Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies: FY2009 Appropriations
Abstract : The President submitted his FY2009 appropriations request to Congress on February 4, 2008, including $115.3 billion for programs covered in this appropriations bill: $24.4 billion for Title I (military construction and family housing), $90.8 billion for Title II (veterans affairs), and $183 million for Title III (related agencies). Compared with funding thus far appropriated for FY2008 (emergency supplemental appropriations are pending), this represents increases for Title I of $3.8 billion (18.3%), for Title II of $3.2 billion (3.6%), and for Title III of $16.7 million (10.1%). The overall increase in appropriations between that requested for FY2009 and enacted for FY2008 is $7.0 billion (6.4%). The House and Senate Committees on Appropriations reported their versions of the FY2009 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies appropriations bill on June 24 (H.R. 6559) and July 22 (S. 3301), 2008, respectively. The bill's legislative path is laid out in detail in the "Fiscal Year 2009 Appropriations" section of this report. The House committee recommended appropriating $118.7 billion in new budget authority, $3.4 billion above the President's request. This included $24.8 billion for Title I, $400 million above the request and $4.2 billion above the FY2008 enactment. The Senate committee recommended $119.8 billion, including $24.7 billion for Title I. The Continuing Appropriations Act appropriated $119.6 billion, including $25.0 billion for Title I. In the area of veterans nonmedical benefits, mandatory spending is increasing as claims for disability compensation, pension, and readjustment benefits increase due to a combination of several factors, including the aging of the veterans population and the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. In terms of medical care afforded to veterans, the Administration has included several cost-sharing proposals, including an increase in pharmacy copayments and enrollment fees for lower priority veterans.
Manual on the Federal Budget Process
The purpose of this manual is to assist users of Federal budget information in understanding how the process works and how data are to be interpreted.
Civil Service Reform: Analysis of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY2004
Abstract : The National Defense Authorization Act for FY2004, H.R. 1588, passed the House of Representatives, amended, on May 22, 2003. Title XI of the bill included provisions on personnel management applicable government-wide and on a National Security Personnel System (NSPS) for the Department of Defense (DOD). H.R. 1588 was enacted as P.L. 108-136 on November 24, 2003. Title XI, Subtitle A, of the law authorizes the Secretary of Defense and the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to establish a new human resources management system for DOD's civilian employees and to jointly prescribe regulations for the system. Subtitle C of Title XI includes amendments to the government-wide policies for the federal employee overtime pay cap, military leave, and Senior Executive Service pay, and creates a Human Capital Performance Fund to reward the highest-performing and most valuable employees in an agency. This report analyzes each of the provisions in Title XI of P.L. 108-136.