June 28, 1977
Page 21267
REPORTS OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE BUDGET
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, on behalf of the Committee on the Budget I wish to inform the Senate that the committee met this afternoon and has reported favorably on eight resolutions referred to the committee in recent days. In each case, the committee had been asked by an authorizing committee to waive section 402(a) of the Congressional Budget Act with respect to consideration of authorizing legislation presently on the Senate Calendar.
Mr. President, section 402(a) of the Budget Act provides that it shall not be in order in either the House or the Senate to consider any bill or resolution which directly or indirectly authorizes the enactment of new budget authority for a fiscal year unless that bill or resolution is reported in the House or Senate, as the case may be, on or before May 15 preceding the beginning of such fiscal year. Because these eight measures, which authorize enactment of new budget authority which would become available in fiscal 1977 and fiscal 1978 were reported by the authorizing committees after the statutory deadline, resolutions waiving section 402(a) of the Budget Act must be adopted before these bills can be considered by the Senate.
Mr. President, I wish to emphasize that in reporting favorably on these resolutions, the Budget Committee is simply recommending that the Senate proceed to consideration of the bills but is not prejudging the merits of these measures. In several cases, some members of the Budget Committee have serious misgivings with respect to the merits of the bills, but recognised that those concerns were more appropriately expressed at the time of floor consideration rather than in the course of discussion on the waiver resolutions.
Mr. President, the Budget Committee is extremely reluctant to recommend the adoption of a resolution waiving section 402 of the Budget Act. This section was included in the Budget Act to assure all authorizing legislation is considered as far as possible in advance of the fiscal year in which it will take effect so that it could be considered in the formulation of the budget resolution. Even more importantly, this section was included to provide the Appropriations Committee with some reasonable notice of needed appropriations for the coming fiscal year. This notice is essential for the Appropriations Committee to meet the appropriations timetable spelled out in the Budget Act.
Mr. President, legislation authorizing enactment of new budget authority which is reported to the Senate after the May 15 deadline could delay the enactment of appropriations bills past the Budget Act deadline of 7 days after Labor Day for the completion of the entire appropriations process. The legislative history of the Budget Act indicates that the May 15 reporting deadline is not to be lightly waived. Under these circumstances the Budget Committee, in deciding whether to favorably report resolutions waiving section 402(a), has considered factors including: the effect of delaying consideration of the authorizing bill, the reporting committee's effort to meet the May 15 deadline, the delay in the appropriations process engendered by the late reporting of the authorization, and the impact of the authorization on the national priorities established in the congressional process.
I am pleased to observe, Mr. President, that this year the cooperative effort of the Budget Committee and the Appropriations Committee has produced a timetable which brings us to the beginning of July with all but four appropriations bills passed by both Houses of the Congress. This is an extraordinary record for which the distinguished chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Senator McCLELLAN, is to be congratulated.
Mr. President, the Budget Committee has taken a firm position with respect to the enforcement of the May 15 deadline. This year we have sent numerous letters to committee chairmen and their staffs with respect to strict enforcement of this reporting date. As an illustration of the multiple contacts with authorizing committees, I ask unanimous consent that copies of letters regarding this deadline be printed in the RECORD at this point.
There being no objection, the letters were ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows:
[Sent to all committee chairmen]
U.S. SENATE,
Washington, D.C.,
March 22, 1977.
Hon.
Chairman, Committee on —, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C.
DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: Recently Congress completed final action on the Third Concurrent Resolution on the budget for fiscal year 1977 and commenced Budget Committee hearings on the First Concurrent Resolution for fiscal year 1978.
As we commence the budgetary process for fiscal 1978, we wish to commend you and your committee staff for meeting the May 15 deadlines for fiscal 1977. That excellent cooperation of all standing committees last year greatly facilitated the smooth operation of the congressional budgetary process. However, many committees are now examining legislation which authorizes both additional budget authority for fiscal 1977 and new authority for fiscal 1978, and questions continue to arise with respect to the Budget Act. Therefore, we wanted to take this opportunity to review the statutory requirements of the Act with respect to such legislation.
