Course Overview
This 3-day, instructor-led course is designed for program managers, accountants, budget analysts, auditors, purchase card holders, approving managers, contracting officers, certifying officers and attorneys that work for the federal government. Topics include:
- Basics of appropriations law
- Determining the legal availability of appropriations
- Legal obligation of funds
- Ensuring correct fund sources are charged for obligations and the correct course of action when funds need to be transferred or reprogrammed.
- Avoiding a negative audit or congressional report, violations of the Antideficiency Act (ADA) and spending personal money to correct errors
Schedule
Federal Appropriations Law Training
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Course Outline
Introduction
- Nature of Appropriations Law
- Congressional “Power of the Purse”
- “Life Cycle” of an Appropriation
- The Government Accountability Office (GAO): legal decisions
- Cases
The Legal Framework
- Appropriations and related terminology
- Some basic concepts
- Relationship of appropriations to other types of legislation
- Determining Congressional intent
- Cases
Agency Regulations and Administrative Discretion
- Agency regulations
- Agency administrative interpretations
- Administrative discretion
- Cases
Availability of Appropriations: Purpose
- DoD’s three types of acquisitions
- General principles
- The “Necessary Expense” doctrine
- Specific purpose authorities and limitations
- Cases
Availability of Appropriations: Time
- Period of availability
- Three phases in the life cycle of appropriations
- General principles — duration of appropriations
- The “bona fide needs” rule
- Advance payments
- Disposition of appropriation balance
- Effect of litigation (and bid protests) on period of availability
Availability of Appropriations — Amount
- Types of appropriation language
- The Antideficiency Act
- Supplemental and deficiency appropriations
- Augmentation of appropriations
- Cases
Obligation of Appropriations
- Criteria for recording obligations
- Continent liabilities
- Reporting requirements
- Deobligation
- Cases
Continuing Resolutions
- Rate for operations
- Projects or activities
- Cases
Liability and Relief of Accountable Officers
- General principles
- Physical loss or deficiency
- Illegal or improper payments
- Statutory provisions and who can grant relief for improper payments
- Statute of limitations
- Procedures
- Collection action
- Restitution, reimbursement, and restoration
- Cases
FAQs
Who should take this training?
This course is intended for Program Managers, Accountants, Budget Analysts, Auditors, Purchase Card Holders, Approving Managers, Contracting Officers, Certifying Officers, and Attorneys working in the federal government.
