On October 1, President Obama signed into law the Legislative Branch fiscal year 2010 appropriations bill (H.R. 2918, H. Rept. 111-265) which includes language providing one month of stopgap funding for the federal government. Fiscal year 2010 began on October 1. To date, Congress has only passed one of the twelve FY 2010 appropriations bills. As a result, a continuing resolution was needed to keep the Government functioning.

Funding for federal agencies will remain frozen at FY 2009 levels while the continuing resolution is in effect or until an agency’s FY ’10 budget bill is enacted. As in recent years, it is expected a number of continuing resolutions will be needed as Congress slowly works through the various appropriations bills.

The Legislative Branch conference report includes $439,801,000 in direct appropriations for salaries and expenses, at the Library of Congress. That amount includes allocations for the following programs and initiatives:

• $7,677,000 for the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program;
• $700,000 for the Global Legal Information Network;
• $7,315,000 for the digital collections and educational curricula program;
• $750,000 for the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission;
• $15,000,000 for the technology infrastructure improvements initiative;
• $250,000 to implement the new Civil Rights History Project Act;
• $2,213,000 for the Veterans Oral History program;

The conference agreement includes $50,000,000 for a newly created House Historic Buildings Revitalization Trust Fund. These funds are included to begin to address known major building requirements to repair and upgrade the historic icon buildings and facilities of the U.S. House of Representatives.