As you know, the Budget Act contains the statutory deadline of May 15, for the reporting of legislation authorizing the enactment of new budget authority for a fiscal year. In the case of the present fiscal year, FY 1977, all such legislation must have been reported by May 15, 1976, or be subject to a point of order. The Budget Act provides that the Senate may adopt a resolution waiving the application of this provision of the Act as to legislation reported after May 15.
Senate committees are now or will soon beconsidering measures which are a response to the Administration's request for economic stimulus as well as measures which have been reintroduced this session of Congress and which will require additional authorizations for FY 1977. We would like to remind you that any measures which constitute an authorization of new budget authority for FY 1977 must be accompanied by a resolution waiving the May 15 deadline of Section 402. Under Section 402, the waiver resolution must be reported along with the substantive bills to expedite the process. The waiver resolution is then referred to the Budget Committee. We assure you we will act as expeditiously as possible in order to facilitate the work of the Senate.
A question has been raised as to whether the Budget Committee would be willing to overlook the May 15 deadline in view of the fact that the economic conditions inherited by the new President have required the submission of additional authorizing requests and that the Carter Budget Amendments were submitted to Congress late in February.The suggestion has also been made that the May 15 deadline should be overlooked because the reorganization of the Senate committee system as a result of S. Res. 4 has brought about shifts in committee jurisdictions which may possibly delay the reporting of legislation. None of these points justify abandonment of the May 15 deadline which is mandated by the Budget Act.
The Budget Committee cannot overlook the requirements of the Budget Act and must insist that all committees adhere to the statutory deadlines. This Committee is proceeding expeditiously with its hearings and markup preparations for the First Concurrent Resolution and intends to meet the May 15 deadline for passage of the Resolution.
There is an additional provision of the Budget Act which we would like to bring to your attention, and that is Section 303. Those committees which are planning to report entitlement or spending legislation should keep in mind that, prior to the adoption of the First Concurrent Resolution for FY 1978, any spending legislation or entitlement measure effective on October 1 for such fiscal year, is also subject to a point of order unless a waiver resolution is adopted by the Senate.
Again, we appreciate the tremendous effort your committee and other standing committees of the Senate are making to meet these deadlines. We simply wish to underscore that the success of the Congressional budget process very much depends on the success of that effort.
The staff of the Budget Committee is available to assist your staff in the drafting of appropriate waiver resolutions or in any other matter. If there are any questions regarding the Budget Act in general or its application to FY 1977 authorizations or entitlement or spending measures, please contact Karen Williams, Chief Counsel, on 4–0532.
With best wishes, we are
Sincerely,
EDMUND S. MUSKIE, Chairman.
HENRY BELLMON, Ranking Minority Member.
[Sent to All Committee Staff Directors]
U.S. SENATE,
Washington, D.C.,
April 8, 1977.
Mr.WILLIAM B. CHERKASKY,
Staff Director,
Senate Select Committee on Small Business,
Russell Senate Office Building,
Washington, D.C.
DEAR BILL On March 22, Senators Muskie and Bellmon wrote the chairman of each standing committee of the Senate to review the budget procedures with respect to legislation within the committee's jurisdiction. Since your select committee also has jurisdiction over authorizing legislation, I thought this information might also be useful to you.
With the excellent cooperation of the committee staffs, you met the budgetary deadlines last year. We are confident that you can achieve the same outstanding record for fiscal 1978. Since, however, a number of inquiries have been received by the Budget Committee staff — generally from subcommittee staff directors — regarding the reporting requirement and other matters, I thought it might be helpful to write you separately.
As you may recall, the Congressional Budget Act provides a May 15 reporting deadline for legislation which authorizes new budget authority for fiscal year 1978. Under the Budget Act, such authorizing legislation reported in the Senate after May 15 is subject to a point of order unless the Senate adopts a resolution waiving the application of this provision of the Act to that legislation. This is true even if a companion bill has been reported by May 15 in the House.
