Kaptur Points to Major Victories for Northern Ohio in Budget Deal
NASA Glenn, Toledo Courthouse, Prescription Drug Pricing, Renewable Energy & Weatherization, Perkins Student Loans, Asian Carp & Open Lake Dumping Measures Headline Critical Funding Efforts
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-9) heralded news today that a series of her top priorities have been included in the recently released Fiscal Year 2016 bipartisan budget deal. These priority items include $95.4 million for modernization of Toledo’s Ashley Federal Courthouse building and the addition of an attached annex, full funding for NASA’s Glenn Research Center, action on prescription drug prices and bulk bidding, and measures to block the advance of Asian carp and the practice of open lake dumping of dredged materials, among others.
NASA Glenn
NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Brook Park, OH and Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, OH are set to receive full funding and possible additional funding for FY2016. The overall NASA budget was increased by $1.3 billion to $19.3 billion. Space Technology, one of the key categories that funds NASA Glenn, will receive $686.5 million, $61.5 million more than the proposed House budget and $86.5 million more than the proposed Senate budget. Aeronautics will also receive $640 million.
Congresswoman Kaptur: “NASA’s Glenn Research Center and its Plum Brook Station are two of the most vital NASA facilities in the country. The work done there is vital not only to our region’s economy and resource security, but also to the global future of space technology and exploration. The breakthrough technologies they are working on, such as photovoltaic solar propulsion systems, will be the future of space exploration and will enable humans to travel farther in space than even John Glenn could have imagined.
“In addition to their work at the cutting edge of solar propulsion, and the central role Plum Brook is playing in testing the Orion European Space Module, Glenn is also working with other agencies to provide vitally important satellite monitoring of Lake Erie’s Harmful Algal Blooms. Thanks to their work, we have better early warning systems, more detailed data, and a greater understanding of the causes and development of these blooms. These are all reasons why I have been at the forefront of the fight to keep funding for NASA Glenn in place. I would like to thank my colleagues in both houses of Congress for standing with me to support this facility, which houses some of America’s most innovative and forward-thinking scientists.”
Full funding for NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Brook Park, OH and Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, OH had been cast into doubt in recent months after it was learned that the Senate version of the budget bill contained a re-allocation that would have jeopardized funding for NASA Glenn. No such cuts were contained in the House budget bill, as full support for NASA facilities in Northern Ohio has been a longstanding priority for Congresswoman Kaptur.
Toledo’s Ashley Courthouse
After years of advocating for a new federal courthouse in Toledo,earlier this year Rep. Kaptur joined with other members of the Ohio Congressional delegation to send a letter to President Barack Obama requesting funding for the construction of an annex and renovations of the historic James M. Ashley and Thomas W.L. Ashley United States Courthouse. That funding request has been met in full in this Appropriations bill.
Congresswoman Kaptur: “Despite facing significant budgetary constraints this year, Toledo’s historic Ashley Courthouse is now on track for improvements that address major security and space concerns. This long overdue funding is welcome news for the many judges, court employees and other professionals who work at the courthouse and for all the people of Northern Ohio. I look forward to seeing this project finally become a reality.”
Prescription Drug Affordability
Congresswoman secured language in the budget deal that directs the Department of Health and Human Services Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), to “review how the Federal Government has achieved competitive cost reductions for [prescription] drugs since 2001.” The analysis will be used to identify possible cost savings available through the expansion of collective bidding and bulk price negotiation.
Congresswoman Kaptur:“Prescription drug prices continue to skyrocket, forcing seniors and our most vulnerable citizens to choose between their health and their financial security. Constituents regularly describe the prices of their medication going from affordable to unmanageable. In many cases, people depend on these medications to stay healthy or just to survive, leaving them with no choice but to pay no matter the cost. As a result, sudden price jumps for certain medications cause serious hardship for patients and cost taxpayers, Medicare, Medicaid and the VA billions of dollars every year. This study will help us better understand those price jumps and the tools available to us to address them.”
Earlier this year Rep. Kaptur helped launch the House Affordable Drug Pricing Task Force to push for meaningful action to address skyrocketing or predatory prescription drug prices.
Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency
As Ranking Member of the Energy and Water Subcommittee, Congresswoman Kaptur negotiated a $415 million increase for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy programs. Notably, the increase included $7.4 million for offshore wind alternate designs, ensuring the continued development of the Cleveland-based Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation (LEEDCo) project.
Congresswoman Kaptur:“Northern Ohio has long served as a hub for renewable energy development in our state. LEEDCo is playing a leading role in that effort, developing offshore wind energy and moving our region and America closer to energy independence. Renewable energy is the future of the world’s energy economy and already supports tens of thousands of good jobs in our state. This budget allocation continues to affirm Northern Ohio’s leading role in that energy future.”
The bill also provides an additional $21 million for Weatherization Assistance grants to states to improve the energy efficiency of the homes of low-income families. Earlier this year, Rep. Kaptur congratulated LEEDCo for earning a commitment for this allocation from the Department of Energy and her efforts insured they remained a part of the final budget package.
Perkins Student Financial Assistance
After Rep. Kaptur criticized Republicans earlier this year for failing to renew funding for the popular Perkins student loan initiative, funding for Carl D. Perkins Act Programs is now set to receive $1.67 billion, a significant increase above even the requested funding level.
Congresswoman Kaptur:“Perkins loans play an important role in making higher education affordable for our best and brightest students. Putting our resources toward educating these young people, whether in career or in technical education, provides us with a competitive, qualified workforce and a generation of citizens who are more capable of supporting themselves and their families.”
Asian Carp
The deal also includes language instructing the Corps to prevent the advance of Asian carp into the Great Lakesincluding an enhanced deterrent at Brandon Road Lock and Dam and the establishment of formal emergency procedures to prevent Asian Carp from passing beyond Brandon Road. Rep. Kaptur has called repeatedly for significant measures to block the advance of Asian carp toward Lake Erie and recently demanded a much stronger federal response to this threat looming over our lake.
Congresswoman Kaptur: Today, after years of research, our government can’t even tell us how many Asian carp are moving in and where they are now. We need an immediate strong response to block this species that is already at our doorstep. The Corps must act with greater urgency to implement this interim solution while we continue to work toward full hydrologic separation, the only permanent barrier.”
Open Lake Dumping
Under the terms of the budget deal and accompanying report, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would be prohibited from dumping dredged materials into Lake Erie. Rep. Kaptur introduced this language earlier this year to block the Corps from performing open lake disposal in Lake Erie.
Congresswoman Kaptur: “Lake Erie is a precious freshwater resource that provides drinking water, jobs and livelihoods for millions of people. This bill provides more than enough funding to fully and safely dredge Cleveland harbor. The language in this bill sends a clear message that the Corps cannot be cavalier in their approach, but rather must work with the state and local officials to find an environmentally sound solution to disposing of this material.”
Additional funding addressing Rep. Kaptur’s budget priorities
(This list is not exhaustive and only includes some of the Congresswoman’s many priority accomplishments in the bipartisan budget agreement.)
· Additional $75 million for Pre-Disaster Mitigation ($100 million total)
· Additional $90 million for Flood Mapping ($190 million total)
· Additional $2 billion in funding for National Institutes of Health over FY2015 level
· Additional $160 million for Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency (SAMHSA) ($3.8 billion total)
· Additional $400 million for Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) competitive grants
· Continued funding for $3.4 billion for Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
· Additional $415 million for Energy Efficiency and Renewable energy
· Removed troublesome Waters of the US language that would have hindered efforts to clean Lake Erie and all waterways
· Reauthorized the Land and Water Conservation Fund
· $100 million for law enforcement activities associated with the 2016 presidential nominating conventions including $50 million for Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio
· $221 million for Commodity Supplemental Food Program
· $16.5 million for Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program
· $220 million for Entrepreneurial Development Programs for small businesses
· $2 million for Financial Services and General Government, Community Development Revolving Loan Fund
· $245 million for Office of National Drug Control Policy High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas
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