H.Res. 279 is scheduled to be considered on the floor of the House on Tuesday, March 31, 2009, under a closed rule (H.Res. 294), providing an hour of debate and requiring a simple majority for passage. The rule waives all points of order against the resolution and its consideration and provides one motion to recommit which may not contain instructions.
This legislation was introduced by Representative Robert Brady (D-PA) on March 24, 2009, and referred to the Committee on House Administration, which held a mark-up and reported the bill by voice vote on March 25, 2009.
H.Res. 279 would provide funding for all Standing and Select committees of the House of Representatives to operate during the 111th Congress, with the exception of the Committee on Appropriations. The resolution provides $304 million for the operations of 21 House of Representatives' Committees for the first and second sessions of the 111th Congress. The resolution would provide $149 million for 2009 (a 6% increase over 2008) and $155 million for 2010 (a 4% increase over 2009). The funds are used to pay for all committee staff and administrative expenses. According to Committee Report 111-059, the Minority staff on each committee would receive one-third of the funding.
The resolution also includes a requirement that the chair or ranking minority member of a committee appear and present testimony at a hearing of the Committee on House Administration stating that the funding level for the second session does not need to be adjusted before the funds are made available.
Committee | 2009 | 2010 | Total |
$6,316,330 | $6,562,667 | $12,878,997 | |
Armed Services | $7,769,820 | $8,072,843 | $15,842,664 |
The Budget | $6,350,721 | $6,350,721 | $12,701,442 |
Education and Labor | $8,617,490 | $8,953,572 | $17,571,062 |
Energy and Commerce | $11,569,181 | $12,020,379 | $23,589,560 |
Energy Independence & Global Warming | $2,096,900 | $2,070,600 | $4,167,500 |
Financial Services | $8,982,361 | $9,332,673 | $18,315,034 |
Foreign Affairs | $9,243,406 | $9,603,899 | $18,847,305 |
Homeland Security | $8,718,127 | $9,058,134 | $17,776,261 |
House Administration | $5,428,881 | $5,640,608 | $11,069,489 |
Intelligence | $5,387,500 | $5,462,500 | $10,850,000 |
The Judiciary | $9,238,436 | $9,598,735 | $18,837,170 |
Natural Resources | $8,125,517 | $8,442,412 | $16,567,930 |
Oversight and Government Reform | $10,957,956 | $11,385,317 | $22,343,273 |
Rules | $3,538,663 | $3,602,358 | $7,141,021 |
Science and Technology | $6,890,114 | $7,158,828 | $14,048,941 |
Small Business | $3,548,839 | $3,687,243 | $7,236,082 |
Standards of Official Conduct | $2,735,247 | $2,841,922 | $5,577,169 |
Transportation and Infrastructure | $10,237,447 | $10,636,707 | $20,874,154 |
Veterans' Affairs | $3,761,006 | $3,907,685 | $7,668,691 |
Ways and Means | $10,119,889 | $10,514,565 | $20,634,454 |
Grand Total | $149,633,831 | $154,904,368 | $304,538,199 |
The Committee on House Administration ordered this legislation reported to the House by voice vote on March 25, 2009. H.Res. 279 was reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute and incorporated an amendment by Ranking Member Lungren (R-CA). The Lungren amendment requires a review of the use of committee funds at the beginning of the second session of the 111th Congress.
Pursuant to House Rule X, all Standing and Select Committees of the House of Representatives are required to submit a budget to the House for operating expenses in the form of a House resolution. Each one of these committee funding resolutions is then referred to the Committee on House Administration. Once the Committee on House Administration receives all of the funding resolutions, the Committee usually offers an omnibus committee funding resolution for consideration by the House of Representatives, which contains funding for all of the committees, except for the Appropriations Committee.
A CBO cost estimate was not available as of press time, however, the legislation would provide $304 million for House committees in the 111th Congress.
