Contract Authority in the United States
Contract Authority in the Federal Budget Process
Meaning of Contract Authority in the congressional and executive budget processes (GAO source): Budget authority that permits an agency to incur obligations in advance of appropriations, including collections sufficient to liquidate the obligation or receipts. Contract authority is unfunded, and a subsequent appropriation or offsetting collection is needed to liquidate the obligations. The Food and Forage Act (41 U.S.C. § 11) and the Price Anderson Act (42 U.S.C. § 2210) are examples of such authority. (See also Backdoor Authority/Backdoor Spending.)
Guide to U.S. Federal Forms of Budget Authority (Budget Process)
- Forms of Budget Authority
- Appropriations
- Borrowing Authority
- Contract Authority
- Offsetting Receipts and Collections
Resources
See Also
- Federal Appropriations
- Entries about the United States Budget Process in the Encyclopedia (including Contract Authority)
- Public Debt
Further Reading
- Legislatures and the budget process: the myth of fiscal control
(J Wehner, 2010)
- Reconcilable Differences?: Congress, the Budget Process, and the Deficit (JB Gilmour, 1990)
- Fiscal institutions and fiscal performance
(JM Poterba, J von Hagen, 2008)