189
10-11-1986
10-15-1986
5

4
33
P.L. 99-491
100 Stat. 1239
10-16-1986
10-16-1986
1

5
34
P.L. 99-500f
100 Stat. 1783
10-18-1986
09-30-1987
349

6
35
P.L. 99-591f
100 Stat. 3341
10-30-1986
[n/a]f
—
1988
1
36
P.L. 100-120
101 Stat. 789
09-30-1987
11-10-1987
41

2
37
P.L. 100-162
101 Stat. 903
11-10-1987
12-16-1987
36

3
38
P.L. 100-193
101 Stat. 1310
12-16-1987
12-18-1987
2

4
39
P.L. 100-197
101 Stat. 1314
12-20-1987
12-21-1987
3

5
40
P.L. 100-202g
101 Stat. 1329
12-22-1987
09-30-1988
284
1989
[none]
—
—
—
—
—
—
1990
1
41
P.L. 101-100
103 Stat. 638
09-29-1989
10-25-1989
25
CRS-21

link to page 29 link to page 29 link to page 29 link to page 29 link to page 29 link to page 29 link to page 29 link to page 29
Number of
Number
Fiscal
Acts by Fiscal
of Acts
Public Law
Statutes-at-Large
Duration
Year
Year
Cumulatively
Number
Citation
Enactment Date
Expiration Date
in Daysa

2
42
P.L. 101-130
103 Stat. 775
10-26-1989
11-15-1989
21

3
43
P.L. 101-154
103 Stat. 934
11-15-1989
11-20-1989
5
1991
1
44
P.L. 101-403h
104 Stat. 867
10-01-1990
10-05-1990
5

2
45
P.L. 101-412
104 Stat. 894
10-09-1990
10-19-1990
14

3
46
P.L. 101-444
104 Stat. 1030
10-19-1990
10-24-1990
5

4
47
P.L. 101-461
104 Stat. 1075
10-25-1990
10-27-1990
3

5
48
P.L. 101-467
104 Stat. 1086
10-28-1990
11-05-1990
9
1992
1
49
P.L. 102-109
105 Stat. 551
09-30-1991
10-29-1991
29

2
50
P.L. 102-145
105 Stat. 968
10-28-1991
11-14-1991
16i

3
51
P.L. 102-163
105 Stat. 1048
11-15-1991
11-26-1991
12

4
52
P.L. 102-266
106 Stat. 92
04-01-1992
09-30-1992
183
1993
1
53
P.L. 102-376
106 Stat. 1311
10-01-1992
10-05-1992
5
1994
1
54
P.L. 103-88
107 Stat. 977
09-30-1993
10-21-1993
21

2
55
P.L. 103-113
107 Stat. 1114
10-21-1993
10-28-1993
7

3
56
P.L. 103-128
107 Stat. 1355
10-29-1993
11-10-1993
13
1995
[none]
—
—
—
—
—
—
1996
1
57
P.L. 104-31
109 Stat. 278
09-30-1995
11-13-1995
44

2
58
P.L. 104-54j
109 Stat. 540
11-19-1995
11-20-1995
7

3
59
P.L. 104-56
109 Stat. 548
11-20-1995
12-15-1995
25

4
60
P.L. 104-69j
109 Stat. 767
12-22-1995
01-03-1996
19

5
61
P.L. 104-90j
110 Stat. 3
01-04-1996
01-25-1996
22

6
62
P.L. 104-91j
110 Stat. 10
01-06-1996
09-30-1996
290

7
63
P.L. 104-92j
110 Stat. 16
01-06-1996
09-30-1996
290
CRS-22

link to page 29 link to page 29
Number of
Number
Fiscal
Acts by Fiscal
of Acts
Public Law
Statutes-at-Large
Duration
Year
Year
Cumulatively
Number
Citation
Enactment Date
Expiration Date
in Daysa

8
64
P.L. 104-94j
110 Stat. 25
01-06-1996
01-26-1996
43

9
65
P.L. 104-99
110 Stat. 26
01-26-1996
03-15-1996
49

10
66
P.L. 104-116
110 Stat. 826
03-15-1996
03-22-1996
7

11
67
P.L. 104-118
110 Stat. 829
03-22-1996
03-29-1996
7

12
68
P.L. 104-122
110 Stat. 876
03-29-1996
04-24-1996
26

13
69
P.L. 104-131
110 Stat. 1213
04-24-1996
04-25-1996
1
1997
[none]
—
—
—
—
—
—
1998
1
70
P.L. 105-46
111 Stat. 1153
09-30-1997
10-23-1997
23