The purpose of this provision is to facilitate the appropriation process, which must be finished on a timely basis in order to complete the budget cycle in time for the adoption of the Second Concurrent Resolution on the Budget before October 1, as the Budget Act requires.
Should other questions arise with respect to fiscal 1978 authorizations or any other matter, please do not hesitate to contact us. As always, if the Budget Committee staff can be of any help to you, I hope you will call on us. Please call me or Karen Williams, the Committee's Chief Counsel, directly. You can reach me at 4–0535 and Karen at 4–0532.
Sincerely,
JOHN T. McEVOY,
Staff Director.
[Sent to all committee general counsel]
April 8, 1977.Mr. EDWARD P. SCARE,
General Counsel, Committee on Veterans' Affairs,
U.S. Senate,
Washington, D.C.
DEAR ED: On March 22, Senators Muskie and Bellmon wrote the chairman of each standing committee of the Senate to review the budget procedures with respect to legislation within the committee's jurisdiction.
With the excellent cooperation of the committee staffs, you met the budgetary deadlines last year. We are confident that you can achieve the same outstanding record for fiscal year 1978. Since, however, a number of inquiries have been received by the Budget Committee staff — generally from subcommittee staff directors — regarding the reporting requirement and other matters, I thought it might be helpful to write you separately.
As you may recall, the Congressional Budget Act provides a May 15 reporting deadline for legislation which authorizes new budget authority for fiscal year 1977. Under the Budget Act, such authorizing legislation reported in the Senate after May 15 is subject to a point of order unless the Senate adopts a resolution waiving the application of this provision of the Act to that legislation. This is true even if a companion bill has been reported by May 15 in the House.
The purpose of this provision is to facilitate the appropriation process, which must be finished on a timely basis in order to complete the budget cycle in time for the adoption of the Second Concurrent Resolution on the Budget before October 1, as the Budget Act requires.
Should other questions arise with respect to fiscal 1977 authorizations or any other matter, please do not hesitate to contact us. As always, if the Budget Committee staff can be of any help to you, I hope you will call me at 4-0532.
Sincerely,
KAREN HASTIE WILLIAMS, Chief Counsel.
Mr. MUSKIE. We have also had exchanges of correspondence with committee chairmen with respect to pending legislation.
Mr. President, as an example, I ask unanimous consent that copies of correspondence with the Agriculture Committee and the Energy Committee be included in the RECORD at this point.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows:
U.S. SENATE,
Washington, D.C.,
April 29, 1977.
Hon. EDMUND S. MUSKIE,
Chairman, Committee on the Budget,
U.S. Senate,
Washington, D.C.
DEAR. Mr. CHAIRMAN: The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry is presently considering omnibus farm legislation which will revise and extend the support prices for commodities. In actions taken to date, the Committee has tentatively agreed to a provision increasing the target price and loan rate for the 1977 crop of wheat. There is a possibility that this change would increase outlays in fiscal year 1977 by approximately $13.5 million and in fiscal year 1978 by approximately $500 million.
I would appreciate your advising me (1) whether the proposed increase in outlays for fiscal year 1977 would be within the level of outlays in the most recently agreed to concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 1977, and, (2) whether the proposed increase in outlays for fiscal year 1978 would be within the contemplated level of outlays in the first concurrent resolution for fiscal year 1978.
I would also appreciate knowing whether a bill reported out of this Committee containing the proposed increase in the 1977 target price and loan rate for wheat would be subject to any point of order under the Congressional Budget Act.
I would appreciate a formal response fromyou on this issue as soon as possible.
With every good wish, I am
Sincerely,
HERMAN E. TALMADGE, Chairman.
U.S. SENATE,
Washington, D.C.,
May 4, 1977.
