It's March Madness my Citizen Legislators and I’m not talking about the NCAA Men’s and Women’s basketball tournament. March Madness for those who work in politics are filling out and submitting FY 2024 appropriations requests, community project funding requests and congressionally directed spending requests.

Let me break this all down for you, my Citizen Legislators. House Republicans made several changes to the Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations process.

According to the House Appropriations Committee Fiscal Year 2024 Guidance, Members can submit programmatic, language, and project requests as follows:

Programmatic requests: Members may request specific funding levels for agencies and programs funded in the twelve appropriations bills.

Language requests: Members may request bill language or report language directing or encouraging specific actions by federal agencies.

Community Project Funding requests: Members may request funding for specific projects in their communities, so long as the projects have a federal nexus and meet other requirements established by federal law, House Rules, and the Committee to ensure only high quality projects are requested and funded.

Guidance for Community Project Funding is available here.

The Community Project Funding accounts list is available here.

A template for the Member Financial Disclosure Certification and Federal Nexus Statement is available here.

Cap on Overall Funding: The total amount for Community Project Funding in House appropriations bills will not exceed one half of one percent of discretionary spending.

Cap on Member Requests: Members may submit a maximum of 15 requests across bills.

Federal Nexus Requirement: In order to ensure a federal nexus exists for each funded project, the Committee will only fund projects that are tied to a federal authorization law. Members must include a written statement describing the federal nexus for each Community Project Funding request. Subcommittee guidance will include example language Members can use to make the required statement.

Ban on For-Profit Recipients: Project funding may not be directed to for-profit recipients. Members may request funding for State, local, or tribal governmental grantees and certain eligible non-profits, as allowed under federal law and subcommittee guidance.

House Appropriations Subcommittees not accepting community project funding requests: Defense; Financial Services and General Government: Labor, Health and Human Services, Education; Legislative Branch; and State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs.

Letters of Support: Provide letters of support from third-party(s) expressing support for the community project funding requests.

Fiscal Year 2024 House Appropriations Community Project Funding Eligible Accounts

Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies

Department of Agriculture–Farm Production and Conservation Programs

Natural Resources Conservation Service (Conservation Operations)

Department of Agriculture–Research, Education, and Economics

Agricultural Research Service (Buildings and Facilities)

Department of Agriculture–Rural Development

Rural Housing Service (Community Facilities)

Rural Utilities Service (ReConnect Program)

Rural Utilities Service (Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grants)

Rural Utilities Service (Rural Water and Waste Disposal Grants)

Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies

Department of Commerce

NIST—Scientific and Technical Research

NOAA—Coastal Zone Management

Department of Justice

COPS Technology and Equipment

Byrne Justice

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Safety, Security, and Mission Services

Energy and Water Development

Army Corps of Engineers...