2
71
P.L. 105-64
111 Stat. 1343
10-23-1997
11-07-1997
15

3
72
P.L. 105-68
111 Stat. 1453
11-07-1997
11-09-1997
2

4
73
P.L. 105-69
111 Stat. 1454
11-09-1997
11-10-1997
1

5
74
P.L. 105-71
111 Stat. 1456
11-10-1997
11-14-1997
4

6
75
P.L. 105-84
111 Stat. 1628
11-14-1997
11-26-1997
12
1999
1
76
P.L. 105-240
112 Stat. 1566
09-25-1998
10-09-1998
9

2
77
P.L. 105-249
112 Stat. 1868
10-09-1998
10-12-1998
3

3
78
P.L. 105-254
112 Stat. 1888
10-12-1998
10-14-1998
2

4
79
P.L. 105-257
112 Stat. 1901
10-14-1998
10-16-1998
2

5
80
P.L. 105-260
112 Stat. 1919
10-16-1998
10-20-1998
4

6
81
P.L. 105-273
112 Stat. 2418
10-20-1998
10-21-1998
1
2000
1
82
P.L. 106-62
113 Stat. 505
09-30-1999
10-21-1999
21

2
83
P.L. 106-75
113 Stat. 1125
10-21-1999
10-29-1999
8

3
84
P.L. 106-85
113 Stat. 1297
10-29-1999
11-05-1999
7

4
85
P.L. 106-88
113 Stat. 1304
11-05-1999
11-10-1999
5
CRS-23

link to page 29 link to page 30
Number of
Number
Fiscal
Acts by Fiscal
of Acts
Public Law
Statutes-at-Large
Duration
Year
Year
Cumulatively
Number
Citation
Enactment Date
Expiration Date
in Daysa

21
109
P.L. 106-543
114 Stat. 2714
12-15-2000
12-21-2000
6
2002
1
110
P.L. 107-44
115 Stat. 253
09-28-2001
10-16-2001
16

2
111
P.L. 107-48
115 Stat. 261
10-12-2001
10-23-2001
7

3
112
P.L. 107-53
115 Stat. 269
10-22-2001
10-31-2001
8

4
113
P.L. 107-58
115 Stat. 406
10-31-2001
11-16-2001
16

5
114
P.L. 107-70
115 Stat. 596
11-17-2001
12-07-2001
21

6
115
P.L. 107-79
115 Stat. 809
12-07-2001
12-15-2001
8

7
116
P.L. 107-83
115 Stat. 822
12-15-2001
12-21-2001
6

8
117
P.L. 107-97
115 Stat. 960
12-21-2001
01-10-2002
20
2003
1
118
P.L. 107-229
116 Stat. 1465
09-30-2002
10-04-2002
4

2
119
P.L. 107-235
116 Stat. 1482
10-04-2002
10-11-2002
7

3
120
P.L. 107-240
116 Stat. 1492
10-11-2002
10-18-2002
7

4
121
P.L. 107-244
116 Stat. 1503
10-18-2002
11-22-2002
35

5
122
P.L. 107-294
116 Stat. 2062
11-23-2002
01-11-2003
50

6
123
P.L. 108-2
117 Stat. 5
01-10-2003
01-31-2003
20

7
124
P.L. 108-4
117 Stat. 8
01-31-2003
02-07-2003
7

8
125
P.L. 108-5
117 Stat. 9
02-07-2003
02-20-2003
13
2004
1
126
P.L. 108-84
117 Stat. 1042
09-30-2003
10-31-2003
31

2
127
P.L. 108-104
117 Stat. 1200
10-31-2003
11-07-2003
7

3
128
P.L. 108-107
117 Stat. 1240
11-07-2003
11-21-2003
14

4
129
P.L. 108-135
117 Stat. 1391
11-22-2003
01-31-2004
71

5
130
P.L. 108-185
117 Stat. 2684
12-16-2003
[n/a]k
—
CRS-25

link to page 29 link to page 30 link to page 30 link to page 30 link to page 30
Number of
Number
Fiscal
Acts by Fiscal
of Acts
Public Law
Statutes-at-Large
Duration
Year
Year
Cumulatively
Number
Citation
Enactment Date
Expiration Date
in Daysa
2005
1
131
P.L. 108-309
118 Stat. 1137
09-30-2004
11-20-2004
51

