An original resolution authorizing expenditures by the Committee on the Budget.
This Senate resolution authorizes the Senate Committee on the Budget to incur and manage expenditures from March 1, 2025, to February 28, 2027. It allows the committee to spend from the Senate’s contingent fund, hire personnel, and—with prior consent from relevant departments or agencies—use or reimburse services from other government entities. The resolution sets specific spending caps for three time blocks (Mar–Sept 2025; Oct 2025–Sept 2026; Oct 2026–Feb 2027), including limits for consultants and staff training. It also outlines how expenses are paid (mostly from the contingent fund with vouchers, but with several exceptions) and authorizes agency contributions to cover certain employee compensation. In short, this bill provides formal, time-bound budget authority and limits for the Committee on the Budget to hire staff, obtain external services, and fund related activities such as hearings and investigations.
Key Points
- 1General authority: The Committee on the Budget is authorized to spend from the Senate’s contingent fund, hire personnel, and, with consent, utilize services from other government departments or agencies on a reimbursable or nonreimbursable basis, for March 1, 2025, to February 28, 2027.
- 2Spending caps by period:
- 3- Mar 1, 2025 – Sep 30, 2025: up to $4,630,478 total; up to $23,333 for consultants; up to $17,500 for staff training.
- 4- Oct 1, 2025 – Sep 30, 2026: up to $7,937,962 total; up to $40,000 for consultants; up to $30,000 for staff training.
- 5- Oct 1, 2026 – Feb 28, 2027: up to $3,307,484 total; up to $16,667 for consultants; up to $12,500 for staff training.
- 6Payment mechanics: Most expenses are paid from the Senate’s contingent fund with vouchers approved by the committee chair; however, certain ongoing payments do not require vouchers (e.g., salaries, telecom, stationery, postages, copying, Senate recording services, and mail costs handled by the Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper).
- 7Agency contributions: The resolution authorizes agency contributions (funds from the Senate appropriations account for “Expenses of Inquiries and Investigations”) to cover compensation for the committee’s employees for the specified periods.
- 8Scope of activities: The authority covers the committee’s normal functions under the Standing Rules (hearings, reports, investigations) and aligns with the committee’s jurisdiction under rule XXV and related rules XXVI.