Hon. HERMAN E. TALMADGE,
Chairman, Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry,
U.S. Senate,
Washington, D.C.
DEAR HERMAN: This is in response to your letter of April 29 requesting my advice concerning the budgetary effect of legislation tentatively agreed to by the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
An increase in outlays of approximately $500 million in fiscal year 1978 cannot be accommodated within the Function 350, Agriculture, target proposed in the First Budget Resolution for fiscal year 1978 unless major reductions are made in other Function 350 programs. In considering Function 350 during markup on the First Budget Resolution for fiscal year 1978, the Senate Budget Committee used the latest information available from CBO concerning the expected level of outlays in fiscal year 1978 for current law. In arriving at the recommended targets of $2.2 billion in budget authority and $3.7 billion in outlays, the Committee did not explicitly provide for any legislative increases in fiscal year 1978 outlays for price supports to farmers. Thus, an additional $500 million in outlays from new legislation could only be accommodated within the $3.7 billion recommended target if reductions were made in existing price support programs — changes I understand are impractical at this time — or in other programs in this function, chiefly agriculture research and services.
The Office of Management and Budget has recently reestimated total outlays for fiscal year 1978 for Function 350 as part of its April 1977 budget reestimates. Based upon initial review by CBO, the Senate Budget Committee determined that no adjustment to the reported targets for Function 350 for FY 1978 was necessary. There are likely to be significant reestimates both up and down in many functions between now and the adoption of the Second Budget Resolution for fiscal year 1978 in September. For that reason, the Committee decided there was no need to make adjustments in the presently recommended targets for the fiscal year 1978 First Budget Resolution.
I am deeply concerned, however, that administrative actions already announced by the Secretary of Agriculture could increase outlays for price supports to a much higher level, resulting in Function 350 total outlays much higher than the $3.7 billion included in the First Budget Resolution as reported in the Senate. In the event that the Senate Agriculture Committee also agrees to report an omnibus farm bill with substantial increases in target prices for the 1977 crop, the Agriculture function outlays could be in the range of $5.0 billion or more in fiscal year 1978, with probable increases in future years.
What I am saying is that if there is no restraint in the new farm bill, it will become increasingly difficult to find money for other worthy new programs and to balance the budget for fiscal year 1981.
With respect to fiscal year 1977, an increase in outlays of approximately $13.5 million would add further to the existing Function 350 ceiling which has already been breached. It would not necessarily exceed the overall ceiling on outlays in the Third Budget Resolution for fiscal year 1977 agreed to on March 3, nor would it necessarily exceed the amended fiscal year 1977 aggregate outlay ceiling now being proposed by the Senate Budget Committee in the Committee amendment to S. Con. Res. 19. The Third Budget Resolution for fiscal year 1977 contained an overall outlay ceiling of $417.45 billion, with an outlay ceiling for Function 350 of $3.0 billion. The Senate Budget Committee now recommends for fiscal year 1977 a revision to the Third Budget Resolution, with an overall outlay ceiling of $408.8 billion, including an outlay ceiling for Function 350 of $4.5 billion. An increase of $13.5 million in outlays would not exceed these revised ceilings. But, the pressures on these spending ceilings are very substantial, and many worthy programs are now competing for the remaining 1977 dollars.
With respect to technical points of order relating to a bill reported by the Agriculture Committee concerning target price and loan rate adjustments, I can only answer your question after review of the specific legislation. I can offer the following considerations: points of order under the Budget Act concerning spending levels relate to the budget as a whole, not to individual functions, so it would be necessary to review the entire relationship of proposed legislation to the relevant Resolution before a complete response could be given.