2
132
P.L. 108-416
118 Stat. 2338
11-21-2004
12-03-2004
13

3
133
P.L. 108-434
118 Stat. 2614
12-03-2004
12-08-2004
5
2006
1
134
P.L. 109-77
119 Stat. 2037
09-30-2005
11-18-2005
49

2
135
P.L. 109-105
119 Stat. 2287
11-19-2005
12-17-2005
29

3
136
P.L. 109-128
119 Stat. 2549
12-18-2005
12-31-2005
14
2007
1
137
P.L. 109-289l
120 Stat. 1311
09-29-2006
11-17-2006
48

2
138
P.L. 109-369
120 Stat. 2642
11-17-2006
12-08-2006
21

3
139
P.L. 109-383
120 Stat. 2678
12-09-2006
02-15-2007
69

4
140
P.L. 110-5
121 Stat. 8
02-15-2007
09-30-2007
227
2008
1
141
P.L. 110-92
121 Stat. 989
09-29-2007
11-16-2007
47

2
142
P.L. 110-116m
121 Stat. 1341
11-13-2007
12-14-2007
28

3
143
P.L. 110-137
121 Stat. 1454
12-14-2007
12-21-2007
7

4
144
P.L. 110-149
121 Stat. 1819
12-21-2007
12-31-2007
10
2009
1
145
P.L. 110-329
122 Stat. 3574
09-30-2008
03-06-2009
157

2
146
P.L. 111-6
123 Stat. 522
03-06-2009
03-11-2009
5
2010
1
147
P.L. 111-68n
123 Stat. 2043
10-01-2009
10-31-2009
31

2
148
P.L. 111-88o
123 Stat. 2972
10-30-2009
12-18-2009
48
2011
1
149
P.L. 111-242
124 Stat. 2607
09-30-2010
12-03-2010
64

2
150
P.L. 111-290
124 Stat. 3063
12-04-2010
12-18-2010
15

3
151
P.L. 111-317
124 Stat. 3454
12-18-2010
12-21-2010
3

4
152
P.L. 111-322
124 Stat. 3518
12-22-2010
03-04-2011
73

5
153
P.L. 112-4
125 Stat. 6
03-02-2011
03-18-2011
14
CRS-26

link to page 29 link to page 30 link to page 30 link to page 30 link to page 30 link to page 30 link to page 30 link to page 30 link to page 30 link to page 31
Number of
Number
Fiscal
Acts by Fiscal
of Acts
Public Law
Statutes-at-Large
Duration
Year
Year
Cumulatively
Number
Citation
Enactment Date
Expiration Date
in Daysa

6
154
P.L. 112-6
125 Stat. 23
03-18-2011
04-08-2011
21

7
155
P.L. 112-8
125 Stat. 34
04-09-2011
04-15-2011
7

8
156
P.L. 112-10p
125 Stat. 102
04-15-2011
09-30-2011
168
2012
1
157
P.L. 112-33
125 Stat. 363
09-30-2011
10-04-2011
4

2
158
P.L. 112-36
125 Stat. 386
10-05-2011
11-18-2011
45

3
159
P.L. 112-55q
125 Stat. 710
11-18-2011
12-16-2011
28

4
160
P.L. 112-67
125 Stat. 769
12-16-2011
12-17-2011
1

5
161
P.L. 112-68
125 Stat. 770
12-17-2011
12-23-2011
6
2013
1
162
P.L. 112-175
126 Stat. 1313
09-28-2012
03-27-2013
178

2
163
P.L. 113-6
127 Stat. 198
03-26-2013
09-30-2013
(365)r
2014
1
164
P.L. 113-39
127 Stat. 532
09-30-2013
[n/a]s
(17)s

2
165
P.L. 113-44
127 Stat. 555
10-10-2013
12-15-2013s
(8)s

3
166
P.L. 113-46
127 Stat. 558
10-17-2013
01-15-2014
(107)s

4
167
P.L. 113-73
128 Stat. 3
01-15-2014
01-18-2014
3
2015
1
168
P.L. 113-164
128 Stat. 1867
09-19-2014
12-11-2014
72

