WordNet
n. a legislative act proposing to authorize the expenditure of public funds for a specified purpose
Wikipedia
An appropriation bill or running bill or supply bill is a legislative motion ( bill) that authorizes the government to spend money. It is a bill that sets money aside for specific spending. In most democracies, approval of the legislature is necessary for the government to spend money.
In a Westminster parliamentary system, the defeat of an appropriation bill in a parliamentary vote generally necessitates either the resignation of a government or the calling of a general election. One of the more famous examples of the defeat of a supply bill was the 1975 Australian constitutional crisis, when the Senate, which was controlled by the opposition, refused to approve a package of appropriation and loan bills, prompting Governor-General Sir John Kerr to dismiss Prime Minister Gough Whitlam and appoint Malcolm Fraser as caretaker Prime Minister until the next election (where the Fraser government was elected).
Usage examples of "appropriation bill".
It was an appropriation bill for the Middle Counties Improvement Project - the last of the must' bills for which the session had been called - but pasted to it, as a rider, was Ditworth's bill in its original, most damnable form!
The watchmen were caught off guard when Sumner introduced an amendment to an appropriation bill which enabled him to deliver a carefully prepared address, several hours in length, calling for the repeal of the law.
By the end of the meeting, the President instructed Jules Wilson to follow through and make sure the new EncryptionLok-3s got on the classified portion of the pending Defense Appropriation Bill.
It was the largest appropriation bill ever passed by Congress, which less than five weeks before had cut two hundred millions out of a guided-missile-space-exploration budget.
There had been barely a squeak from Congress over the supplemental appropriation bill.
Lodge had cleverly used La Follette's genuine objection to the leasing bill in order to postpone altogether the vote on the appropriation bill.
Just kiss Governor Gleason's ass until he agrees to veto that land appropriation bill.
Gleason's ass until he agrees to veto that land appropriation bill.