President Obama delivered his FY2017 budget proposal to Congress on February 9, officially kicking off this year's accelerated budget and appropriations cycle. With a bipartisan agreement already in place on topline spending levels, Congress arguably has its best hope in years for timely completion of the twelve annual spending bills, but an abbreviated legislative calendar and heightened partisanship this election year will continue to threaten this lofty goal.Congressional leaders, on a bicameral and bipartisan basis, have expressed a desire to move each of the spending bills individually and under regular order, avoiding another high-stakes fight over a year-end omnibus. Both Budget Committee Chairman [Tom Price (R-GA) and Mike Enzi (R-WY)] have indicated their intent to produce and shepherd budgets this year.As both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees have published their member request deadlines, interested parties should be engaging directly with champions in Congress now to ensure that deadlines are not missed.In addition, Budget Chairmen Price and Enzi are both interested in re-writing the 1974 Budget Act to reform the federal budget process-an agenda they intend to focus on after completing the FY2017 budget. Both chairmen are expected to release bills this spring. The House Budget Committee held two hearings on the subject in 2015 details of which can be found here and here.Appropriations DeadlinesNote, these deadlines are for members' submissions to the committee; most member offices will have internal deadlines for constituent submissions for the member's consideration two weeks or more in advance. http://appropriations.house.gov/legislation/memberinstructions.htmMarch 1HOUSE Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related AgenciesMarch 15 HOUSE Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related AgenciesHOUSE Energy and Water Development, and Related AgenciesSENATE Energy and Water Development, and Related AgenciesMarch 17HOUSE DefenseHOUSE Financial Service and General GovernmentHOUSE Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related AgenciesSENATE Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related AgenciesSENATE Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related AgenciesMarch 18SENATE Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related AgenciesSENATE DefenseSENATE Financial Service and General GovernmentSENATE Homeland SecuritySENATE Interior, Environment, and Related AgenciesSENATE Legislative BranchSENATE State, Foreign Operations, and Related AgenciesSENATE Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related AgenciesMarch 22HOUSE Interior, Environment, and Related AgenciesHOUSE Legislative BranchHOUSE State, Foreign Operations, and Related AgenciesMarch 23HOUSE Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related AgenciesHOUSE Homeland SecurityMarch 24SENATE Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies