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Rep Kaptur: Northern Ohio Priorities Reflected in House-Passed Appropriations Package

June 25, 2019

Includes provisions championed by Rep. Kaptur, including additional $2 million for Harmful Algal Bloom research

WASHINGTON — Today, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09) released the following statement after the House passed H.R. 3055, an Appropriations package totaling $383.3 billion in discretionary spending that consists of five Fiscal Year 2020 funding bills, Commerce-Justice-Science, Agriculture-Rural Development-FDA, Interior-Environment, Military Construction-Veterans Affairs, and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development.

"Families across Northern Ohio understand the importance of making investments in our families and in our communities, so that every person has a better chance at a better life," said Rep. Kaptur. "In the House, we have turned back the Trump Administration's proposed dramatic and short-sighted cuts to programs that empower and improve the lives of hardworking Americans. I'm pleased to support this bill to grow our economy, create American jobs, protect our environment, repair our infrastructure, strengthen healthcare, and set Northern Ohio communities up for success."

Below are a number of Northern Ohio priorities included in H.R. 3055:

Combating Harmful Algal Blooms in Lake Erie

  • National Centers for Coastal Oceans Science — $22 million for harmful algal bloom research, which accounts for a $2 million increase provided by an amendment Rep. Kaptur secured during floor consideration. (Kaptur request)

Investing in NASA Research & Innovation

  • $700 million for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration account that supports the critical work of the NASA Glenn Facility in Northern Ohio.
    • In addition, the bill provides key investments in Solar Electric Propulsion, the Regional Economic Development Program and Electric Air Flight research. These include human space flight and key research priorities at Glenn supporting American innovation.

Protecting Our Environment, Natural & Cultural Heritage

  • Environmental Protection Agency — $9.52 billion, $3.42 billion above the President's budget request
    • Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds — $3.11 billion, $1.13 billion above the President's Budget Request
  • Great Lakes Restoration Initiative — $320 million, rejecting President Trump's elimination request.
  • National Park Service — $3.38 billion for operations, preservation, & funds for 500 new park staff, $649 million above the President's budget request
    • Historic Preservation Fund — $122 million, including funds for State & Tribal Historic Preservation Offices, Save America's Treasures grants, civil rights site preservation grants, & grants to Historically Black Colleges & Universities
  • $167.5 million each for the National Endowment for the Arts & the National Endowment for the Humanities

Invests in Ohio Transportation

  • $54 million for highways and transit in Ohio

Guaranteeing an Accurate 2020 Census

  • Census Bureau — $8.45 billion for the Census Bureau, including a strong increase to enable the Bureau to conduct a thorough and accurate 2020 Decennial Census, includes key provisions that prevent the politization of the census.

Creating Jobs & Supporting Economic Growth

  • Infrastructure — $61 billion from dedicated trust funds through the Transportation-HUD bill
  • Rural Broadband — investing $680 million in expansion of rural broadband service to provide economic development opportunities & improved education & healthcare services
  • National Science Foundation — $8.6 billion ($561 million above FY19) for innovation & research on advanced manufacturing, mathematics, cybersecurity, neuroscience, & STEM education
  • Economic Development Administration — $540 million, including $17 million for a new program to assist communities with nuclear power plants to diversify their economic base, and empower these communities to take advantage of the specialized infrastructure surrounding civilian nuclear power plants. †

Fighting Hunger

  • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — $71.1 billion in required mandatory spending for SNAP. This includes $5 billion for the SNAP reserve fund
  • Summer Food Service Program — $552 million to ensure low-income children continue to receive nutritious meals when school is not in session
  • Child Nutrition Programs— $24 billion, $873 million above fiscal year 2019 enacted level
  • Women, Infants, & Children (WIC) — $6 billion
  • Office of Urban Agriculture — $5 million

Expanding Access to Housing

  • $3.6 billion in Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), up from $3.3 billion in FY 2019 †
  • $803 million in new Section 202 Housing Construction for the elderly
  • Blocks the administration's public housing rule change on undocumented immigrants in affordable housing, threatening the housing of 55,000 children who are citizens or legal residents
  • Tenant-based Rental Assistance — $23.8 billion, $1.6 billion above the President's budget request
    • $40 million for HUD/VA Supportive Housing for Homeless Veterans†
  • Public Housing Capital Fund — $2.9 billion†
  • Rural Housing Loans & Rental Assistance — $24 billion for the Single-Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program & $1.37 billion in rental assistance for low-income families & the elderly in rural communities

Caring For Our Veterans

  • Veterans Affairs — $217.5 billion in both discretionary and mandatory funding, which is $20.3 billion more than the FY2019 level.
  • VA Medical Care — $80.4 billion providing for approximately seven million patients to be treated in fiscal year 2020.
  • Mental Health Programs — $9.4 billion for mental health programs, an $8 million increase
  • Suicide Prevention — $222 million to combat the growing challenges of PTSD and other veteran mental health challenges, including through suicide prevention outreach, an increase of $26 million
  • Opioid Abuse Prevention — $397 million for opioid abuse prevention, an increase of $10 million
  • PTSD Research — $40 million for the National Center on PTSD
  • Medical and Prosthetic Research — $840 million for VA medical and prosthetic research, $61 million more than FY 2019
  • Disability Claims Processing Backlog — $3 billion to reduce the disability claims backlog to ensure adequate compensation & care for the more than 450,000 veterans still wading through VA bureaucracy.
  • Drug Pricing Report: directs VA to submit a report to the Appropriations Committee on prescription drug prices paid by VA for the ten most frequently prescribed drugs and then highest-cost drugs for VA. In addition, the report should include total annual costs to VA for all prescription drugs. (Kaptur lead)

† Indicates a program that was listed in the President's 2020 budget proposal as de-funded or eliminated