CONGRESSMAN JOE MORELLE VOTES TO PASS SECOND APPROPRIATIONS PACKAGE THAT INVESTS IN OUR COMMUNITIES

Investments help fight the opioid epidemic, protect our natural resources, support our veterans, and improve our nation's infrastructure

(Rochester, NY) – Today, Congressman Joe Morelle joined House colleagues in passing the second Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 appropriations package, H.R. 3055. This package includes funding for Commerce, Justice, and Science, Agriculture, Interior, Military, and Transportation departments that invest in the needs of our communities.

"These investments demonstrate our continued commitment to supporting the needs of local communities across the country," said Rep. Morelle. "I am especially pleased that this package makes significant strides to combat the opioid epidemic, protect clean air and water, and bolster our crumbling infrastructure. It also includes essential funding for programs under the Violence Against Women Act that support survivors of domestic and sexual assault, marking an effort to prevent a repeat of the funding lapse that occurred last year during the President's government shutdown."

Highlights of this appropriations package include:

Strengthening Resources for Women and LGBTQ community

• $582.5 million for Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) programming, $85 million above the FY 2019 enacted level, to ensure programs receive the funding they need on-time and prevent the lapse that occurred during the Trump shutdown.
• Prohibits Department of Housing and Urban Development from repealing the Equal Access Rule that protects LGBTQ individuals utilizing housing services.

Fighting the Opioid Epidemic

• $501 million for initiatives addressing the opioid epidemic, $33 million over the FY 2019 level, including:
• $100 million for youth mentoring grants.
• $25 million for treatment courts serving veterans.
• $159 million for Comprehensive Addition and Recovery Act grants to assist state and local governments in combatting the opioid crisis.

Protecting Clean Air and Water

• Doubles funding for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Title IX National Oceans and Coastal Security Fund to $60 million to protect coastal areas threatened by rising sea levels.
• $9.5 billion for the Environmental Protection Agency - $3.3 billion above the President's budget request.
• $1.8 billion for Clean Water State Revolving Fund, requiring at least 10% of funds be used for green infrastructure or energy efficiency projects.
• $523.9 million for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, supporting thousands of state and local projects.

Bolstering Food and Nutrition Programs

• $71.1 billion in mandatory spending for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which will fully fund the program through 2020.
• $24 billion in mandatory funding for child nutrition programs, including funding for free school lunches and summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) programs.

Supporting our Veterans

• $94.3 billion in discretionary funding for Veterans Affairs (VA) programs - $7.7 billion more than the current enacted level.
• $80.4 billion for VA medical care, including $9.5 billion for mental health services, $1.9 billion for homelessness assistance initiatives, and $222 million for suicide prevention research.

Investing in Infrastructure

• $540 million for the Economic Development Administration, an increase of 78%, providing a strong base of funding for our nation's infrastructure needs.
• Over $680 million for the expansion of broadband service to rural communities.
• $61 billion in budgetary resources for infrastructure development from dedicated trust funds like the Highway Trust Fund and Airport and Airway Trust Fund.
• $1 billion in discretionary funding for the National Infrastructure Investment Program BUILD (formerly known as TIGER), proving grants to state and local governments for regional infrastructure projects.

Reforming our Criminal Justice System

• $75 million, as authorized under the First Step Act, to expand opportunities for incarcerated individuals and reduce recidivism.

Keeping Illegal Guns Off Our Streets

• $1.44 billion for Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), an increase of $122 million (9.3%) to provide agents with more resources to keep illegal firearms out of the hands of criminals.

HR 3055 marks the second appropriations package for FY 2020 taken up by the House.

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