31 USC 1108 – Preparation and submission of appropriations requests to the President
(a) In this section (except subsections (b)(1) and (e)), “agency” means a department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States Government.
Terms Used In 31 USC 1108
- Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
- officer: includes any person authorized by law to perform the duties of the office. See 1 USC 1
- Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
(b)(1) The head of each agency shall prepare and submit to the President each appropriation request for the agency. The request shall be prepared and submitted in the form prescribed by the President under this chapter and by the date established by the President. When the head of an agency does not submit a request by that date, the President shall prepare the request for the agency to be included in the budget or changes in the budget or as deficiency and supplemental appropriations. The President may change agency appropriation requests. Agency appropriation requests shall be developed from cost-based budgets in the way and at times prescribed by the President. The head of the agency shall use the cost-based budget to administer the agency and to divide appropriations or amounts.
(2) An officer or employee of an agency in the executive branch may submit to the President or Congress a request for legislation authorizing deficiency or supplemental appropriations for the agency only with the approval of the head of the agency.
(c) The head of an agency shall include with an appropriation request submitted to the President a report that the statement of obligations submitted with the request contains obligations consistent with section 1501 of this title. The head of the agency shall support the report with a certification of the consistency and shall support the certification with records showing that the amounts have been obligated. The head of the agency shall designate officials to make the certifications, and those officials may not delegate the duty to make the certifications. The certifications and records shall be kept in the agency—
(1) in a form that makes audits and reconciliations easy; and
(2) for a period necessary to carry out audits and reconciliations.
(d) To the extent practicable, the head of an agency shall—
(1) provide information supporting the agency’s budget request for its missions by function and subfunction (including the mission of each organizational unit of the agency); and
(2) relate the agency’s programs to its missions.
(e) Except as provided in subsection (f) of this section, an officer or employee of an agency (as defined in section 1101 of this title) may submit to Congress or a committee of Congress an appropriations estimate or request, a request for an increase in that estimate or request, or a recommendation on meeting the financial needs of the Government only when requested by either House of Congress.
(f) The Interstate Commerce Commission shall submit to Congress copies of budget estimates, requests, and information (including personnel needs), legislative recommendations, prepared testimony for congressional hearings, and comments on legislation at the same time they are sent to the President or the Office of Management and Budget. An officer of an agency may not impose conditions on or impair communication by the Commission with Congress, or a committee or member of Congress, about the information.
(g) Amounts available under law are available for field examinations of appropriation estimates. The use of the amounts is subject only to regulations prescribed by the appropriate standing committees of Congress.