2
169
P.L. 113-202
128 Stat. 2069
12-12-2014
12-13-2014
1

3
170
P.L. 113-203
128 Stat. 2070
12-13-2014
12-17-2014
4

4
171
P.L. 113-235
128 Stat. 2767
12-16-2014
02-27-2015
72

5
172
P.L. 114-3
129 Stat. 38
02-27-2015
03-06-2015
7
2016
1
173
P.L. 114-53
129 Stat. 502
09-30-2015
12-11-2015
72

2
174
P.L. 114-96
129 Stat. 2193
12-11-2015
12-16-2015
5

3
175
P.L. 114-100
129 Stat. 2202
12-16-2015
12-22-2015
6
2017
1
176
P.L. 114-223
130 Stat. 857t
09-29-2016
12-09-2016
70
CRS-27

link to page 29 link to page 31 link to page 31 link to page 31 link to page 31
Number of
Number
Fiscal
Acts by Fiscal
of Acts
Public Law
Statutes-at-Large
Duration
Year
Year
Cumulatively
Number
Citation
Enactment Date
Expiration Date
in Daysa

2
177
P.L. 114-254
130 Stat. 1005
12-10-2016
04-28-2017
139

3
178
P.L. 115-30
131 Stat. 134
04-28-2017
05-05-2017
7
2018
1
179
P.L. 115-56
131 Stat. 1129u
09-08-2017
12-08-2017
69

2
180
P.L. 115-90
131 Stat. 1280
12-08-2017
12-22-2017
14

3
181
P.L. 115-96
131 Stat. 2044
12-22-2017
01-19-2018
28

4
182
P.L. 115-120
131 Stat. 28
01-22-2018
02-08-2018
20v

5
183
P.L. 115-123
132 Stat. 64
02-09-2018
03-23-2018
42v
2019
1
184
P.L. 115-245
132 Stat. 2981
09-28-2018
12-07-2018
68

2
185
P.L. 115-298
132 Stat. 4382
12-07-2018
12-21-2018
14

3
186
P.L. 116-5
132 Stat. 10
1-25-2019
2-15-2019
56w
2020
1
187
P.L. 116-59
133 Stat. 1093
9-27-2019
11-21-2019
52

2
188
P.L. 116-69
133 Stat. 1134
11-21-2020
12-20-2019
29
2021
1
189
P.L. 116-159
134 Stat. 709
10-01-2020
12-11-2020
72

2
190
P.L. 116-215
134 Stat. 1041
12-11-2020
12-18-2020
7

3
191
P.L. 116–225
134 Stat. 1098
12-18-2020
12-20-2020
2

4
192
P.L. 116-226
134 Stat. 1099
12-20-2020
12-21-2020
1

5
193
P.L. 116-246
134 Stat. 1119
12-22-2020
12-28-2020
6
2022
1
194
P.L. 117-43
135 Stat. 344
09-30-2021
12-03-2021
64

2
195
P.L. 117-70
135 Stat. 1499
12-03-2021
02-18-2022
77

3
196
P.L. 117-86
136 Stat. 15
02-18-2022
03-11-2022
21

4
197
P.L. 117-95
136 Stat. 33
03-11-2022
03-15-2022
4
2023
1
198
P.L. 117-180
136 Stat. 2114
09-30-2022
12-16-2022
77

2
199
P.L. 117-229
136 Stat. 2308
12-16-2022
12-23-2022
7
CRS-28

link to page 29
Number of
Number
Fiscal
Acts by Fiscal
of Acts
Public Law
Statutes-at-Large
Duration
Year
Year
Cumulatively
Number
Citation
Enactment Date
Expiration Date
in Daysa