As you are aware, specific sections of a bill must be interpreted in the context of the legislation as a whole. With this understanding, I would point out the following:
Any new entitlement contained in the Omnibus Farm measure must have an effective date of October 1, 1977, or later in fiscal year 1978, to avoid a point of order under Section 401(b) of the Budget Act. It is my understanding that the section pertaining to wheat presently expires on December 31, 1977; thus any extension of an entitlement effective January 1, 1978, is not subject to a point of order. If, however, there is created a new entitlement affecting fiscal year 1977, the effective date of the authority for that entitlement must also be October 1, 1977, or later, or it, too, will be subject to a point of order under Section 401 (b).
As you know, if there are any authorizations for the enactment of new budget authority for fiscal year 1978 contained in the measure, the bill must be reported by May 15, which I believe is your intention. If there is any authorization for the enactment of fiscal year 1977 budget authority in the reported Omnibus Farm bill, then, as you know, a waiver resolution waiving Section 402(a) of the Budget Act must be reported as well for reference to the Budget Committee.
The Budget Committee staff is available for further consultation once a final draft of the Omnibus Farm bill is completed. With best wishes, I am
Sincerely,
EDMUND S. MUSKIE.
U.S. SENATE
Washington, D.C.,
April 21, 1977.
Hon. EDMUND S. MUSKIE,
Chairman. Senate Budget Committee,
Washington, D.C.
DEAR SENATOR MUSKIE: As you are probably aware, President Carter further refined his policy on energy since his submission of a revised FY 1978 budget for the Energy Research and Development Administration on February 22. As a result of his statements on April 7th and April 20th, he will submit another FY 1978 ERDA budget to the Congress in about another week. This budget will propose major restructuring of the activities in certain programs rather than merely changing the level of support for existing programs.
In view of the magnitude of the proposed changes and the importance of the decisions to international and domestic energy policy, the Members of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources have concluded that we can not responsibly report the full FY 1978 ERDA Authorization bill without further hearings and consideration of the Carter policies. As a result, although the Committee will proceed as expeditiously as possible, we probably will not be able to comply with the May 15th deadline established by the Budget Control and Impoundment Act and will need to seek a waiver from the Senate Budget Committee when the bill is reported. Our Committee may be able to complete action on the nonnuclear portion of the bill in time to report a separate bill for those programs by May 15th, and we will advise your Committee of our progress.
Sincerely yours,
HENRY M. JACKSON, Chairman.
CLIFFORD P. HANSEN, Ranking Minority Member.
U.S.SENATE,
Washington, D.C.
May 4, 1977.
Hon. HENRY M. JACKSON,
Chairman, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources,
U.S. Senate,
Washington, D.C.
Dear Scoop: We have received your recent letter regarding the difficulties faced by the Committee on Energy and Natural Resourcesin meeting the May 15 reporting deadline for the fiscal year 1978 ERDA Authorization Bill. We are encouraged that you are optimistic you can meet the deadline for the nonnuclear portion of that bill.
As you know, the May 15 reporting deadline in the Budget Act is intended to aid the appropriations process by assuring timely enactment of authorizations required before appropriations can be made. Section 402 also provides for the possibility of a waiver of the May 15 deadline in appropriate cases. The legislative history of the Budget Act suggests strongly that such waivers are to be sparingly granted, since delays in the appropriations process derail the entire legislative schedule and can disrupt the functioning of both the Federal and state governments by delaying and confusing program funding. In fact, such waivers are termed "emergency waivers" in the provisions of the bill relating to the House of Representatives.
We think the Congress can be proud that all but one appropriation were completed prior to October 1 last year. This success, unparalleled in recent times, is the direct result of unprecedented cooperation in early reporting of authorizing legislation. The Appropriations Committee pursued its responsibilities under the Budget Act with great energy. The authorizing committees met their responsibilities to the Appropriations Committee and the Congressional budget process by reporting their authorizations before May 15. In fact, a total of only 22 authorizations (including four from the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs) were reported after May 15 last year by the 14 authorizing committees of the Senate.
We are confident the members of the Budget Committee will be sympathetic to the difficulties you face in processing the energy legislation the President has so recently submitted. We encourage you, however, to report as much of that legislation as is possible prior to the deadline.
