Reading Room Document

Effect of Appropriations for Other Agencies and Branches on the Authority to Continue Department of Justice Functions During the Lapse in the Department's Appropriations

Where Congress has provided appropriations for the legislative branch, the Department of Justice may continue to provide testimony at hearings and perform other services related to funded functions of the legislative branch during a lapse in funding for the Department, if the participation of the Department is necessary for the hearing or other funded function to be effective. Similarly, those functions of the Department o f Justice that are necessary to the effective execution of functions by an agency or department of government that has current fiscal year appropriations, such that a suspension of the Department's functions during a lapse in its own appropriations would prevent or significantly damage the execution of those funded functions, may continue during the Department's funding lapse. The OLC does not provide release dates for its opinions, so the release date listed is the date on which the opinion was authored. The original opinion is available at www.justice.gov/file/20141/download.

December 13, 1995