House and Senate Appropriations Committees Approve Subcommittee Allocations
Legislative Update
April 26, 2012
On April 25, the House Appropriations Committee approved its 302(b) allocations, which lay out the overall funding level that each subcommittee has for the programs under their jurisdictions(see chart below). The Senate Appropriations Committee had approved its allocations last week. The 302(b) allocations allow each subcommittee to begin marking up its respective appropriations bill.
The House allocation sets the funding level for the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Subcommittee (LHHS), which includes the National Institute of Health (NIH), at $150 billion, which is $6.3 billion, or 4 percent, below the FY2012 enacted level. The Senate allocation for LHHS was set at $157.7 billion, which is $1.4 billion, or 0.9 percent, over the FY2012 level.
The House bill sets overall spending for FY2013 at $1.028 trillion, which is $19 billion below the spending levels mandated by the Budget Control Act (BCA), which was passed last year. The Senates overall spending is set at the level established by the BCA, $1.047 trillion.
Prior to the Appropriations Committees approving allocations, both the House and Senate LHHS Subcommittees held hearings with NIH Director Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D. on March 20 and March 28, respectively. NAEVR submitted written testimony to the file of the Senate hearing and testified at the March 29 House Subcommittees Public Witness hearing.