3
200
P.L. 117-264
136 Stat. 4167
12-23-2022
12-30-2022
7
Source: Prepared by CRS using data from the Legislative Information System; CRS, appropriations status tables (various fiscal years), available at http://crs.gov/Pages/
appover.aspx; and various other sources.
Notes:
a. Duration in days is measured, in the case of the initial CR for a fiscal year from the first day of the year (October 1) through the expiration date. For subsequent
CRs for a fiscal year, duration in days is measured from the day after the expiration of the preceding CR. In several instances, as appropriate, the number of days
reflects an extra day in a leap year (every fourth year beginning with calendar year 1976). The duration of CRs that ended a lapse in appropriations includes the
period of that funding gap and is calculated from the first ful day after the final day that budget authority was provided through the expiration date of the CR.
Several CRs provided continuing appropriations for mixed periods of time. For example, three CRs—P.L. 96-86 (for FY1980), P.L. 97-51 (for FY1982), and P.L. 97-
276 (for FY1983)—were enacted in November or December of the applicable year for periods covering 51 days, 51 days, and 78 days, respectively, but they also
included continuing appropriations for the remainder of that fiscal year for activities covered by the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act. (See also the discussion
of actions for FY1996 under footnote j.) In these instances, the “Duration in Days” column reflects the time period that applied to the greatest number of activities
funded by the measure.
b. Title IV (95 Stat. 95-96) of P.L. 97-12, the Supplemental Appropriations and Rescission Act for FY1981, provided continuing appropriations for FY1981.
c. P.L. 97-377 incorporated the ful text of various regular appropriations acts.
d. Title I (98 Stat. 1837-1976) of P.L. 98-473 provided continuing appropriations for FY1985.
e. P.L. 99-190 incorporated the ful text of various regular appropriations acts.
f.
P.L. 99-591 superseded P.L. 99-500 and corrected enrol ment errors in the earlier act. Both laws originated as H.J.Res. 738.
g. P.L. 100-202 incorporated the ful text of various regular appropriations acts.
h. Title I (104 Stat. 867-870) of P.L. 101-403 provided continuing appropriations for FY1991.
i.
Section 106(c) of provided that, as an exception to the general expiration date, continuing appropriations for the Foreign Operation Appropriations Act would
expire on March 31, 1992 (a duration of 154 days).
j.
A total of 13 CRs were enacted for FY1996 (and one was vetoed). Two funding gaps occurred, the first in mid-November 1995 and the second from mid-December
1995 until early January 1996. The CRs for this year may be divided into two categories depending on whether their coverage was generally comprehensive or
partial. Nine of the CRs enacted for FY1996 generally provided short-term funding for all activities under the regular appropriations acts that had not yet been
enacted, while the other four provided funding only for selected activities within certain acts. The four acts in the latter category included the fol owing:
(1) P.L. 104-69, which funded the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and Foster Care and Adoption Assistance programs, programs of the District of
Columbia, and certain veterans’ programs;
(2) P.L. 104-90, which funded programs of the District of Columbia;
(3) P.L. 104-91, Title I, which funded a variety of programs, including ones pertaining to the Peace Corps, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Federal
Bureau of Investigation, trade adjustment assistance benefits, and the National Institutes of Health, among others; and
(4) P.L. 104-92, which funded a variety of programs, including ones pertaining to nutrition services for the elderly, visitor services in the National Park System,
CRS-29

