HR5870-119

What This Bill Does

The Prevent Government Shutdowns Act adds automatic continuing appropriations to title 31. When a program, project, or activity had funding in a preceding applicable appropriations Act, lacks a current full-year appropriation, and no continuing appropriation is in effect, the bill automatically appropriates sums necessary at the prior rate and under prior authorities and conditions. Each automatic funding period lasts 14 calendar days and renews for another 14 days if the lapse continues. Entitlements, other mandatory payments with prior appropriations, and Food and Nutrition Act activities are funded at rates needed to maintain current-law program levels. Spending is charged back to the eventual appropriation when enacted. The bill preserves apportionment law except for timing limits, bars high initial distributions and grant awards that would intrude on final appropriations decisions, and requires only the most limited funding action needed to continue operations. A separate section tries to pressure timely appropriations by restricting official travel by OMB officers or employees, Members of Congress, and congressional staff during covered automatic continuing appropriation periods, with exceptions for return travel to Washington, local National Capital Region travel, and national security continuity events. It also restricts campaign funds for official travel during covered periods, limits congressional floor business mainly to appropriations, quorum, debt-limit matters, certain high-level nominations after 30 days, and expiring authorizations, bars recesses or adjournments longer than 23 hours, requires daily Senate quorum checks, and requires two-thirds votes for waivers longer than seven days. The budget section instructs scorekeepers to estimate the bill like discretionary appropriations, treat section 1311 resources as part-year continuing appropriations, and delay required sequestration reports until 30 days after a lapse begins if needed.

Who Benefits and How

Federal employees and contractors benefit indirectly because automatic continuing appropriations reduce shutdown-driven interruptions in agency operations and payroll-dependent work. Beneficiaries of mandatory payments and Food and Nutrition Act activities benefit because those programs are funded at rates needed to maintain current-law levels during lapses. Federal agencies benefit because programs with prior-year funding can keep operating in renewable 14-day increments instead of stopping immediately. Members of the public relying on federal services benefit from continuity for programs, projects, and activities funded in the preceding applicable appropriation. Congressional appropriations work benefits from procedural pressure that keeps floor business focused on appropriations and related necessities during automatic funding periods.

Who Bears the Burden and How

OMB apportionment staff and agency budget officers must administer automatic funding, charge expenditures to later appropriations, and limit funding actions to the minimum needed for continuity. Federal grantees, States, foreign countries, and other recipients of front-loaded distributions may face delayed or reduced initial payments because high initial rates and new grants are limited. Members of Congress, OMB officials, and covered congressional staff face official travel restrictions during covered automatic continuing appropriation periods. Federal officeholders cannot use campaign contributions or donations for official travel during covered periods except for return travel to Washington. House and Senate floor managers face limits on what business can be considered, adjournment or recess length, and waiver procedures while appropriations remain unresolved. CBO, OMB, and budget enforcement staff must apply special discretionary scoring, baseline, spending-limit, and sequestration-report timing rules.

Key Provisions

• Establishes automatic continuing appropriations for eligible programs, projects, and activities when regular appropriations lapse.
• Provides 14-day funding periods that renew every 14 days while the lapse continues.
• Requires mandatory payments and Food and Nutrition Act activities to continue at rates necessary to maintain current-law program levels.
• Limits high initial distributions and new grant awards that would intrude on final appropriations decisions.
• Restricts official travel by OMB officers, Members of Congress, and congressional staff during covered automatic continuing appropriation periods.
• Restricts campaign-funded official travel, limits congressional floor business, bars long recesses or adjournments, requires daily Senate quorum checks, and requires two-thirds votes for extended waivers.
• Provides budget scoring, baseline, discretionary spending-limit, and sequestration-report timing rules for the automatic appropriations authority.