b'Next,andthisiswheretheprocessOnce Congress comes to a final agree- as citizens and as an industry make oftenbeginstobreakdown,the12ment, the bill(s) are sent to the Whiteour collective voices heard regarding Appropriations subcommittees in theHouse where the president can signthe expenditure of tax dollars and the House and Senate draft their own pro- and enact the legislation into law, orformulationofpolicy.Ifresources posals for allocating funds for the var- veto the legislation and send it back tofor the U.S. Coast Guard, Maritime ious departments and agencies. TheseCongress for amendment, or in rareAdministration,andothermarine draft bills are debated and amendedcircumstances, Congress can overriderelated agencies are important to us, andeventuallyvotedonincommit- the presidents veto. we must communicate that support tee before being reported to the fullto our elected leaders. PVA is doing House and Senate where they can beWhilethelegislativeprocesscanbethat and will continue to call on you debated and amended all over again. complicated, it is important that weto join us in raising awareness.In order for any billto become law, the House and the Senate have to agree to the same dollar amounts and directions on how to spend it. In order for any bill to become law, the House and the Senate have to agree to thesamedollaramountsanddirec-tions on how to spend it. If the two bodies pass different versions of a bill, a conference committee is formed to iron out the differences and negotiate a final version of the bill. When the conferencecommitteecomestoan agreement, the new version must be approved by the House and Senate.Sometimes,moreofteninrecent years, Congress finds it easier to roll all of the 12 annual appropriations into one enormous bill (omnibus) or roll a few together (minibus). When theycantcomeanagreementand thefiscaldeadlinenears,theycan passacontinuingresolution(CR) whichallowsthegovernmentto continue to operate on the previous years budget numbers.33 APRIL 2024'