Washington, DC -- Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (D-MA-03) highlighted the inclusion of numerous Massachusetts priorities and other communities across America in H.R. 2740, a “minibus” package of fiscal year 2020 appropriations bills, which passed the House on Wednesday, June 19.
“People across Massachusetts understand the need to increase investments in our families, workforce, and communities, so that every person has a chance at a better life. This bill reflects our values, and will grow our economy, protect our environment, repair our infrastructure, strengthen health care, and set our communities up for continued success. I am particularly encouraged by the robust funding support for programs like Head Start, TRIO, Pell Grants, and the Special Olympics. It is a recognition that education, in all its forms, is an investment worth making,” said Congresswoman Trahan.
“This package also makes necessary investments in the development of our workforce through increased investments in Jobs Corps, Youthbuild, and career and technical education programs. It also invests in the Department of Labor’s Registered Apprenticeships to help more workers receive a skills-based education and find well-paying jobs. No piece of legislation is perfect, especially bills as large and complex as this one, but it makes great strides toward building a stronger America that works for everyone, at every stage of life. I am proud to support it,” continued Congresswoman Trahan.
H.R. 2740 totals $982.8 billion and consists of four FY 2020 appropriations bills that fund federal agencies including the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Defense, State, and Energy.
Some of Congresswoman Trahan’s top priorities included on H.R. 2740 were:
- $3.8 billion for the Low-Income Heating Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), an increase of $150 million. (Additionally, the bill includes a provision restoring LIHEAP funding for Massachusetts and other states that received low allocations in FY2019).
- $5.8 billion for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, an increase of $128 million.
- $7.6 billion to States for the Child Care and Development Block Grants (CCDBG).
- $11.5 billion for Head Start Programs, an increase of $1.5 billion.
- $1.1 billion in TRIO funding to support access to and completion of postsecondary education, an increase of $100 million.
- $50 million for the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to address the public health emergency of gun violence.
Below are a number of additional priorities that will benefit communities, in Massachusetts’ 3rd District and the whole Commonwealth in H.R. 2740:
JOBS
- $1.9 billion for Job Corps programs, including the Shriver Job Corps facility at Devens. This is $150 million above the 2019 enacted level and will help at-risk youth develop the skills they need to succeed in the 21st century economy.
- $127 million for Youthbuild programs, such as Youthbuild Lawrence and Youthbuild of Greater Lowell; this is an increase of $37 million
- $250 million for the Department of Labor’s Registered Apprenticeships to help more workers receive a skills-based education and find well-paying jobs, an increase of $90 million.
- $56 million, an increase of $5 million, in public health workforce initiatives.
CHILDREN & FAMILIES
- An increase of $4 billion for early childhood programs including the Child Care and Development Block Grant and Head Start.
- $973 million, an increase of $46 million, for programs to improve maternal and child health, including an additional $5 million to reduce maternal mortality.
- $40 million for Full-Service Community Schools to provide comprehensive services and expand evidence-based models that meet the holistic needs of children, families, and communities. (In 2010, the Greater Lawrence Community Action Council received a grant for the South Lawrence East Full Service Community School Program.)
EDUCATION
- $14.5 billion for special education programs, including those under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
- $22.5 billion for Pell grants to assist low- and middle-income students with financial aid$2 billion for career, technical and adult education programs, an increase of $77 million above the 2019 enacted level.
- $250 million for Registered Apprenticeships, an increase of $90 million above the fiscal year 2019 enacted level and the President’s budget request.
- $1.1 bill for the Corporation for National and Community Service, an increase of $55 million. (MA-3 is benefiting from the volunteerism of 175 AmeriCorps members and 687 Senior Corps members. Over the last 25 years, at least 3,600 MA-3 residents have served 4.5 million hours through AmeriCorps.)
HEALTH
- A $2 billion increase for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), expanding lifesaving medical research.
- $56 million, an increase of $5 million, in CDC public health workforce initiatives.
- Increases for numerous public health efforts, including: $10 million for the establishment of a suicide prevention program, and $160 million for heart disease and stroke.
ENVIRONMENT
- $290 million for the Weatherization Assistance Program, an increase of $36 million. (The program has weatherized more than 9,000 homes in Massachusetts over the last decade.)
- $425 million for Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy, supporting research aimed at rapidly developing energy technologies that are capable of significantly changing the energy sector to address our critical economic, environmental, and energy security challenges.
- $10.5 million for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
STRONG & SECURE COMMUNITIES
- For the first time in more than 20 years, the bill funds firearm injury and mortality prevention research at the CDC and NIH.
- $760 million for the Community Services Block Grant, an increase of $35 million, to help revitalize communities.
- $501 million for grant programs to help stem opioid abuse, including for drug courts, treatment, prescription drug monitoring, overdose-reversal drugs, and at-risk youth programs.
SUPPORTING AMERICAN VALUES AROUND THE WORLD
- $425 million for the Peace Corps, an increase of $14 million.
- Includes the Global HER Act, which would permanently repeal the Global Gag Rule, reinstated and expanded by President Trump in January 2017. (Rep. Trahan is an original cosponsor of the Global HER Act, H.R. 1055)
- $400 million for Title X family planning, which is an increase of $113 million
- The bill reaffirms America’s strong support for tackling climate change. The bill prohibits the use of funds to withdraw from the Paris Agreement. (Rep. Trahan is an original cosponsor of the Climate Action Now Act, H.R. 9, which also would prohibit U.S. withdrawal.)
PROVIDING FOR OUR NATIONAL DEFENSE
- Provides full funding necessary to support a 3.1 percent military pay raise;
- Increases funding for the Department and Services’ Sexual Assault Prevention and Response programs;
- Provides a $35 million increase for the STARBASE program, such as the program at Hanscom AFB, to support STEM education
- Provides $33.46 billion in base discretionary funding for Defense Health Programs and adds $920 million for the congressionally directed medical research program.
- Includes language that prohibits the use of Defense funds for the President’s wasteful, ineffective border wall.
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