House Files $1.1 Trillion Spending Package

Congress expected to vote this week on measure to fund government, averting another shutdown.

December 11, 2014

WASHINGTON – After some intense last minute wrangling and adjustments, the House Appropriations Committee unveiled the fiscal year 2015 Omnibus Appropriations bill late Tuesday night, providing discretionary funding for the current fiscal year to most federal government programs. Dubbed the “CRomnibus” (as the bill is part “Continuing Resolution” and part omnibus appropriations bill), the more than 1600-page spending package includes policy and funding directives for 11 of the 12 annual appropriations measures through September 30, 2015.  The 12th appropriations measure, funding the Department of Homeland Security, is also included in the package but is funded temporarily as a “continuing resolution” that will expire on February 27, 2015.

Unfortunately, the current measure does not include certain provisions that would have been helpful to the convenience store industry, specifically, legislation limiting the scope of the “menu labeling” rules that the Food and Drug Administration recently issued, and legislation that would prohibit online lotteries. NACS will strongly advocate for these issues in the next Congress.

The $1.1 trillion package is the result of weeks-long negotiations to avoid a government shutdown this week. It is expected to go to the House floor today. To avoid possible last-minute complications, Republican leaders will likely reach out to House Democrats for support, while simultaneously trying to restrain their conservative wing, which may try to oppose the package.  If the bill passes the House today, the goal is to have the Senate vote on the spending package on Friday, December 12. To give the bill enough time to make it through both chambers and get the President’s signature, the House will also have to pass a short continuing resolution in order to prevent a shutdown that will occur since current stopgap funding expires on December 11.  

Also this week, the Senate is expected to consider a $41.6 billion tax extenders package, which would provide a one-year retroactive extension of approximately 50 tax extenders. If passed, the legislation would allow businesses and individuals to claim the various tax incentives for 2014 on their tax returns due in 2015, though the provisions would expire again in less than one month.

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