The first section of this report provides an overview of the consideration of FY2016 legislative branch appropriations, with subsections covering each action, including the initial submission of the request on February 2, 2015; hearings held by the House and Senate Legislative Branch Subcommittees; the House subcommittee markup on April 23, 2015; the House Appropriations Committee markup on April 30, 2015; adoption of 302(b) suballocations; consideration of a structured rule in the House Rules Committee on May 18, 2015 ( H.Res. 271 ); consideration and passage of H.R. 2250 in the House on May 19, 2015; the Senate Appropriations Committee reporting the bill, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute, on June 11, 2015 ( S.Rept. 114-64 ); the enactment of continuing resolutions (CRs) including a CR funding the legislative branch from October 1 through December 11, 2015 ( P.L. 114-53 ); a second CR, which extended funding through December 16, 2015 ( P.L. 114-96 ); and a third CR enacted on December 16, 2015 ( P.L. 114-100 ); and the enactment of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016, on December 18, 2015 ( P.L. 114-113 ). It is followed by a section on prior year actions and funding, which contains historical tables. The report then addresses the FY2016 budget requests, hearings, and requested administrative language or other major funding issues for individual legislative branch agencies and entities. Finally, Table 5 through Table 9 list enacted funding levels for FY2015 and requested, House-passed, Senate-reported, and enacted levels for FY2016, while the Appendix lists House, Senate, and conference bills and reports; public law numbers; and enactment dates since FY1998. The Budget for Fiscal Year 2016 was submitted on February 2, 2015. It contains a request for $4.528 billion in new budget authority for legislative branch activities. By law, the legislative branch request is submitted to the President and included in the budget without change. A budget amendment was transmitted by the President to Congress on April 14, 2015, also without change. The amendment decreased the overall Senate request by $2.5 million, with smaller decreases for the two joint offices with funding disbursed by the Secretary of the Senate. Table 2 lists the dates of hearings of the legislative branch subcommittees in 2015. Prepared statements of witnesses were posted on the subcommittee websites. On April 23, 2015, the House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Legislative Branch held a markup of the FY2016 bill. The subcommittee recommended $3.341 billion, not including Senate items. No amendments were offered. On April 30, 2015, the House Appropriations Committee held a markup of the FY2016 bill. At $3.341 billion (not including Senate items, which are determined by the Senate), the bill would have provided the same level of funding as in FY2015. Three amendments were adopted, all by voice vote, including a manager's amendment which addressed report language related to committee room renovations, encouraging the Capitol Police to relax enforcement of sledding restriction on Capitol Hill, and communications and coordination between the Capitol Police and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority and other first responders; an amendment offered to the report by Representative Wasserman Schultz directing the House Chief Administrative Officer to establish a House Technology Task Force, which is to identify opportunities to enhance coordination of information technology efforts; and an amendment offered by Representative Fortenberry increasing funding for the Open World Leadership Center by $4.7 million, offset by a reduction to the Capitol Power Plant. The amendment would also insert language limiting any funds supporting Russian participants to those "engaging in free market development, humanitarian activities, and civic engagement, and ... not ... officials of the central government of Russia." Additional amendments, one defeated and two withdrawn, included an amendment offered by Representative Wasserman Schultz directing the House Chief Administrative Officer to issue a solicitation for, and select, a food services contractor who provides a livable wage. The amendment was defeated, 21 yeas and 29 nays; an amendment offered and withdrawn by Representative Quigley related to the publication of a list of nonconfidential CRS products; and an amendment offered and withdrawn by Representative Honda related to the Office of Compliance and reports on discrimination based on sex and gender identification. The bill was ordered reported by voice vote ( H.R. 2250 , H.Rept. 114-110 ). After allocation of a total spending ceiling (referred to as a 302(a) allocation), the House and Senate Appropriations Committees generally consider separate budget