Principles Of Federal Appropriations Law

Get the Complete Answers to Your Appropriations Law Questions Scrutiny of the use of federal funds—and the people handling those funds—has never been greater. Yet federal personnel often don't know all the rules. What might seem like a logical, efficient action could very well be illegal. Now, there is an easy-to-use, straightforward guide to help everyone involved with appropriated funds. The Appropriations Law Answer Book: A Q&A Guide to Fiscal Law is the “go-to” resource for answers to fiscal law questions that arise in the federal workplace. This book condenses the content of the 2,000+ page Government Accountability Office's Principles of Federal Appropriations Law (the “Redbook”), providing a pertinent and usable resource for everyone who has responsibility for federal funds. Arranged in question-and-answer format, this concise book covers the questions that most often surface in agencies. Subject area groupings make finding the right answer quick and clear. Coverage includes critical information on: • How to prevent violations of the Antideficiency Act • Obligation of appropriations • Intragovernmental transactions, grants and agreements • Nonappropriated fund instruments Even personnel with the purest of intentions can run afoul of the many laws, rules, regulations, and decisions that govern the proper use of government funds. Don't be one of them. Get the resource you can trust: The Appropriations Law Answer Book. Plus! The book also includes a handy glossary. Contents Overview of Appropriations Law • Purpose • Time • Amount (The Antideficiency Act) • Obligation of Appropriations • Intragovernmental Transactions • Continuing Resolutions • Accountability and Liability of Individuals • Grants and Agreements • Nonappropriated Fund Instrumentalities • Can Your Agency Use Appropriated Funds for Meals and Light Refreshments? • Glossary About the Author William G. Arnold, CDFM-A, author of The Antideficiency Act Answer Book, Performance Budgeting—What Works, What Doesn't, and The Prompt Payment Act Answer Book, worked with the Department of Defense for 34 years, over 25 of which he spent in financial management. He has held positions as budget officer, director of resource management, director of disbursing, and entitlements director with the Air Force and the Defense Finance and Accounting Service.

The federal budget impacts American policies both at home and abroad, and recent concern over the exploding budgetary deficit has experts calling our nation's policies "unsustainable" and "system-dooming." As the deficit continues to grow, will America be fully able to fund its priorities, such as an effective military and looking after its aging population? In this third edition of his classic book The Federal Budget, Allen Schick examines how surpluses projected during the final years of the Clinton presidency turned into oversized deficits under George W. Bush. In his detailed analysis of the politics and practices surrounding the federal budget, Schick addresses issues such as the collapse of the congressional budgetary process and the threat posed by the termination of discretionary spending caps. This edition updates and expands his assessment of the long-term budgetary outlook, and it concludes with a look at how the nation's deficit will affect America now and in the future. "A clear explanation of the federal budget... [Allen Schick] has captured the politics of federal budgeting from the original lofty goals to the stark realities of today."—Pete V. Domenici, U.S. Senate

What would Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Lincoln, the Roosevelts, Truman, and Eisenhower have done about today's federal debt crisis? America's Fiscal Constitution tells the remarkable story of fiscal heroes who imposed clear limits on the use of federal debt, limits that for two centuries were part of an unwritten constitution. Those national leaders borrowed only for extraordinary purposes and relied on well-defined budget practices to balance federal spending and revenues. That traditional fiscal constitution collapsed in 2001. Afterward -- for the first time in history -- federal elected officials cut taxes during war, funded permanent new programs entirely with debt, grew dependent on foreign creditors, and claimed that the economy could not thrive without routine federal borrowing. For most of the nation's history, conservatives fought to restrain the growth of government by insisting that new programs be paid for with taxation, while progressives sought to preserve opportunities for people on the way up by balancing budgets. Virtually all mainstream politicians recognized that excessive debt could jeopardize private investment and national independence. With original scholarship and the benefit of experience in finance and public service, Bill White dispels common budget myths and distills practical lessons from the nation's five previous spikes in debt. America's Fiscal Constitution offers an objective and hopeful guide for people trying to make sense of the nation's current, most severe, debt crisis and its impact on their lives and our future.

A basic reference document for persons interested in the federal budget-making process. Emphasizes budget terms in addition to relevant economic and accounting terms to help the user appreciate the dynamics of the budget process. Also distinguishes between any differences in budgetary and non-budgetary meanings of terms. Over 300 terms defined. Index. Appendices: overview of the federal budget process, budget functional classification, and more.