We also encourage you strongly to report all other legislation your Committee contemplates for authorization of new budget authority for fiscal year 1978 prior to that deadline.
We and our staff at the Budget Committee stand ready to assist you in any way we can. Please do not hesitate to call upon us.
Sincerely,
EDMUND S. MUSKIE, Chairman.
HENRY BELLMON, Ranking Minority Member.
U.S. SENATE,
Washington, D.C.
April 21, 1977.
Hon. EDMUND S.MUSKIE,
Chairman, Senate Budget Committee,
Washington, D.C.
DEAR SENATOR MUSKIE: As you are probably aware, President Carter further refined his policy on energy since his submission of a revised FY 1978 budget for the Energy Research and Development Administration on February 22. As a result of his statements on April 7th and April 20th, he will submit another FY 1978 ERDA budget to the Congressin about another week. This budget will propose major restructuring of the activities in certain programs rather than merely changing the level of support for existing programs.
In view of the magnitude of the proposed changes and the importance of the decisions to international and domestic energy policy, the Members of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources have concluded that we can not responsibly report the full FY 1978 ERDA Authorization bill without further hearings and consideration of the Carter policies. As a result, although the Committee will proceed as expeditiously as possible, we probably will not be able to comply with the May 15th deadline established by the Budget Control and Impoundment Act and will need to seek a waiver from the Senate Budget Committee when the bill is reported. Our Committee may be able to complete action on the nonnuclear portion of the bill in time to report a separate bill for those programs by May 15th, and we willadvise your Committee of our progress.
Sincerely yours,
HENRY M. JACKSON, Chairman.
CLIFFORD P. HANSEN, Ranking Minority Member.
MEMORANDUM
For: Senator Muskie
From: John McEvoy
Date: May 3, 1977
Attached is a letter received from Senators Jackson and Hansen suggesting that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources will be unable to complete work on the ERDA Authorization Bill for 1978 prior to May 15 as a result of the late submission of the Carter energy program.
Also attached is a suggested response from Senator Bellmon and yourself to that letter. The response is calculated to achieve two results:
1. To acknowledge that the Energy Committee may need more time without committing you to give it to them; and
2. To prompt that Committee, which has been the most derelict in meeting the May 15 deadline, to meeting it in all possible cases this year.
U.S. SENATE,
Washington, D.C.,
May 4, 1977.
Hon. CLIFFORD P. HANSEN,
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources,
U.S. Senate,
Washington, D.C.
DEAR CLIFFORD: We have received your letter regarding the difficulties faced by the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources in meeting the May 15 reporting deadline for the fiscal year 1978 ERDA Authorization Bill.We are encouraged that you are optimistic you can meet the deadline for the nonnuclear portion of that bill.
As you know, the May 15 reporting deadline in the Budget Act is intended to aid the appropriations process by assuring timely enactment of authorizations required before appropriations can be made. Section 402 also provides for the possibility of a waiver of the May 15 deadline in appropriate cases. The legislative history of the Budget Act suggests strongly that such waivers are to be sparingly granted, since delays in the appropriations process derail the entire legislative schedule and can disrupt the functioning of both the Federal and state governments by delaying and confusing program funding. In fact, such waivers are termed "emergency waivers" in the provisions of the bill relating to the House of Representatives.
We think the Congress can be proud that all but one appropriation were completed prior to October 1 last year. This success, unparalleled in recent times, is the direct result of unprecedented cooperation in early reporting of authorizing legislation. The Appropriations Committee pursued its responsibilities under the Budget Act with great energy. The authorizing committees met their responsibilities to the Appropriations Committee and the Congressional budget process by reporting their authorizations before May 15. In fact, a total of only 22 authorizations (including four from the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs) were reported after May 15 last year by the 14 authorizing committees of the Senate.
We are confident the members of the Budget Committee will be sympathetic to the difficulties you face in processing the energy legislation the President has so recently submitted. We encourage you, however, to report as much of that legislation as is possible prior to the deadline.
