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Authorizations
Legislation that authorizes programs can establish, continue, or modify an agency or program for a fixed or indefinite period of time. Authorizing legislation is vetted by the committee of jurisdiction, which has expertise in matters dealing with the agency or program.
The legislation puts in place the duties and functions of an agency or program, the organizational structure, and the responsibilities of agency or program officials.
The legislation also provides authorization for appropriations for an agency or program. The amount authorized to be appropriated is most often specified for each fiscal year. The authorization of appropriations is intended to provide guidance regarding the suitable amount of funds to carry out the authorized activities of an agency.
Water Resources Development Act
Appropriations
The Constitution gives Congress the responsibility of funding the activities of the federal government. As this responsibility is carried out for the next two years (2011 and 2012), members of the Senate Republican caucus have voluntarily refrained from requesting funding for specific home-state projects. Over the last several years, Grassley has supported efforts to eliminate all earmarks, but those efforts were ultimately not successful. This year, Republicans in the House and Senate have committed to reduce unnecessary spending, including this first-step effort to trim earmarks from the federal budget.
Senator Grassley is well-known for his efforts to restore fiscal responsibility in the U.S. Senate. He understands that the unsustainable budget deficit and national debt is not due to too many taxes, but rather due to too much spending. And, earmarks, while only a small fraction of the overall budget, have become a symbol of the overspending in Washington, D.C.
Grassley also has supported efforts to improve transparency in the legislative process. Legislation passed in 2007, required all earmarks to be posted by the Appropriations Committee on the Internet at least 48 hours before the legislation comes up for a vote, including the recipient and Senate sponsor. Each Senator must also submit a written statement that details the project and that certifies that no personal financial benefit is to be gained.
Beginning in 2007, Grassley went one step further by disclosing on his website all requests from Iowans and the Iowa projects that ultimately received funding. Additional new rules required all members of Congress to post information on their websites at the time requests are made to the Appropriations Committee. The information must include an explanation of the purpose of the request and why it is a valuable use of taxpayer funds.
Fiscal 2011 Appropriations
All proposals for fiscal 2011 funding were due to Grassley's office by March 1. This year, because of the large volume of requests and limited amount of funds available, Grassley forwarded only the highest priorities of nonprofit organizations, cities and the state to the Appropriations Subcommittees.
For example, Grassley is submitting one economic development, one transportation and one sewer/wastewater project per municipality to the committee for its consideration. Funding levels for these projects will be capped and some requests will be based on need or federal mandates. Once the requests are forwarded to the Appropriations Committee, it is then the responsibility of the committee to review the requests and determine the allocation of funds.
Each appropriations subcommittee sets its own deadline and guidelines for member offices to submit requests. As those deadlines approach, a list of the appropriations requests Grassley forwarded from Iowans to each subcommittee for fiscal 2011 will be shown here. The requests are broken down by subcommittee.
Armed Services (this is not an appropriations subcommittee, but this committee must authorize the Military Construction requests)
Financial Services and General Government
Labor, Health and Human Services and Education
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Technical Corrections
Fiscal 2010 Appropriations
To see a list of the appropriations requests Senator Grassley forwarded to each appropriations subcommittee for fiscal 2010, click the respective committee below. The requests are broken down by subcommittee. Larger subcommittees are further broken down based on the project location and which of Grassley's Iowa district offices services that location. Two of Grassley's Labor, Health and Human Services requests are authorized national programs that require an appropriation for continued funding.
Armed Services (Authorization for Military Construction Projects)
Commerce, Justice and Science
Defense
Labor, Health, and Human Services
*Cedar Rapids
State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development
*Waterloo
To see a list of Iowa projects funded in the Omnibus Appropriations Act for fiscal 2010, click here. The Defense Appropriations Bill has not been passed at this time.
Fiscal 2009 Appropriations
In November 2008, President Bush signed into law the Department of Defense, Military Construction and Homeland Security spending bills.
In March 2009, President Obama signed into law an omnibus appropriations bill that included projects in the nine remaining appropriations bills.
To see a list of Iowa projects funded in the fiscal 2009 appropriations bills, click here:
Iowa projects included in the final fiscal 2009 spending bills.
