HJ 136 RDS
all obligations or expenditures incurred for any program,
project, or activity during the period for which funds or
authority for such project or activity are available under
this title of this joint resolution.
SEC. 206. Unless otherwise provided for in this title
of this joint resolution or in the applicable appropriations
Act, appropriations and funds made available and author-
ity granted pursuant to this title of this title of this joint
resolution shall be available until (a) enactment into law
of an appropriation for any project or activity provided
for in this title of this joint resolution, or (b) the enact-
ment into law of the applicable appropriations Act by both
Houses without any provision for such project or activity,
or (c) January 3, 1996, whichever first occurs.
SEC. 207. Notwithstanding any other provision of
this title of this joint resolution, except section 206, none
of the funds appropriated under this title of this joint reso-
lution shall be expended for any abortion except where the
life of the mother would be endangered if the fetus were
carried to term or where the pregnancy is the result of
an act of rape or incest.
SEC. 208. Expenditures made pursuant to this title
of this joint resolution shall be charged to the applicable
appropriation, fund, or authorization whenever a bill in
HJ 136 RDS
which such applicable appropriation, fund, or authoriza-
tion is contained is enacted into law.
SEC. 209. No provision in the appropriations Act for
the fiscal year 1996 referred to in section 201 of this title
of this joint resolution that makes the availability of any
appropriation provided therein dependent upon the enact-
ment of additional authorizing or other legislation shall
be effective before the date set forth in section 206(c) of
this joint resolution.
SEC. 210. Appropriations and funds made available
by or authority granted pursuant to this title of this joint
resolution may be used without regard to the time limita-
tions for submission and approval of apportionments set
forth in section 1513 of title 31, United States Code, but
nothing herein shall be construed to waive any other provi-
sion of law governing the apportionment of funds.
SEC. 211. Notwithstanding any other provision of
this title of this joint resolution, except section 206, when-
ever the Act listed in section 201 as passed by both the
House and Senate as of the date of enactment of this joint
resolution, does not include funding for an ongoing project
or activity for which there is a budget request, or whenever
the rate for operations for an ongoing project or activity
provided by section 201 for which there is a budget re-
quest would result in the project or activity being signifi-
HJ 136 RDS
cantly reduced, the pertinent project or activity may be
continued under the authority and conditions provided in
the applicable appropriations Act for the fiscal year 1995
by increasing the rate for operations provided by section
201 to a rate for operations not to exceed one that pro-
vides the minimal level that would enable existing activi-
ties to continue. No new contracts or grants shall be
awarded in excess of an amount that bears the same ratio
to the rate for operations provided by this section as the
number of days covered by this resolution bears to 366.
For the purposes of this title of this joint resolution the
minimal level means a rate for operations that is reduced
from the current rate by 25 percent.
SEC. 212. Notwithstanding any other provision of
this title of this joint resolution, except section 206, when-
ever the rate for operations for any continuing project or
activity provided by section 201 or section 211 for which
there is a budget request would result in a furlough of
Government employees, that rate for operations may be
increased to the minimum level that would enable the fur-
lough to be avoided. No new contracts or grants shall be
awarded in excess of an amount that bears the same ratio
to the rate for operations provided by this section as the
number of days covered by this resolution bears to 366.
HJ 136 RDS
SEC. 213. Notwithstanding any other provision of
this title of this joint resolution, except sections 206, 211,
and 212, for those programs that had high initial rates
of operation or complete distribution of funding at the be-
ginning of the fiscal year in fiscal year 1995 because of
distributions of funding to States, foreign countries,
grantees, or others, similar distributions of funds for fiscal
year 1996 shall not be made and no grants shall be award-
ed for such programs funded by this title of this resolution
that would impinge on final funding prerogatives.
SEC. 214. This title of this joint resolution shall be
implemented so that only the most limited funding action
of that permitted in this title of this resolution shall be
taken in order to provide for continuation of projects and
activities.
SEC. 215. The provisions of section 132 of the Dis-
trict of Columbia Appropriations Act, 1988, Public Law
100–202, shall not apply for this title of this joint resolu-
tion.
SEC. 216. Notwithstanding any other provision of
this title of this joint resolution, except section 206, none
of the funds appropriated under this title of this joint reso-
lution shall be used to implement or enforce any system
of registration of unmarried, cohabiting couples whether
they are homosexual, lesbian, heterosexual, including but
HJ 136 RDS
not limited to registration for the purpose of extending
employment, health, or governmental benefits to such cou-
ples on the same basis that such benefits are extended to
legally married couples; nor shall any funds made available
pursuant to any provision of this title of this joint resolu-
tion otherwise be used to implement or enforce D.C. Act
9–188, signed by the Mayor of the District of Columbia
on April 15, 1992.
TITLE III
VETERANS AFFAIRS
The following sums are hereby appropriated, out of
any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated,
and out of applicable corporate or other revenues, receipts,
and funds, for the several departments, agencies, corpora-
tions and other organizational units of Government for the
fiscal year 1996, and for other purposes, namely:
SEC. 301. ENSURED PAYMENT DURING FISCAL YEAR 1996
OF VETERANS’ BENEFITS IN EVENT OF LACK
OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) PAYMENTS REQUIRED.—In any case during fiscal
year 1996 in which appropriations are not otherwise avail-
able for programs, projects, and activities of the Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs, the Secretary of Veterans Af-
fairs shall nevertheless ensure that—
HJ 136 RDS
(1) payments of existing veterans benefits are
made in accordance with regular procedures and
schedules and in accordance with eligibility require-
ments for such benefits; and
(2) payments to contractors of the Veterans
Health Administration of the Department of Veter-
ans Affairs are made when due in the case of serv-
ices provided that directly relate to patient health
and safety.
(b) FUNDING.—There is hereby appropriated such
sums as may be necessary for the payments pursuant to
subsection (a), including such amounts as may be nec-
essary for the costs of administration of such payments.
(c) CHARGING
OF ACCOUNTS WHEN APPROPRIA-
TIONS MADE.—In any case in which the Secretary uses
the authority of subsection (a) to make payments, applica-
ble accounts shall be charged for amounts so paid, and
for the costs of administration of such payments, when
regular appropriations become available for those pur-
poses.
(d) EXISTING BENEFITS SPECIFIED.—For purposes
of this section, existing veterans benefits are benefits
under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Af-
fairs that have been adjudicated and authorized for pay-
ment as of—
HJ 136 RDS
(1) December 15, 1995; or
(2) if appropriations for such benefits are avail-
able (other than pursuant to subsection (b)) after
December 15, 1995, the last day on which appro-
priations for payment of such benefits are available
(other than pursuant to subsection (b)).
SEC. 302. Section 301 shall cease to be effective on
January 3, 1996.
Passed the House of Representatives December 22,
1995.
Attest:
ROBIN H. CARLE,
Clerk.
HJ 136 RDS——2