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ADVANCE APPROPRIATIONS, ADVANCE FUNDING, AND FORWARD FUNDING FOR 1997 I. An advance appropriation is one made to become available one fiscal year or more beyond the fiscal year for which the appropriation act is passed. Advance appropriations in fiscal year 1997 appropriations acts will become available for programs in 1998 or beyond. Since these appropriations are not available until after fiscal year 1997, the amounts will not be included in fiscal year 1997 budget totals, but will be reflected in the budget totals for the fiscal year for which they are requested. The Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (31 U.S.C. 1105(a)(17)) requires inclusion in the budget of ‘‘information on estimates of appropriations for the fiscal year following the fiscal year for which the budget is submitted for grants, contracts, and other payments under each program for which there is an authorization of appropriations for that following fiscal year when the appropriations are authorized to be included in an appropriation law for the fiscal year before the fiscal year in which the appropriation is to be available for obligation.’’ In fulfillment of this requirement, the table below lists those accounts authorized to receive, in fiscal year 1997, advance appropriations for fiscal year 1998 and beyond and cites the authorizing statute. The listing is in two parts: Part A shows the amounts of advance appropriations included in the 1997 budget. Part B is a listing of accounts for which advance appropriations are authorized but not requested in the 1997 budget. A. Accounts for which advance appropriations are included in the 1997 budget: Department of Agriculture: Food stamp program (7 U.S.C. 2011–2027, 2029) $6,400 million for 1998. Department of Energy: Clean coal technology (42 U.S.C. 5901 et seq.) $313 million for 1998. Department of Health and Human Services: Grants to States for Medicaid (42 U.S.C., sec. 1396) $27,989 million for 1998. Payments to States for foster care and adoption assistance (P.L. 96–272) $1,111 million for 1998. Family support payments to States (42 U.S.C., secs. 601 and 651) $4,700 million for 1998. Low income home energy assistance programs (P.L. 97–35) $1,000 million for 1998. Department of State: Contributions to international organizations, $43 million for 1998, $43 million for 1999, $43 million for 2000, and $43 million for 2001. Contributions for international peacekeeping activities, $150 million for 1998, $150 million for 1999, $150 million for 2000, and $150 million for 2001. Social Security Administration: Special benefits for disabled coal miners (30 U.S.C., sec. 921) $160 million for 1998. Supplemental security income program (42 U.S.C., sec. 1381) $9,690 million for 1998. Corporation for Public Broadcasting: Public broadcasting fund, $240 million for 1998 and $275 million for 1999. B. Accounts authorized to receive advance appropriations but for which none are requested in the 1997 budget: Department of Agriculture: Food program administration (42 U.S.C., sec. 1752). Food donations program (P.L. 93–29, sec. 209). Child nutrition programs (42 U.S.C., sec. 1752). Department of Education. The following activities are authorized to receive advance appropriations (20 U.S.C. 1223 and 29 U.S.C. 703): 1 Education reform. Education for the disadvantaged. Impact aid. School improvement programs. Violent crime reduction programs. Indian education. Bilingual and immigrant education. Special education. American Printing House for the Blind. National Technical Institute for the Deaf. Gallaudet University. Rehabilitation services and disability research. Vocational and adult education. Student financial assistance. Federal family education loans. Federal direct student loan program. Higher education. Higher education facilities loans. College housing and academic facilities loans. Howard University. Historically black college and university capital financing program. Education research, statistics, and improvement. Libraries. Department of Health and Human Services: ACF service programs (P.L. 101–501, sec. 657, P.L. 89–73 as amended, sec. 209, P.L. 96–272). Department of Justice: Working capital fund (28 U.S.C. 527 note). 1 These statutes erroneously refer to ‘‘advance funding’’. Since these statutes describe and clearly intend to provide advance appropriations, the affected accounts are listed here. II. Advance funding is budget authority that is to be charged to the appropriation in the succeeding year but which authorizes obligations to be incurred in the last quarter of the fiscal year if necessary to meet higher than anticipated benefit payments in excess of the specific amount appropriated for the year. When such budget authority is used, an adjustment is made to increase the budget authority for the fiscal year in which it is used and to reduce the budget authority of the succeeding fiscal year. Essentially, this is a device for avoiding supplemental requests late in the fiscal year for certain programs, should the appropriations for the current year prove to be low. The table below lists those accounts for which advance funding authority is requested in the 1997 budget. Department of Labor: Special benefits. Black lung disability trust fund. Federal unemployment benefits and allowances. Department of Veterans Affairs: Veterans insurance and indemnities. Burial benefits and miscellaneous assistance. Readjustment benefits. III. Forward funding is budget authority that is made available for obligation beginning in the last quarter of the fiscal year for the financing of ongoing grant programs during the next succeeding fiscal year. The budget authority for such programs is included in the budget totals for the year in which it is appropriated. This device is often used for education programs, so that grants can be made on a school year basis. The language providing forward funding for education programs will specify that amounts appropriated, in 1127 1128 most but not all cases, will not be available until some time into the year of the appropriation (e.g., July 1, 1997) and in most cases will specify that such amounts will remain available until the end of the succeeding fiscal year. In other cases (e.g., Federal Pell grants), the funds become available on October 1st but are not normally obligated until July 1st or later and are available for obligation for an additional year. The table below lists those accounts for which forward funding exists or is requested in whole or in part in the 1997 budget. Department of Education: Education for the disadvantaged. School improvement programs. Education reform. Special education. Vocational and adult education. Indian education. Student financial assistance. THE BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 1997 Education, research, statistics, and improvement. Department of the Interior: Operation of Indian programs. In the training and employment area, forward funding provides appropriations for a program year that starts on July 1st of the fiscal year of the appropriation. Financing extends through June 30th of the following fiscal year. Program years are authorized for training programs under the Job Training Partnership Act, grants and activities under the School-toWork Opportunities Act, operation of the State Employment Service under section 6 of the Wagner-Peyser Act, and senior citizen employment programs under Title V of the Older Americans Act. The table below lists accounts for which forward funding is requested in the 1997 budget. Department of Labor: Training and employment services. Community service employment for older Americans. State unemployment insurance and employment service operations.