The first section of this report provides an overview of the consideration of FY2017 judiciary appropriations, with subsections covering each major action, including the initial submission of the request on February 9, 2016; hearings held by the House and Senate Financial Services Subcommittees; the House subcommittee markup on May 25, 2016; the House Appropriations Committee markup on June 9, 2016; the Senate subcommittee markup on June 15, 2016; the Senate Appropriations Committee markup on June 16, 2016; House floor consideration of H.R. 5485 on July 5, July 6, and July 7, 2016; and the continuing resolutions and the enactment of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017, on May 5, 2017. The status is summarized in Table 1 . This overview is followed by a section on prior-year actions and funding. The report then provides an overview of judiciary accounts. The Budget for Fiscal Year 2017 was submitted on February 9, 2016. It contains a request for $7.58 billion in new budget authority for judicial branch activities, including $6.99 billion in discretionary funds and $0.59 billion in mandatory funding for judges' salaries and benefits. By law, the judicial branch request is submitted to the President and included in the budget submission without change. Neither the House nor Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Financial Services held hearings on the FY2017 judicial branch budget request. The House subcommittee announced that it would accept programmatic and language submissions from Members through March 17, 2016. On May 25, the House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government held a markup of the FY2017 Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) bill. The subcommittee recommended $7.55 billion in funds for the judiciary, including mandatory funds for judges' salaries and benefits as required under current law. On June 9, 2016, the House Appropriations Committee held a markup of the FY2017 FSGG bill. The committee recommended $7.55 billion in funds for the judiciary, including mandatory funds for judges' salaries and benefits as required under current law. The bill was ordered reported by a vote of 30-18 ( H.R. 5485 , H.Rept. 114-624 ). No amendments were offered related to the judiciary. On June 15, the Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government held a markup of the FY2017 FSGG bill. The subcommittee recommended $7.58 billion in funds for the judiciary, including mandatory funds for judges' salaries and benefits as required under current law. On June 16, 2016, the Senate Appropriations Committee held a markup of the FY2017 FSGG bill. The committee recommended $7.58 billion in funds for the judiciary, including mandatory funds for judges' salaries and benefits as required under current law. The bill was ordered reported by a vote of 30-0 ( S. 3067 , S.Rept. 114-280 ). No amendments were offered related to the judiciary. On July 5, the House agreed to a structured rule ( H.Res. 794 , H.Rept. 114-639 ) for consideration of the Financial Services and General Government bill ( H.R. 5485 ). One amendment (#60) related to the judiciary was made in order. The amendment would reduce funding to the Salaries and Expenses Account under the Courts of Appeals, District Courts, and other Judicial Services heading by $1 million. On July 7, amendment #60 was offered as part of en bloc amendment ( H.Amdt. 1246 ), and was passed by voice vote. H.R. 5485 , as amended, was agreed to on July 7, with a vote of 239-185 (Roll no. 398). No further action was taken on H.R. 5485 or S. 3067 prior to the start of FY2017 on October 1, 2016. Judicial branch activities were funded through continuing appropriations resolutions ( P.L. 114-223 , P.L. 114-254 , and P.L. 115-30 ) until the enactment of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 ( P.L. 115-31 ). Division E of this act provides $7.5 billion for the judiciary, an increase of $176.2 million (2.4%) from FY2016 and $63.0 million (-0.8%) less than the request. FY2016 judiciary funding was provided in Division E, Title 3, of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 ( P.L. 114-113 ), which was enacted on December 18, 2015. The $7.344 billion provided by the act represented an increase of $73.9 million (1.0%) from FY2015 and was $184.1 million (-2.5%) less than the judiciary's request. FY2015 judiciary funding was provided in Division E, Title 3, of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 ( P.L. 113-235 ), which was enacted on December 16, 2014. The $7.261 billion provided by the act represented an increase of $221.9 million (3.2%) from FY2014 and was $37.9 million (-0.5%) less than the judiciary's request. Neither a Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill nor a continuing appropriations resolution (CR) containing FY2014 funding was enacted prior to the beginning of the fiscal year on October 1, 2013. A funding gap, which resulted in a partial government shutdown, ensued for 16 days. The funding gap was terminated by the enactment of a CR ( P.L. 113-46 ) on October 17, 2013. The CR provided funding through January 15, 2014. Following enactment of a temporary continuing resolution on January 15, 2014 ( P.L. 113-73 ), a consolidated appropriations bill was enacted on January 17 ( P.L. 113-76 ), providing $7.039 billion for the judiciary for FY2014. Appropriations for the judiciary comprise approximately 0.2% of total budget authority. Two accounts that fund the Supreme Court (the salaries and expenses of the Court and the expenditures for the care of its building and grounds, which are the responsibility of the Architect of the Capitol) together total approximately 1% of the total judiciary budget. The rest of the judiciary's budget provides funding for the lower federal courts and related judicial services. The largest account, approximately 72% of the total FY2017 enacted level, is the Salaries and Expenses account for the U.S. Courts of Appeals, District Courts, and Other Judicial Services. This covers the "salaries of circuit and district judges (including judges of the territorial courts of the United States), justices and judges retired from office or from regular active service, judges of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, bankruptcy judges, magistrate judges, and all other officers and employees of the federal judiciary not otherwise specifically provided for," and "necessary expenses of the courts." Two other large accounts provide funds for Defender Services (13.9%) and Court Security (7.5%). The remaining judiciary budget is divided among the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (0.4% of FY2016 enacted), U.S. Court of International Trade (0.3%), Fees of Jurors and Commissioners (0.5%), Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (1.2%), Federal Judicial Center (0.4%), U.S. Sentencing Commission (0.2%), and Judicial Retirement Funds (2.1%). Three specialized courts within the federal court system are not funded under the judiciary budget: the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (funded in the Department of Defense appropriations bill), the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (funded in the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies appropriations bill), and the U.S. Tax Court (funded under Independent Agencies, Title V, of the FSGG bill). Federal courthouse construction is funded within the General Services Administration account under Independent Agencies, Title V, of the FSGG bill. The judiciary uses non-appropriated funds to help offset its funding requirements. The majority of these non-appropriated funds are from fee collections, primarily court filing fees. These monies are used to offset expenses within the Salaries and Expenses accounts of Courts of Appeals, District Courts, and Other Judicial Services. Some of these funds may be carried forward from one year to the next. These funds are considered "unencumbered" because they result from savings from the judiciary's financial plan in areas where budgeted costs did not materialize. According to the judiciary, such savings are usually not under its control (e.g., the judiciary has no control over the confirmation rate of Article III judges and must make its best estimate on the needed funds to budget for judgeships, rent costs, and technology funding for certain programs). The budget request and appropriations figures presented here reflect the net resources for the judiciary, and do not include these offsetting non-appropriated funds. The judiciary also has "encumbered" funds—no-year authority funds appropriated for specific purposes. These are used when planned expenses are delayed, from one year to the next (e.g., costs associated with office space delivery, and certain technology needs and projects). The judiciary continues its cost-containment efforts begun over a decade ago. Specific areas of focus include office space rental, personnel expenses, information technology, and operating costs. In a press release accompanying the submission of the FY2017 budget, Judge Julia S. Gibbons, chair of the Budget Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States, stressed the results and ongoing efforts of the judiciary's formal cost-containment initiatives, which began in 2004.