The Appropriations Law Answer Book

Get the Complete Answers to Your Appropriations Law Questions

Scrutiny of the use of federal funds—and the people handling those funds—has never been greater. Yet federal personnel often don’t know all the rules. What might seem like a logical, efficient action could very well be illegal. Now, there is an easy-to-use, straightforward guide to help everyone involved with appropriated funds.

The Appropriations Law Answer Book: A Q&A Guide to Fiscal Law is the “go-to” resource for answers to fiscal law questions that arise in the federal workplace. This book condenses the content of the 2,000+ page Government Accountability Office’s Principles of Federal Appropriations Law (the “Redbook”), providing a pertinent and usable resource for everyone who has responsibility for federal funds. Arranged in question-and-answer format, this concise book covers the questions that most often surface in agencies. Subject area groupings make finding the right answer quick and clear. Coverage includes critical information on: • How to prevent violations of the Antideficiency Act • Obligation of appropriations • Intragovernmental transactions, grants and agreements • Nonappropriated fund instruments Even personnel with the purest of intentions can run afoul of the many laws, rules, regulations, and decisions that govern the proper use of government funds. Don’t be one of them. Get the resource you can trust: The Appropriations Law Answer Book. Plus! The book also includes a handy glossary. Contents Overview of Appropriations Law • Purpose • Time • Amount (The Antideficiency Act) • Obligation of Appropriations • Intragovernmental Transactions • Continuing Resolutions • Accountability and Liability of Individuals • Grants and Agreements • Nonappropriated Fund Instrumentalities • Can Your Agency Use Appropriated Funds for Meals and Light Refreshments? • Glossary About the Author William G. Arnold, CDFM-A, author of The Antideficiency Act Answer Book, Performance Budgeting—What Works, What Doesn’t, and The Prompt Payment Act Answer Book, worked with the Department of Defense for 34 years, over 25 of which he spent in financial management. He has held positions as budget officer, director of resource management, director of disbursing, and entitlements director with the Air Force and the Defense Finance and Accounting Service.