How to Get Funding for Proposed Legislation
Make the proposal financially viable, or fail. Get funding for proposed legislation by using the Congressional budget process. Before making a proposal, fit the proposal cost into the Congressional budget. Congressional committees can then authorize the bill and, if necessary, appropriate the funds.
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Instructions
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Estimate the cost for the new program, project or establishment that needs funding. Go through the projected dollar numbers and plan up to five cost years. Detail the costs for the first year with a line for each funding need. Make sure you meet the budget-neutral requirement set by PAYGO by calculating that you have enough additional revenue to pay for the additional spending. A direct spending bill must meet PAYGO requirements.
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Read the concurrent budget resolution for the funding year. Know how much funding Congress has made available with their authority for your funding area. Review the guidelines on spending and any spending caps.
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Review the funding available in the budget factor. Determine which of the 20 budget functions your legislative proposal falls under. For example, a National Institute of Health program falls under budget function 550, Health. Look at available spending dollars for that function. For an accounting record, write down the available amount.
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Decide for either discretionary spending or mandatory spending. If amounts will come from the discretionary budget set by the Congress, choose discretionary spending. For a bill that sets the funding with substantive provisions, choose direct spending. Entitlements funding is ordinary mandatory spending.
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Draft the bill. Lay out the plan for the program, project or establishment. For a direct spending bill, write in the determined funding.
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Score the bill and send it to the House or Senate Budget Committee for scoring. After the Congressional Budget Office prepares costs estimates for the bill, account for the effects on the fiscal year's budget. The committee assesses costs and makes an estimate to inform Congress on the amount the bill costs in the budget plan. The Congressional Budget Office does the scoring for the committee. Keep the scoring papers available to show the public how the United States budget either improves or covers a greater cost burden.
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Send the bill to a legislative committee for an authorization measure. The committee enacts a measure that gives the Congress the budget authority for the proposal costs.
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If a discretionary spending bill, send the bill to the House or Senate Appropriations Committee for an appropriation measure. An enactment in an appropriations bill sets a new amount for discretionary spending during the fiscal year.
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Submit the proposal for consideration and vote.
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Tips & Warnings
• Resolve any lack of spending dollars for the costs before sending the bill to committee.
• Check that the proposal does not place any unfunded mandate on the States that does meet the requirements in The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995.
