On March 23, 2024, President Biden signed a second package of final FY 2023–2024 appropriations bills, otherwise known as the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024. The legislation ends the budget and spending cycle for fiscal year 2024. The first package of appropriations bills passed on March 8, and this overall budget will apply for the rest of the federal fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2024.  

Federal government agencies and programs have been operating on a series of Continuing Resolutions (CRs) since October 2023, which has kept agency and program funding at the same levels compared to the 2022–2023 budget. 

The current budget contains two separate pieces of legislation (one bill contained funding for six federal agencies on March 8, and the latest one on March 22 contained funding for the other six agencies). Congress passed individual appropriation bills by appropriate committees of jurisdiction pertaining to each federal agency and its programs, rather than an overall “omnibus” budget bill.  

While the final 2023–2024 funding negotiations were taking place in March, President Biden submitted the White House’s Proposed 2024–2025 Federal Budget, which is required by law to be sent to Congress by March. Please see this NBCC article on that action.  

The Biden administration’s budget request for fiscal year 2024–2025 serves as a starting point for congressional federal budget negotiations. Congress has until September 30, 2024, to finalize a 2024–2025 federal budget.        

Several behavioral health provisions were contained in both the March 8 and March 22 congressional 2023–2024 budget actions. Read more about them here. NBCC will be monitoring developments on funding opportunities for counselors through the implementation of these programs.