Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015

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Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015
Great Seal of the United States
Long titleMaking appropriations for the Departments of Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2015, and for other purposes.
NicknamesTHUD
Announced inthe 113th United States Congress
Sponsored byRep. Tom Latham (R-IA)
Legislative history

The Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015 (H.R. 4745 or "THUD") is an appropriations bill that would provide funding for the United States Department of Transportation and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for fiscal year 2015.[1]

The bill was introduced and passed in the United States House of Representatives during the 113th United States Congress. It was the fourth fiscal year 2015 appropriations bill to pass.[2]

Background

An appropriations bill is a bill that gives money to federal government departments, agencies, and programs. The money provides funding for operations, personnel, equipment, and activities.[3] Regular appropriations bills are passed annually, with the funding they provide covering one fiscal year. The fiscal year is the accounting period of the federal government, which runs from October 1 to September 30 of the following year.[4] The Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015, is an example of a regular appropriations bill.

Appropriations bills are one part of a larger United States budget and spending process. They are preceded in that process by the president's budget proposal, congressional budget resolutions, and the 302(b) allocation. The U.S. Constitution (Article I, section 9, clause 7) states that "No money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law...". This is what gives Congress the power to make these appropriations. The President, however, still has the power to veto appropriations bills.[3]

The Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015, falls under the jurisdiction of the United States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies. The bill covers appropriations for the Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and other related agencies. The House and Senate have considered appropriations bills simultaneously, although the House went first. The House Committee on Appropriations reports the appropriations bills in May and June and the Senate in June. Any differences between appropriations bills passed by the House and the Senate are resolved in the fall.[5]

In 2013, Congress was unable to pass all twelve appropriations bills (for fiscal year 2014) before October 1, 2013, when the new fiscal year began. This led to the United States federal government shutdown of 2013.[6] The shutdown lasted for 16 days. Finally, late in the evening of October 16, 2013, Congress passed the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2014, and the President signed it shortly after midnight on October 17, ending the government shutdown and suspending the debt limit until February 7, 2014.[7] In reaction to this situation, House Committee on Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers stated that his goal was to pass all twelve regular appropriations bills for 2015 before Congress was to go on recess in August of that year because he wanted to avoid a similar situation.[8]

The fiscal year 2014 THUD bill never received a House floor vote.[1] The vote was canceled at the last minute because the Republican leadership had determined that they did not have enough votes to pass the bill due to the objections of some Republicans to spending cuts in the bill.[1][9]

Major provisions

The bill would appropriate $17 billion to the Department of Transportation and $40.3 billion to the Department of Housing and Urban Development.[1] It would spend $1.8 billion less than in fiscal year 2014.[1]

Other specific appropriations include:

Procedural history

The Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015 was introduced into the United States House of Representatives on May 27, 2014, by Rep. Tom Latham (R-IA).[10] It was referred to the United States House Committee on Appropriations. It was reported with House Report 113-464.[10] The bill was sent to the House floor under an open rule, which meant that members were allowed to offer as many amendments as they wanted, leading to almost 70 different amendments received consideration.[1] On June 10, 2014, the House voted in Roll Call Vote 297 to pass the bill 229–192.[10]

On June 9, 2014, President Barack Obama, who would eventually be required to sign the bill in order for it to become law, released a statement of strong opposition but did not threaten to veto it.[11]

Debate and discussion

President Barack Obama and his administration strongly opposed the bill.[2][11] The White House released a statement saying that the bill "fails to make needed investments in our Nation's infrastructure, provides insufficient support for critical housing programs for low-income Americans and the homeless, and includes objectionable language provisions."[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Marcos, Cristina (10 June 2014). "House passes fourth '15 appropriations bill". The Hill. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  2. ^ a b c House, Billy (9 June 2014). "White House Slams Cuts Proposed in House Transportation-HUD Spending Bill". National Journal. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  3. ^ a b Tollestrup, Jessica (23 February 2012). "The Congressional Appropriations Process: An Introduction" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
  4. ^ Heniff Jr., Bill (26 November 2012). "Basic Federal Budgeting Terminology" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  5. ^ Tollestrup, Jessica (23 February 2012). "The Congressional Appropriations Process: An Introduction" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. pp. 3–4. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  6. ^ Weisman, Jonathan; Peters, Jeremy W. (September 30, 2013). "Government Near Broad Shutdown in Budget Impasse". The New York Times. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  7. ^ Cohen, Tom (October 17, 2013). "House approves bill to end shutdown". CNN International. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
  8. ^ Marcos, Cristina (25 April 2014). "Next week:Appropriations season begins". The Hill. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  9. ^ Berman, Russell; Wasson, Erik (1 August 2013). "Republican fiscal splits erupt; Rogers rips party leadership on spending cuts". The Hill. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  10. ^ a b c "H.R. 4745 - All Actions". United States Congress. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
  11. ^ a b "Statement of Administration Policy on H.R. 4745" (PDF). Executive Office of the President. 9 June 2014. Retrieved 11 June 2014.

External links

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Government.