August 24, 2018 — Yesterday afternoon, the Senate voted in support of a $856.9 billion spending package (HR 6157) which combines the FY 2019 Defense and Labor-HHS-Education spending bills.
The measure contains $179.3 billion in base discretionary funding for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and Related Agencies, an increase of $2.2 billion above the FY 2018 level. This bill includes funding for the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS).
Please Note: The bill text and report language have yet to be released, but we do not anticipate any significant changes for CNCS from the previously passed Senate Appropriations Committee recommendations in June. We will send an update with the bill text and funding breakdown once they have been released.
Next Steps
The House has passed its version of the Defense bill but has yet to take up the Labor-H measure approved last month by the House Appropriations Committee. How Congress will enact final versions of one or both of the bills has yet to be determined.
The House is expected to take up the Labor H spending measure upon their return from the August recess. Once passed in the House, the respective spending bills would be reconciled in conference committee as there is $2 billion less in the House version of the Labor H bill. Once negotiations are completed, a final bill would be sent back to both chambers for a final vote and then to the President’s desk for signature.
There is a chance that the FY 2019 Labor H appropriations legislation could be on track to be passed ahead of the end of this fiscal year, September 30th. That would be a significant accomplishment.
We will keep you updated as this process moves forward.
–Tom Branen, Chief Policy Officer, ASC/S4S
