Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of Congress
CRS Report for Congress
Received through the CRS Web
Order Code RS22144
May 12, 2005
“Fast Track” Congressional Consideration of
Recommendations of the Base Realignment
and Closure (BRAC) Commission
Christopher M. Davis
Analyst in American National Government
Government and Finance Division
Summary
The recommendations of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC)
Commission will automatically take effect unless, within a stated period after the
recommendations are submitted to the House and Senate, Congress adopts a joint
resolution of disapproval rejecting them in their entirety. Congressional consideration
of this disapproval resolution is not governed by the regular rules of the House and
Senate, but by special expedited or “fast track” procedures laid out in statute. This
report describes these expedited parliamentary procedures and explains how they differ
from the regular legislative processes of Congress. This report will be updated as
needed. See [http://www.crs.gov/products/browse/is-defense.shtml] for additional
information on military base closures.
BRAC Recommendations on “Fast Track”
In response to concern about the government’s inability to close unneeded military
facilities, Congress in 1988, and again in 1990, enacted statutory provisions establishing
a process intended to insulate base closings from the “political” considerations that are
part of the regular lawmaking process. Under this process, the recommendations of a
bipartisan Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission would be submitted to
Congress, and automatically take effect unless Congress passed legislation disapproving
them. To ensure that Congress could promptly act if it so chose, the statute created
special “fast track” or expedited legislative procedures laying out the terms for House and
Senate consideration of legislation striking down the BRAC Commission’s report. Such
“fact track” procedures governed congressional consideration of four previous rounds of
base closures and will govern consideration of the recommendations of the 2005 BRAC
Commission.
On or about May 16, 2005, the Department of Defense (DOD) is expected to send
to the BRAC Commission its recommendations of domestic military installations to be
closed or realigned. After reviewing them, the BRAC Commission is to, not later than
