Authorization Definition - How Federal Agencies are Born

Did you ever wonder how a federal program or agency came into being? Or why they theres a battle every year over whether they should receive taxpayer money for their operations? The answer is in the federal authorization process. An authorization is defined as a piece of  legislation that establishes or continues one or  more federal agencies or programs, according to the government. An authorization bill that become law either creates a new agency or program and then allows for it to be funded by taxpayer money. An authorization bill typically sets how much money those agencies and programs get, and how they should spend the money.   Authorization bills can create both permanent and temporary programs. Examples of permanent programs are Social Security and Medicare, which are often referred to as  entitlement programs.  Other programs that are not statutorily provided for on a permanent basis are funded annually or every few years as part of the appropriations process. So the creation of federal programs and agencies happens through the authorization process. And the existence of those programs and agencies is perpetuated through the appropriations process. Heres a closer look at the authorization process and the appropriation process.   Authorization Definition   Congress and the president establish programs through the authorization process. Congressional committees with jurisdiction over specific subject areas write the legislation. The term â€Å"authorization† is used because this type of legislation authorizes the expenditure of funds from the federal budget. An authorization may specify how much money should be spent on a program, but it does not actually set aside the money. The allocation of taxpayer money happens during the appropriations process. Many programs are authorized for a specific amount of time. The committees are supposed to review the programs before their expiration to determine how well they are working and whether they should continue to receive funding. Congress has, on occasion, created programs without funding them. In one of the most high-profile examples, the  Ã¢â‚¬Å"No Child Left Behind† education bill  passed during the George W. Bush administration was an authorization bill that established a number of programs to improve the nation’s schools. It did not, however, say the federal  government  would  definitely spend money on the programs. An authorization bill is rather like a necessary hunting license for an appropriation rather than a guarantee, writes  Auburn University political scientist Paul Johnson.  No appropriation can be made for an unauthorized program, but even an authorized program may still die or be unable to perform all its assigned functions for lack of a sufficiently large appropriation of funds. Appropriations Definition In appropriations bills, Congress and the president state the amount of money that will be spent on federal programs during the next fiscal year.   In general, the appropriations process addresses the discretionary portion of the budget – spending ranging from national defense to food safety to education to federal employee salaries, but excludes mandatory spending, such as Medicare and Social Security, which is spent automatically according to formulas, says the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. There are 12 appropriations subcommittees in each house of Congress. They are divided among broad subject areas and each writes an annual appropriations measure. The 12 appropriations subcommittees in the House and Senate are: Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related AgenciesCommerce, Justice, Science, and Related AgenciesDefenseEnergy and Water DevelopmentFinancial Services and General GovernmentHomeland SecurityInterior, Environment, and Related AgenciesLabor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related AgenciesLegislative BranchMilitary Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related AgenciesState, Foreign Operations, and Related ProgramsTransportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Sometimes programs dont get the necessary funding during the appropriations process even though theyve been authorized.  In perhaps the most glaring example, critics of the â€Å"No Child Left Behind† education law  say that while Congress and the Bush administration created the program in the authorization process, they never adequately sought to fund them through the appropriations process.   It is possible for Congress and the president to authorize a program but not to follow through with funding for it. Problems With the Authorization and Appropriations System There are a couple of problems with the authorization and appropriations  process. First, Congress has failed to review and reauthorize many programs. But  it also has not let those programs expire. The House and Senate simply waive their rules and set aside money for the programs anyway. Second, the difference between authorizations and appropriations confuses most voters. Most people assume that if a program is created by the federal government  it is also funded. Thats wrong.   [This article was updated in July 2016 by U.S. Politics Expert Tom Murse.]

A Biography Of Frida Kahlo - 1414 Words

Hayden Herrera’s book Frida, A Biography of Frida Kahlo (1983) writes with engrossing detail the life story of the famous Mexican painter Frida Kahlo known for her folk art with vibrant colors and elements of surrealism. Herrera captivates her audience by telling the challenging journey and the various important obstacles Kahlo had to face throughout her entire life during the twentieth-century. Herrera explains how Kahlo’s various masterpieces have been shaped by her life circumstances and experiences like her childhood in Mexico City during the Mexican Revolution; the traumatic accident when she was a young girl that left her incapacitated and unable to bear children; her turbulent marriage with muralist Diego Rivera and love affairs;†¦show more content†¦Kahlo began to paint in while she was recuperating from the devastating accident she faced when she was merely eighteen years old that would change her life forever. The accident occurred when a trolley cras hed in to the small wooden bus she was riding in. The accident which nearly killed her, left Kahlo partially invalid which including three broken places to her spinal column, a broken collarbone, two broken ribs, three broken places to her pelvis, eleven fractures in her right leg, a crushed and dislocated right foot, and a dislocated shoulder. A steal rod also impaled her in the uterus exiting through her vagina leaving her unable to bear children. Due to this event Kahlo stated, â€Å"I lost my virginity† (Herrera, 49). Herrera explains that many of Kahlo’s supporters view her tragic accident as if it were Kahlo’s destiny. Kahlo was destined to endure a long life of pain and anguish in order to create the unusual, morbidly unique works of art. Kahlo was compelled to wear a full cast that cover a third of her body; wrapping from her chest down to her feet. Her painting started on her body cast which began her journey through the world of art. She abandoned her studies of medicine because of her immobilization and gave up her medical career to fulfill her career as a painter instead. Kahlo’s first greatest paintings begin during this time, My Grandparents, My Parents and I (1936).

How to Live a Greener Lifestyle free essay sample

More people have paid attention to sustainable environment. This essay will introduce how to live a greener life which can be applied by each person living on earth. The behavior of greener lifestyle includes food, clothing, living and transports. These 4 parts also regarded as 4 basic need of human. First, food and clothes make a great difference for both saving source and reducing waste. Food can be divided into 2 parts vegetable and meat, once meat is produced, at the same time, animals have spent air, land, and especially much water, which means meat uses more resources than vegetable, so person should limit the frequency of eating meat. As for apparel, modern media always spread what fashion is, however, what does fashion teach the public? Fashion tells people to stay â€Å"fresh†, which encourage consumers to buy more clothes than they need. In order to follow fashion, trendsetter and the consumer could never stop shopping each year and each season. We will write a custom essay sample on How to Live a Greener Lifestyle or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Almost everything in fashion is cyclical, a dress which has been owned would become â€Å"out† in a short time. A greener lifestyle bans buying clothes if you do not need. Second, the choice of where you are living is a factor to greener lifestyle. People who are looking forward to bigger house are not living a green life. Because the bigger living space is, the more resources must be used to adjust the temperature. The habit of using heating equipment or air-condition is common in daily life, living in a small space can both save money and energy. The last part that a greener lifestyle asks for is transport. Citizens should decrease using private car, what a greener life is taking public transport such as subway, bus or train as much as possible, in this way, each private car owner would save his part which spends oil and release toxic gas. After following these step above, people all around the earth would live a greener lifestyle. Eating more vegetables, buying clothes sanely, not pursuing bigger house and taking public transport are easy to perform.