allocations for their subcommittees, including the legislative branch. These suballocations (referred to as 302(b) suballocations) include discretionary and mandatory funds. This process is derived from the Congressional Budget Act of 1974. Total levels are established by the House and Senate budget resolutions, and they may be influenced by additional legislation (e.g., the Budget Control Act of 2011, P.L. 112-25 ; and Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, P.L. 114-74 ). The House Appropriations Committee met to mark up its proposed suballocations on April 22, 2015. A motion to amend the suballocations was defeated 20-29, and the committee approved them by voice vote. In its Report on the Suballocation of Budget Allocations for Fiscal Year 2016 ( H.Rept. 114-97 ), issued April 29, the House Appropriations Committee indicated that it has allocated $4.435 billion in total budget authority for the legislative branch, including $4.300 billion in discretionary spending and $135 million in mandatory spending. This is equivalent to 0.4% of "general purpose" (i.e., not including "Global War on Terror") discretionary spending, and 0.2% of total (all discretionary and mandatory) spending allocated to the House Appropriations Committee subcommittees. In its May 21, 2015, report, Allocation to Subcommittees of Budget Totals from the Concurrent Resolution for Fiscal Year 2016 , the Senate Appropriations Committee indicated that it had allocated $4.444 billion in total budget authority for the legislative branch, including $4.309 billion in discretionary spending ($9.0 million more than the House allocation) and $135 million in mandatory spending (equivalent to the House allocation). A Senate report with revised suballocations was issued on December 18, 2015, and showed a new suballocation of $4.363 billion in nonsecurity discretionary budget authority for the legislative branch ( S.Rept. 114-197 ). The House Rules Committee met on May 18, to discuss a structured rule for H.R. 2250 . Of the 22 amendments proposed (including two withdrawn and three submitted after the deadline), the rule made in order three. The committee had two related roll call votes: 1. The committee voted, 4-8, not to make in order and provide the appropriate waivers for an amendment (#20, offered by Representative Polis) related to food services contractors. 2. The committee voted, 9-4, to report the rule ( H.Res. 271 , H.Rept. 114-120 ). H.Res. 271 was agreed to in the House (242-179) the next day. H.R. 2250 was debated in the House on May 19. The House considered three amendments, including 1. an amendment offered by Representative Ratcliffe ( H.Amdt. 239 ) eliminating funding for Open World, and transferring the $5.7 million provided in the House-reported bill to the spending reduction account, which was agreed to (224-199); 2. an amendment offered by Representative Flores ( H.Amdt. 240 ) prohibiting any funds for delivering printed copies of the Congressional Pictorial Directory, which was agreed to (voice vote); and 3. an amendment offered by Representative Blackburn ( H.Amdt. 241 ) providing for a 1% across-the-board reduction—with exceptions for the Capitol Police, "Architect of the Capitol—Capitol Police Buildings, Grounds and Security," and funding for the House Office of the Sergeant at Arms—which was not agreed to (172-250). The bill, as amended, was agreed to (357-67). The Senate Appropriations Committee met on June 11, 2015, to mark up H.R. 2250 . The Senate-reported version of the bill would have provided $4.309 billion. Senator Schatz, the ranking Member of the subcommittee, offered an amendment based on alternative 302(b) funding allocations. The amendment was not agreed to (14-16). A "Managers' package" was adopted by unanimous consent. The package included an amendment to the report adding, under the Office of Compliance heading, language directing the office to develop a pilot project with the Library of Congress to make the office's administrative dispute resolution process available to Library employees. An interim report is due to the committee by December 1, 2015. The amendment was offered by Senator Blunt, who also serves as the chair of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and the Joint Committee on the Library. The committee favorably reported the bill, as amended, 27-3. A continuing resolution (CR) funded the legislative branch from October 1 through December 11, 2015 ( P.L. 114-53 ). On December 10, 2015, the Senate amended the legislative branch bill ( S.Amdt. 2922 to H.R. 2250 ) to delete the text of that bill and insert language extending the CR through December 16. The amended bill was renamed the Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2016 ( S.Amdt. 2923 ), and it did not contain any other provisions or anomalies related to the legislative branch.