We also encourage you strongly to report all other legislation your Committee contemplates for authorization of new budget authority for fiscal year 1978 prior to that deadline.
We and our staff at the Budget Committee stand ready to assist you in any way we can. Please do not hesitate to call upon us.
Sincerely,
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, in addition, the majority leader, the distinguished Senator from West Virginia, has also corresponded with authorizing committee chairmen on the May 15 deadline and held several meetings with committee chairmen and staff directors early this spring to reinforce the importance of reporting all authorizing legislation.
I ask unanimous consent that his letters be printed in the RECORD at this point.
There being no objection, the letters were ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows:
U.S. SENATE,
Washington, D.C.,
March 23, 1977.
Hon. EDMUND S. MUSKIE,
Chairman, Committee on the Budget,
U.S. Senate,
Washington, D.C.
DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: May I take this opportunity to express my deep appreciation for the cooperation you and your committee members and staffs have shown me and the staff of the Democratic Policy Committee in processing the legislation within your jurisdiction in these early months of the session. With your help, the Senate has measured up to its responsibilities, though several weeks were consumed in our reorganization.
While we are "on track"at the moment we face an increasingly heavy schedule if we are to meet our several deadlines and hold to our prospective adjournment date of early October.
As you know the Budget Act provides that it is not in order for the Senate to take floor action on a measure authorizing the enactment of new budget authority for any fiscal year unless the measure has been reported by May 15. This provision applies to new program legislation as well as legislation reauthorizing existing programs.
For that reason it would be extremely helpful to the leadership in the scheduling process if, at your earliest convenience, you could supply me with a list of those measures your committee expects to report between now andMay 15, and the anticipated reporting dates thereof.
I value your continued cooperation and I believe that working together we will write an excellent record for this first session of the95th Congress.
Sincerely yours,
ROBERT BYRD.
EDMUND S. MUSKIE, Chairman.
HENRY BELLMON, Ranking Minority Member.
U.S. SENATE,
Washington, D.C.,
May 13,1977.
To All Committee Staff Directors:
Since the May 15 Budget deadline falls on a Sunday this year, I have obtained unanimous consent for reports to be filed until midnight, Monday, May 16. To avoid a backup at the Government Printing Office, I hope that the majority of your reports will be filed before midnight, Saturday, May 14. Please bear in mind that while necessity may require you to file a so-called "dummy" report on a particular bill to meet the deadline, it is absolutely essential to the Budget process, and for floor scheduling purposes, that the complete text of the report be received by the Government Printing Office by midnight, Monday, May 18, except in the most extraordinary circumstance. This not only facilitates the availability of the printed report on the Senate floor to meet the requirements of the Legislative Reorganization Act, but also it is necessary before the Budget Committee can begin to assess a bill's impact on the Budget process.
The Leadership is very appreciative of your assistance during the last two months to expedite the work of the Senate. In the great majority of cases, committee cooperation with the Policy Committee and the Budget Committee has been outstanding. In the event that you have not done so, it would be helpful if you informed the staff directors of your subcommittees of the benefits of submitting a copy of your written report when it is filed in the Senate with either the Budget Committee or the Policy Committee. Your Chairman may also wish to so advise the subcommittee chairmen.
Because of the Budget Act requirement there will be a tremendous workload placed on the Budget Committee to clear measures for floor action within the next few weeks. At the same time, the printing office will face the same mechanical problems, thereby delaying the printing of many reports. To speed clearance of your bills, a xerox copy of your report, sent to the Budget Committee at the time the report is filed in the Senate, will allow the Committee to begin work on the required Budget clearance days before the printed report will become available.
Sincerely yours,
ROBERT C. BYRD, Majority Leader.
U.S. SENATE,
Washington, D.C.,
May 10, 1977.
Mr. John T. McEvoy,
Staff Director, Committee on the Budget,
U.S. Senate,
Washington, D.C.
