Encyclopedia > Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974
The Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 is a U.S.federal law passed by the United States Congress specifying that the President may propose to Congress that funds be rescinded. If both the Senate and the House of Representatives have not approved a rescission proposal (by passing legislation) within 45 days of continuous session, any funds being withheld must be made available for obligation. The Act was passed in response to Congressional feelings that President Nixon was abusing his ability to impound the funding of programs he opposed. ... Federal law is the body of law created by the federal government of a nation. ... The Congress of the United States is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States of America. ... President is a title held by many leaders of organizations, companies, universities, and countries. ... A congress is a gathering of people, especially a gathering for a political purpose. ... A senate is a deliberative body, often the upper house or chamber of a legislature. ... House of Representatives is a name used for legislative bodies in many countries. ...
In addition, the act reforms the United States budget process to create a unified process that consolidated the various congressional committees that were responsible for some aspect of the budget before. The process of creating the budget for the United States Government is known as the budget process. ... A Congressional committee in the parlance of the United States Congress and politics of the United States is a legislative sub-organization that handles a specific duty (rather than the general duties of Congress, i. ...
The act has been amended several times, especially through provisions in the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 and the Budget Enforcement Act of 1990. The original 1974 legislation, however, remains the basic blueprint for budget procedures today. The Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, and the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Reaffirmation Act of 1987 (both often known as Graham-Rudman) were, according to U.S. Senator Phil Gramm of Texas, the first binding constraint imposed on... The Budget Enforcement Act of 1990 was enacted by the United States Congress as title XIII of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 to enforce the deficit reduction accomplished by that law and revise the budget control process of the Federal Government. ...
External link
Evolution Of The Budget Process -- Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974
In response to both the frustration generated by the fragmented nature of the congressionalbudget process and the perceived encroachment of the executive onto the budgetary turf of Congress, Congress passed the CongressionalBudget and ImpoundmentControlAct of 1974.
This resolution, which the budget committees were to formulate by April 15 and the Congress was to pass no later than May 15 each year, was seen as an opportunity for the Congress to act on the budget as a unified whole, and provide a general budget blueprint for the authorizing and appropriations committees.
There is general agreement that the CongressionalBudgetAct has led to a reassertion of the congressional role in budgeting, increased the attention of the Congress to the whole budget, and resulted in the control of impoundments.