Once the House and Senate pass a budget resolution , which establishes a 302(a) spending allocation for each committee, including the Appropriations Committee, the Appropriations Committees in the House and Senate further divide their spending allocations among subcommittees. Currently, there are 12 Appropriations Subcommittees each in the House and Senate. These suballocations, called 302(b) suballocations, limit the total spending on each of the 12 appropriations bills and are enforced through points of order established in budget laws and the budget resolution. The 302(a) and 302(b) spending limits that Congress sets each year represent the two most crucial decision points in determining aggregate federal education funding for any given year.

In 2011, Congress passed and the president signed into law the Budget Control Act to increase the ceiling on the national debt. As part of that law, lawmakers also set annual limits on appropriations funding through 2021. Lawmakers must abide by these limits or any excess spending will be reduced proportionally through “sequestration,” across-the-board spending cuts. The appropriations limits included in the Budget Control Act make the 302(a) allocations in a budget resolution somewhat redundant, though lawmakers may adopt limits below those set in the Budget Control Act.

For fiscal year 2013, which begins on October 1, 2012, the House passed a budget resolution that set a 302(a) allocation of $1.028 trillion. The Senate has not passed a fiscal year 2013 budget resolution. However, a procedural move allowed the chamber to set a 302(a) allocation of $1.047 trillion for fiscal year 2013 in lieu of adopting a budget resolution. That limit is identical to the one set in the Budget Control Act of 2011.

The Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee has jurisdiction over spending for the Department of Education. For fiscal year 2013, the 302(b) allocation for the subcommittee in the House is $150.0 billion, which is $10.8 billion more than funding provided in fiscal year 2012. The Senate subcommittee 302(b) allocation is $157.7 billion, $3 million below enacted fiscal year 2012 funding. However, enacted funding for programs covered by the bill in fiscal year 2012 -- $156.8 billion -- was higher than the House fiscal year 2012 limit, $139.2 billion.

Customarily, the House considers appropriations acts first and then passes them on to the Senate for consideration. During the fall, the House-Senate conference committees meet to resolve the differences and agree on final versions of the Subcommittee bills which include individual program funding levels for the upcoming fiscal year. Appropriations bills can be passed individually or they may be combined into an omnibus appropriations measure. Congress must pass appropriations bills to fund discretionary spending programs by October 1st for the federal government to continue operation. If Congress fails to pass appropriations bills by October 1st, however, it can provide interim funding through a continuing resolution (CR).

Status and Timeline: Fiscal Year 2012 Education Appropriations

February 3, 2012: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) states to reporters that he does not intend to bring a fiscal year 2013 budget to the floor because the Budget Control Act has already established a fiscal year 2013 appropriations limit.

February 13, 2012: President Obama submits his fiscal year 2013 budget proposal to Congress. The budget maintains the $1.047 trillion appropriations limit set forth in the Budget Control Act of 2011. It increases spending for education programs from $68.1 billion in fiscal year 2012 to $69.8 billion in 2013.

March 29, 2012: The House of Representatives passes a fiscal year 2013 budget resolution that sets an appropriations limit of $1.028 billion, $19 billion lower than the limit set forth in the Budget Control Act.

March 20, 2012: Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee Kent Conrad (D-ND) files a deeming resolution that sets fiscal year 2013 302(a) allocation at $1.047 trillion – the level written into the Budget Control Act of 2011.

April 17, 2012: Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee Kent Conrad (D-ND) releases a fiscal year 2013 budget proposal aligned with the recommendations of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. The plan includes an appropriations limit of $1.041 trillion for fiscal year 2013, $6 billion below the Budget Control Act limit and the limit officially adopted by the Senate in March. Senator Conrad does not plan to hold a committee vote on the proposal.

April 19, 2012: The Senate Appropriations Committee votes to approve 302(b) subcommittee allocations for fiscal year 2013. The measure provides $157.7 billion for the Labor-Health and Human Services-Education Subcommittee, $3 million less than the fiscal year 2012 302(b) allocation.

April 25, 2012: The House Appropriations Committee releases proposed 302(b) suballocations for fiscal year 2013. The Labor-Health and Human Services-Education Subcommittee suballocation is $150.0 billion, $10.8 billion more than it received from the House in fiscal year 2012.