certain veterans’ programs, and programs of the District of Columbia, among others.
Activities under two of the regular appropriations acts for FY1996 were funded through the end of the fiscal year (September 30, 1996) in CRs: (1) Title IV of P.L.
104-92 provided such funding for activities covered by the District of Columbia Appropriations Act; and (2) Title III of P.L. 104-99 provided such funding for
activities covered by the Foreign Operations Appropriations Act. In addition, other selected activities were funded through the remainder of the fiscal year by P.L.
104-91, P.L. 104-92, and P.L. 104-122. Action on the regular appropriations acts for FY1996 was concluded with the enactment of P.L. 104-134, the Omnibus
Consolidated Rescissions and Appropriations Act of 1996, on April 26, 1996 (110 Stat. 1321 through 1321-381), which provided funding for the remainder of the
fiscal year for activities covered by five of the regular appropriations acts.
Three of the CRs had mixed periods of duration. The duration shown in the table was determined as fol ows:
(1) Most of the funding provided in P.L. 104-92 was for the remainder of the fiscal year, so a duration of 290 days was used, and it also provided retroactive budget
authority beginning on December 16, 1995;
(2) While the funding provided in P.L. 104-99 for activities covered by the Foreign Operations Appropriations Act was for the remainder of the fiscal year, the
funding provided for activities covered by four other regular appropriations acts was through March 15, 1996, so a duration of 49 days was used; and
(3) Most of the funding provided in P.L. 104-122 was through April 24, while only one account was funded through the remainder of the fiscal year, so a duration of
26 days was used.
In the case of P.L. 104-91, a measure requiring the Secretary of Commerce to convey to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts the National Marine Fisheries Service
laboratory located on Emerson Avenue in Gloucester, MA, Title I (110 Stat. 10-14) of the act provided continuing appropriations for selected activities for the
remainder of FY1996. Section 110 of the act made the funding effective as of December 16, 1995. The act also provided retroactive budget authority starting on
December 16, 1995.
In the case of P.L. 104-54, retroactive budget authority was provided starting on November 14, 1995, and in the case of P.L. 104-94, retroactive budget authority
was provided starting on December 16, 1995.
k. P.L. 108-185 included provisions affecting funding levels for two specified programs but did not include a provision affecting the expiration date of January 31, 2004,
established in the preceding CR (P.L. 108-135).
l.
Continuing appropriations for FY2007 were provided by Division B (120 Stat. 1311) of P.L. 109-289, the Defense Appropriations Act for FY2007.
m. Continuing appropriations for FY2008 were provided by Division B (121 Stat. 1341) of P.L. 110-116, the Defense Appropriations Act for FY2008.
n. Continuing appropriations for FY2010 were provided by Division B (123 Stat. 2043) of P.L. 111-68, the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act for FY2010.
o. Continuing appropriations for FY2010 were provided by Division B (123 Stat. 2972) of P.L. 111-88, the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations
Act for 2010.
p. Ful -year continuing appropriations for FY2011 were provided by Division B (125 Stat. 102) of P.L. 112-10, the Department of Defense and Ful -Year Continuing
Appropriations Act for 2011.
q. Continuing appropriations for FY2012 were provided by Division D (125 Stat. 710) of P.L. 112-55, the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act for
2012.
r. In P.L. 113-6, both the ful text (Divisions A-E) and continuing (Division F) appropriations were for the entire fiscal year (FY2013) and superseded the continuing
appropriations provided by P.L. 112-175
s. A total of four CRs were enacted for FY2014. This count includes two CRs that provided funding for only specific programs and activities during the FY2014 funding
gap. The Pay Our Military Act (P.L. 113-39) was enacted on September 30, 2013, and provided funding for FY2014. The Department of Defense Survivor Benefits
Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 (P.L. 113-44), was enacted on October 10, 2013, and expired on December 15, 2013. However, the funding provided
by both of these CRs was terminated on October 17, 2013, through the enactment of a third CR, P.L. 113-46, which broadly funded the previous fiscal year’s
activities through January 15, 2014. The funding provided by this third CR was extended through January 18 by the enactment of a fourth CR (P.L. 113-73). Section
CRS-30

118 of P.L. 113-46 provided that the time covered by that act was to have begun on October 1, 2013. For the purposes of this table, the duration in days for the
first two CRs is considered to have ended on October 17, 2013. The third CR is considered to have begun on October 1, 2013, and expired on January 15, 2014.
For further information on the FY2014 funding gap and congressional action on associated CRs, see CRS Report RS20348, Federal Funding Gaps: A Brief Overview.
t.
Continuing appropriations for FY2017 were provided through December 9, 2016 by Division C (130 Stat. 908) of P.L. 114-223, the Continuing Appropriations and
Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2017, and Zika Response and Preparedness Act.
u. Continuing appropriations for FY2018 were provided through December 8, 2017 by Division D (131 Stat 1129) of P.L. 115-56, the Continuing Appropriations Act,
2018 and Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Requirements Act, 2017.
v. Section 2003 of the fourth CR for FY2018 provided that the time covered by previous CRs was to have included a funding gap from January 20, 2018 to January 22,
2018. For the purposes of this table, the duration in days is considered consecutive from the start of the fiscal year. For further information on the FY2018 funding
gap, see CRS Report RS20348, Federal Funding Gaps: A Brief Overview.
w. In addition to providing continuing appropriations through February 15, 2019, Section 102 of this CR provided that continuing appropriations were considered to
cover the funding gap from December 22, 2018 to January 25, 2019. For further information on the FY2019 funding gap, see CRS Report RS20348, Federal Funding
Gaps: A Brief Overview.

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Continuing Resolutions: Overview of Components and Practices

Author Information

James V. Saturno, Coordinator
Drew C. Aherne
Specialist on Congress and the Legislative Process
Analyst on Congress and the Legislative Process

Megan S. Lynch
Justin Murray
Specialist on Congress and the Legislative Process
Senior Research Librarian

Bill Heniff Jr.

Analyst on Congress and the Legislative Process

Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan
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under the direction of Congress. Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other
than public understanding of information that has been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in
connection with CRS’s institutional role. CRS Reports, as a work of the United States Government, are not
subject to copyright protection in the United States. Any CRS Report may be reproduced and distributed in
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copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.

Congressional Research Service
R46595 · VERSION 4 · UPDATED
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