This list is not a complete compilation of all Iowa projects.
Fiscal 2008 Appropriations
On December 19, 2007, the Senate passed the fiscal 2008 Omnibus Appropriations Bill. This spending bill included 11 of the 12 annual appropriations bills.
Iowa Projects included in the final fiscal 2008 omnibus spending bill.
***DISCLAIMER: These figures may be subject to an across the board cut. This is a preliminary chart of projects for Iowa and the list may be subject to change.
Click here to tell Senator Grassley what you think about this issue.
December 1, 2011 - Grassley, Boxer win Senate approval of amendment to limit contractor salary reimbursement
November 21, 2011 - Grassley Comment on the Lack of an Agreement from the Super Committee
November 15, 2011 - Grassley Praises Restored Funding for U.S. Counternarcotics Programs
July 26, 2011 - More Than $200,000 to Iowa from U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
July 21, 2011 - Cut, Cap and Balance Act of 2011
July 20, 2011 - More Than $500,000 to Iowa Airports
July 14, 2011 - More Than $1.5 Million to Iowa
July 12, 2011 - More Than $5 Million to Dubuque Regional Airport
July 8, 2011 - $175,000 to the Iowa Department of Public Health
July 1, 2011 - More Than $200,000 to Iowa Nursing Schools
June 30, 2011 - More Than $3 Million to Cedar Rapids for Disaster Recovery
June 30, 2011 - More Than $150,000 to Iowa Airports
June 28, 2011 - More Than $120,000 to Iowa from the Department of Commerce
June 28, 2011 - More Than $4 Million to Iowa from FEMA
June 22, 2011 - Sioux City Fire Department to Receive $14,000
June 22, 2011 - $2,800 to the University of Iowa
June 21, 2011 - More Than $65,000 to Iowa Department of Transportation
June 20, 2011 - More Than $7 Million to Iowa Airports
June 16, 2011 - More Than $14 Million to Iowa from FEMA
June 13, 2011 - Nearly $3 Million to Benton County
June 7, 2011 - More Than $1 Million to Iowa
June 7, 2011 - More Than $7 Million to Iowa for Head Start Projects
June 7, 2011 - More Than $1 Million to Iowa from FEMA
June 6, 2011 - More Than $1 Million to Iowa Airports
June 2, 2011 - More Than $2 Million to Lu Verne for Wastewater Collection
June 1, 2011 - $830,000 to Alta from USDA
May 25, 2011 - Council Bluffs Fire Department to Receive More Than $70,000
May 17, 2011 - More Than $900,000 to University of Iowa
May 16, 2011 - Nearly $2 Million to Des Moines International Airport
May 16, 2011 - More Than $100,000 to the University of Iowa
April 19, 2011 - More Than $140,000 to Airports in Fairfield and Mason City
April 18, 2011 - More Than $1 Million to the University of Northern Iowa
April 14, 2011 - $100,000 to Iowa Utilities Board
April 11, 2011 - More Than $13 Million to Iowa from the U.S. Department of Transportation
April 11, 2011 - More Than $1 Million to Creston from FEMA
April 7, 2011 - $2 Million Loan to Grundy Electric Cooperative
April 7, 2011 - More Than $900,000 to University of Iowa
April 7, 2011 - More Than $300,000 to Iowa for Traffic Safety
April 6, 2011 - More Than $187,000 to Stanley Fire Department
April 1, 2011 - More Than $9,000 to AgriWellness
March 31, 2011 - Nearly $40,000 to Sioux City from Department of Commerce
March 30, 2011 - Iowa Fire Departments to Receive More Than $55,000
March 30, 2011 - More Than $300,000 to University of Iowa
March 24, 2011 - Nearly $400,000 to Iowa State University from the National Science Foundation
March 24, 2011 - More Than $23 Million to Iowa from FEMA
March 18, 2011 - More Than $350,000 to Iowa State University from the National Science Foundation
March 16, 2011 - Iowa Fire Departments to Receive More Than $500,000
March 16, 2011 - Nearly $70,000 to Iowa from The Department of Commerce
March 15, 2011 - More Than $1.7 Million to Iowa from USDA
March 14, 2011 - More Than $200,000 to Iowa Lakes Regional Water