Appropriations acts carry legislative directions beyond mere fund listings

Evidence

Nor does their power derive merely from the allotment of funds. An appropriations act is not simply a listing of sums; it usually embodies a series of legislative directions. These may be trivial in nature; thus a recent agricultural appropriations act provided that, with certain exceptions, “no part of the funds appropriated by this Act shall be expended in the purchase of twine manufactured from commodities or materials purchased outside of the United States.” — Henry M. Hart, Jr. and Albert M. Sacks, The Legal Process, 2577

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Appropriations committees hold a standing veto over policies Congress has already enacted — Henry M. Hart, Jr. and Albert M. Sacks, The Legal Process: Basic Problems in…, 2571; Detailed statutes force legislatures into future amendment burdens that interpretation could carry — Henry M. Hart, Jr. and Albert M. Sacks, The Legal Process: Basic Problems in…, 3894; State law required legislative-segregated funds for any land appropriation — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the…, 894

Broader Connections

• Detailed statutes force legislatures into future amendment burdens that interpretation could carry #expands (0.75) — Henry M. Hart, Jr. and Albert M. Sacks, The Legal Process, 3894