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National Institutes of Health Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014

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National Institutes of Health Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014
Great Seal of the United States
Long titleMaking continuing appropriations for the National Institutes of Health for fiscal year 2014, and for other purposes.
NicknamesResearch for Lifesaving Cures Act
Announced inthe 113th United States Congress
Sponsored byRep. Jack Kingston (R-GA)
Legislative history

The National Institutes of Health Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 (H.J.Res. 73) is a continuing resolution that passed the United States House of Representatives during the 113th United States Congress. The bill would provide funding for the National Institutes of Health, the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. On October 1, 2013, the United States federal government shut down due to a failure of the United States Congress to pass any appropriation legislation - regular or in the form of a continuing resolution - in order to fund the government in fiscal year 2014. In reaction to this shutdown, the Republican-led House of Representatives began introducing and passing a series of mini-continuing resolutions that would continue to fund smaller pieces of the government. The National Institutes of Health Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 is one of those bills.

Background

Template:2013 continuing resolutions

Congress annually considers several appropriations measures, which provide funding for numerous activities. Appropriations measures are under the jurisdiction of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees. In recent years these measures have provided approximately 35% to 39% of total federal spending, with the remainder comprising mandatory spending and net interest on the public debt. If regular bills are not enacted by the beginning of the new fiscal year on October 1, Congress adopts continuing resolutions to continue funding, generally until regular bills are enacted.[1]

Fiscal year 2014 in the United States began on October 1, 2013. At that time, the government shutdown because no money had been appropriated to continue funding the government. Congress had not passed any of the introduced regular appropriation bills from earlier in 2013.[2] In late September 2013, when it became clear that a shutdown was imminent, Congress began working on a continuing resolution, Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 (H.J.Res 59), that would temporarily fund the government.[3] The bill was passed by the House of Representatives on September 20, 2013. It would have funded the government until December 15, 2013, but also included measures to delay the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare. The Senate stripped the bill of the measures related to the Affordable Care Act, and passed it in revised form on Friday, September 27, 2013. The House put similar measures back and passed it again in the early morning hours on Sunday, September 29.[4] The Senate refused to pass the bill while it still had measures to delay the Affordable Care Act, and the two sides could not develop a compromise bill by midnight on Monday, September 30, 2013, causing the federal government to shut down due to a lack of appropriated funds.

After the shutdown, the House and the Senate both continued to work on legislation that would restore funding to the government. House Republicans began writing "mini-appropriation" bills - continuing resolutions that would fund smaller pieces of the government. The Food and Drug Administration Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 is the eighth one of those bills.[5]

Provisions of the bill

This summary is based largely on the summary provided by the Congressional Research Service, a public domain source.[6]

The National Institutes of Health Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 would appropriate, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, and out of applicable corporate or other revenues, receipts, and funds, for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for FY2014, and for other purposes, such amounts as may be necessary, at a rate for operations as provided in the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 (division F of P.L. 113-6), for continuing projects or activities (including the costs of direct loans and loan guarantees) not otherwise specifically provided for in this joint resolution, that were conducted in FY2013, and for which appropriations, funds, or other authority were made available by such Act to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for NIH under the heading "Department of Health and Human Services--National Institutes of Health."[6]

The bill would require the rate of operations for each account to be calculated to reflect reductions required in FY2013 pursuant to division G of such Act and the presidential sequestration order dated March 1, 2013, except as attributable to budget authority made available by the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013.[6]

The bill would also require appropriations and funds made available and authority granted pursuant to this joint resolution, unless otherwise provided for in this joint resolution or in the applicable appropriations Act for FY2014, to remain available until whichever of the following first occurs: (1) the enactment of an appropriation for any project or activity provided for in this joint resolution, (2) the enactment of the applicable appropriations Act for FY2014 without any provision for such project or activity, or (3) December 15, 2013.[6]

The bill would require expenditures made pursuant to this joint resolution to be charged to the applicable appropriation, fund, or authorization whenever a bill in which such applicable appropriation, fund, or authorization is contained is enacted into law.[6]

It would also require only the most limited funding action of that permitted in this joint resolution to be taken in order to provide for continuation of projects and activities.[6]

The bill would authorize amounts made available for civilian personnel compensation and benefits in each agency to be apportioned up to the rate for operations necessary to avoid furloughs in such agencies, consistent with the applicable appropriations Act for FY2013, except that such authority shall not be used until after the agency has taken all necessary actions to reduce or defer non-personnel-related administrative expenses.[6]

Finally the bill would express the sense of Congress that this joint resolution may also be referred to as the Research for Lifesaving Cures Act.[6]

Procedural history

House

The National Institutes of Health Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 was introduced in the House by Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) on October 2, 2013.[7] It was referred to the United States House Committee on Appropriations.[7] On October 2, 2013 the House voted in Roll Call Vote 514 to pass the bill 254-171. Twenty-five Democrats voted in favor of the bill and only one Republican voted against.

Senate

The National Institutes of Health Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 was received in the Senate on October 3, 2013.[7] The Senate adjourned on October 7, 2013 with no solid plans to voted on H.J.Res. 77 or any of the other mini continuing resolutions on October 8, 2013.[8] This was consistent with previous statements that the Senate would ignore the "piecemeal" or "mini" spending bills that were passed by the House.[9]

Debate and discussion

The National Institutes of Health Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 was passed as part of a Republican strategy to fund portions of the government which have bipartisan support, in order to spare those agencies and programs from the effects of the shutdown.[10] Republicans criticized Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for being opposed to passing the bill, which would, among other things, fund programs supporting sick children. Reid, upon being asked if he "would support NIH funding to help even one child with cancer," said "Why would we want to do that?"[10] In response, Democrats criticized Republicans for playing different needy groups off one another by funding bills to support cancer treatment while failing to fund food programs.[10]

On October 7, 2013, conservative columnist Jim Geraghty of National Review Online accused Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of sadism for refusing to bring H.J.Res. 85 and several other mini-continuing resolutions to the Senate floor for a vote, saying that "Harry Reid doesn’t want to minimize the pain of the shutdown. He wants to maximize it."[11] Geraghty argued that if Harry Reid did bring these bills to the Senate floor, they would pass.

See also

Notes/References

  1. ^ Tollestrup, Jessica (23 February 2012). "The Congressional Appropriations Process: An Introduction" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  2. ^ Plumer, Brad (30 September 2013). "Absolutely everything you need to know about how the government shutdown will work". Washington Post. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  3. ^ "H.J.Res 59 - Summary". United States Congress. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  4. ^ "H.J.Res 59 - All Actions". United States Congress. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  5. ^ Kasperowicz, Pete (7 October 2013). "House GOP plows ahead". The Hill. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h "H.J.Res. 73 - Summary". United States Congress. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
  7. ^ a b c "H.J.Res. 73 - All Actions". United States Congress. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
  8. ^ Kasperowicz, Pete (8 October 2013). "Tuesday: Education bills next up in the House". The Hill. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
  9. ^ Kasperowicz, Pete (7 October 2013). "Monday:Government shutdown enters second week". The Hill. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  10. ^ a b c Kasperowicz, Pete (2 October 2013). "House passes bills to fund DC, parks and medical research". The Hill. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
  11. ^ Geraghty, Jim (7 October 2013). "The Sadism of Harry Reid". National Review Online. Retrieved 7 October 2013.

External links

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

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