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Federal Appropriations Law:
A Primer James F. Nagle
Oles Morrison Rinker & Baker LLPwww.oles.com
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What is Federal Appropriations Law
• Fiscal law
• The body of law that governs the availability and use of federal funds– GAO Principles of Appropriations Law,
Volume I, page 1 to 2
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Congress’s Role
• Decides whether to fund
• How much and how long to fund
• Sets terms and conditions of use
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Role of GAO
• Financial and Program Audits
• Legal Opinions
• Legal Decisions
• Publishes the Red Book
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Three Phases of an Appropriation
• Period of Availability
• Expired Phase – Five Years
• Closure – Returns to Treasury
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Specific versus General Appropriations
• Agency must use Specific Appropriation to the exclusion of General Appropriation – Amount in Specific Appropriation is a ceiling – Once Specific Appropriation is exhausted, cannot use
General Appropriation
• Two Appropriations available for the same purpose – Use the “Rule of Election” and be consistent
•
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Rules of Fiscal Law
• The propriety of the use of funds depends on three things– The Purpose of the obligation or expenditure – The obligation must occur within the Time limits
applicable to the Appropriation– The obligation expenditure must be within the Amounts that Congress has established
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Purpose
• The Purpose statute, 31 U.S.C. 1301 (a)
• Necessary Expense doctrine– The expenditure must be a logical relationship to the
Appropriation charged– Must not be prohibited by law– Must not be otherwise provided for
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Examples of Necessary Expense Issues
• Clothing
• Water
• Office Equipment
• Business Cards
• Entertainment
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Time Limitations
• Type of Appropriation / Duration– Annual– Multi-year– No year
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Bona fide Needs Rule
• A fiscal year appropriation may be obligated only to meet a legitimate, or bona fide, need arising in, or continuing to exist, in the fiscal year for which the appropriation is made
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Bona Fide Needs
• Supply contracts
• Services contracts– Non Severable – same as supply contracts– Severable – normally charge appropriation
when services are rendered – but major exceptions
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Amount – the Anti-Deficiency Act
• Cannot obligate the government in advance of or in excess of an Appropriation
• Cannot accept voluntary services• Issues
– Indemnifications– Change Orders– Options– Judgment Fund
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