DEAR JOHN: The Congressional Budget Act of 1974 mandates that all authorizing legislation be reported to the Senate by May 15th of each year. Since that date falls on Sunday this year, the Majority Leader has obtained unanimous consent extending the reporting date to midnight on Monday, May 16th. Additional reporting authority has also been granted for Saturday, May 14th.
This letter is to advise you that our office will be staffed and available to your committee on both reporting dates. Due to the large volume of reports expected, the assistance and cooperation of your committee in the preparation of reports will greatly facilitate their processing and printing. It would be most beneficial to all concerned if your committee staff would take the following actions during the days prior to the actual reporting dates:
1. Contact the Bill Clerk (Ext. 42118 or 32120) to ascertain a current and complete list of cosponsors of the legislation to be reported;
2. Make certain that calendar number and report number spaces are provided on the front and back page of the bill and the front page of the report;
3. Review the bill to ensure that the reporting action as indicated on the front page of the bill, i.e., without amendment, with an amendment, with amendments, etc., accurately reflects the action taken by the committee (see attached memorandum of October 10, 1975) ;
4. Clearly indicate on the report whether Additional, Minority, or Supplemental views are flied pursuant to the provisions of Sec. 133(e) of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1949, as amended (2 USC 190(a) ); and
5. Limit the listing of committee staff personnel on the inside cover page to Chief Counsel (Chief Counsel, Staff Director), Staff Director, Minority Counsel, and Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Committee on Printing regulations.
Included for your reference are printed examples of correct styles of reports and reported bills with the pertinent information (mentioned in the live points above) underlined in red. Also enclosed are 20 blank report forms for use by your committee which conform to Joint Committee on Printing standards.
Please note new paragraph 3(b) (2) of Rule XXVI of the Standing Rules of the Senate (pursuant to S. Res. 4, reorganizing the Senate committee system) which states:
"Proposed legislation which is referred to two or more committees jointly may be reported only by such committees jointly and only one report may accompany any proposed legislation so jointly reported. "
Your cooperation in this matter will be deeply appreciated.
With best personal wishes, I am
Sincerely,
STAN.
U.S. SENATE,
October 10,1975.
To All Senate Committees.
When reporting bills back to the Senate, committees have in the past shown a Senator reporting in one of the following ways: without amendment; with an amendment; and with amendments.
In the future, for the sake of clarity, additional endorsements will be used by this office in printing reported bills and in the Calendar of Business to reflect such action, they are as follows:
With (an) amendment(s), and an amendment to the title.
With (an) amendment(s), and an amendment to the title and preamble.
With an amendment to the title, and (an) amendment(s) to the preamble.
With (an) amendment(s), and (an) amendment(s) to the preamble.
With an amendment to the title.
With (an) amendment(s) to the preamble.
The use of these additional endorsements, where applicable, will simplify considerably the procedure involving the passage of bills on the floor of the Senate and the reporting
of same in the CONGRESSIONAL RECORD.
Your kind cooperation in using the appropriate endorsement will be appreciated.
FRANCIS R.VALEO,
Secretary of the Senate.
Mr. MUSKIE. The distinguished majority leader has been a strong supporter of the budget process and indeed has rearranged the entire schedule of Senate floor action to permit authorizing committees extensive periods for markup sessions to meet the Budget Act deadline for authorizing legislation. On behalf of the Budget Committee let me express our sincere appreciation to the majority leader for his cooperation in this process.
Mr. President, it is true that the bulk of the authorizing legislation has been reported by the authorizing committees in compliance with the May 15 deadline. However, for many reasons which are detailed in the reports filed today on the waiver resolutions, a few committees have not been able to get all of the legislation with committee amendments out of committee to meet the statutory deadline. Mr. President, the Budget Committee recognizes that there are extenuating circumstances which surround the eight requests for waiver resolutions and as a result, the committee has voted to favorably report all of these resolutions.