Press Releases
House Passes Appropriations Funding Bill Including New Hampshire Priorities**Funding will support: military members, workforce development and technical training, the opioid epidemic, LIHEAP, Community Health Centers**
Washington, DC,
September 26, 2018
Today, Congresswoman Annie Kuster (NH-02) voted in favor of a bipartisan appropriations bill that funds important priorities for New Hampshire families, and will help to bolster the response to the opioid epidemic. The legislation provides robust funding for community health centers, the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), and workforce development and technical training programs. It will now head to the President’s desk for his signature. “This appropriations bill represents an investment in the future of our state and nation,” said Kuster. “It prioritizes our men and women in uniform by giving them a well-deserved pay increase. It also provides critical funding to take on the opioid epidemic and expand medical research into chronic diseases like Alzheimer’s and cancer. I’ve worked to expand workforce development, apprenticeships, and vocational training and I’m pleased that we’ve been able to include resources for the Department of Education. “Today, we also were able to provide funding for LIHEAP which supports the most vulnerable people in our state. I’m proud that the appropriation bill includes resources to take on the military sexual assault by funding a study into the issue of collateral misconduct.” Defense Appropriations Pay Increase The bill provides a 2.6 percent pay increase to America’s soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines. Congress provides our troops a yearly pay increase and this increase is the largest since 2010. Addressing Sexual Violence The bill provides an increase of $1 million to support the first-ever study of its kind into the impact of “collateral misconduct” in addressing sexual assault in the military, a funding increase advocated for by Kuster. Collateral misconduct is misconduct that is discovered during the investigation of a sexual assault. Often minor, the Defense Department’s own policy considers this to be a significant barrier to addressing sexual assault in the military. Addressing Sexual Violence The bill provides a modest increase of $1 million to support the first-ever study of its kind into the impact of “collateral misconduct” in addressing sexual assault in the military. Collateral misconduct is misconduct that is discovered during the investigation of a sexual assault. Often minor, the Defense Department’s own policy considers this to be a significant barrier to addressing sexual assault in the military. The bill includes $1.3 billion in funding for Reserve and National Guard forces to purchases needed equipment that supports their overseas and domestic operations, such as disaster response. Counter-Drug The bill provides funding for the Department’s counter-drug program which supports federal, state, and local agencies in drug interdiction and anti-trafficking efforts. This includes nearly $242 million to the National Guard for its counter-drug program and counter-drug schools. The bill would provide funding for the production of two Virginia-class submarines. These submarines are a crucial component to U.S. maritime security and this funding will support New Hampshire economic activity. Groundbreaking Medical Research The Department of Defense conducts ground breaking medical research on issues that are caused by or impact the performance of a one’s service in the military. Much of these programs are run under the “Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs,” and the bill provides $2.18 billion in funding for research into disorders such as: alcohol and substance use disorder, cancer, Alzheimer’s, traumatic brain injury, and chronic pain management. Labor-Health and Human Services Appropriations Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The bill provides $7.95 billion to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is more than $2 billion more than requested by the Trump Administration. Included in this funding is an unprecedented investment of $475 million for CDC’s efforts to surveil the health impact of opioid use in the United States, especially synthetic opioids like fentanyl. Health Resources and Services Administration The bill provides $7.16 billion to HRSA to support health care for Americans in medically underserved areas, which are often rural. This includes robust funding of $5.6 billion to Community Health Centers; $1.1 billion in workforce development programs, including a unique investment in professionals specialized in substance use disorder treatment; and nearly $1 billion for maternal and child health programs. National Institute of Health The bill provides Kuster’s requested increase of $2 billion dollars to fund the National Institute of Health’s critical research. That is nearly $4.5 billion more than requested by the Administration and includes:
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration The bill provides SAMHSA with $5.7 billion, which is more than $2 billion more than requested by the Administration, to support crucial program to improve the nation’s mental health and combat the substance use disorder. Given the concerns of the nation’s opioid epidemic, the bill provides $1.5 billion in funding dedicated to supporting state efforts to help their communities in need, including a focus on the hardest hit states, as well as a $3.82 billion increase to Substance Abuse Treatment and Prevention programs (SABG). Department of Education The bill includes funding to increase learner access to high-quality Career Technical Education (CTE) programs of study. Funding through this program will be distributed through high schools, colleges and universities and national programs that prepare workers to meet employers’ needs in a variety of occupations.
This program supports the creation and development of community learning centers that provide academic enrichment opportunities during non-school hours for children, particularly students who attend high-poverty and low-performing schools. The program helps students meet state and local student standards in core academic subjects, such as reading and math ### |