Important Provisions for Eastern Connecticut Included in the House’s 2023 Minibus Appropriations Bill

WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Rep. Joe Courtney (CT-02) and the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass H.R. 8294, a legislative package containing six appropriations bills for FY 2023. The federal budget negotiation process begins each year in the House, and includes twelve total appropriations bills. H.R. 8294 includes six appropriations bills: Agriculture and Rural Development; Energy and Water Development; Financial Services and General Government; Interior and Environment; Military Construction and Veterans Affairs; and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD). The House voted to pass H.R. 8294 today by a vote of 220-207, and will vote on the remaining six appropriations bills in the coming days and weeks.

H.R. 8294 includes support that Courtney worked to secure for federal program that will strengthen eastern Connecticut's workforce, improve our local schools, bolster community health, and more. Today's appropriations package also includes targeted funding that Rep. Courtney secured for local projects throughout eastern Connecticut. Click here to read more.

"The House's 2023 budget package includes support for some of our region's top priorities," said Congressman Courtney, "not only targeted funding for local projects, but also for programs that are relied on by seniors, families, farmers, small businesses, and many others. The federal budget process begins each year in the House, and we've been pressing since the start of this year to ensure that programs that are important to eastern Connecticut receive the funding they need to operate successfully—like efforts to remove spent nuclear fuel from our communities, programs that support homeowners hit by crumbling foundations, provisions to help our farmers grow their business, protections for our heritage areas like the Last Green Valley, and new support for mental health care and addiction recovery. Our budget package also includes funding for upgrades at SUBASE New London that are crucial to accommodating the new Columbia-class submarine program, which officially kicked-off construction just last month. This is an eastern Connecticut-focused budget, and I'm ready to keep working with my colleagues to make it final."

Important Provisions for Eastern Connecticut

H.R. 8294 would help keep America open for business in FY 2023, and includes funding Rep. Courtney worked to secure for programs that families, students and seniors, workers, small businesses, and many others in eastern Connecticut rely upon. Highlights of H.R. 8294 include provisions that would:

Agriculture, Rural Development and the FDA

• Support research on promoting carbon sequestration—The bill includes a request supported by Rep. Courtney instructing the Economic Research Service to create a publicly available, comprehensive report on how to best incentivize carbon sequestration in soil through various management practices.
• Increase access to clean, reliable water in rural areas—H.R. 8294 includes $1.5 billion for rural water and wastewater program loans, and nearly $680 million in grants for clean and reliable drinking water systems and sanitary waste disposal systems.
• Help low-income families while supporting farmers—The bill provides $30 million to support the USDA's Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Farmers' Market Nutrition Program. The program issues coupons to eligible participants which can be used to buy healthy foods from farmers, farmers' markets, or roadside stands approved by state agencies.
• Help local schools serve better, healthier meals—To prepare healthy meals with local produce that kids want to eat, school cafeterias need the right tools. H.R. 8294 would provide USDA with $40 million to provide School Kitchen Equipment Grants.

Energy and Water Development

• Increase funding for Connecticut and other state energy programs—The bill includes a request supported by Rep. Courtney to provide $90 million for the Department of Energy's State Energy Program, which helps states enhance security, advance state-led energy initiatives, and more.
• Increase ability to collect detailed, real-time coastal information—H.R. 8294 includes $8.5 million for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Coastal Ocean Data System (CODS).
• Support nuclear waste disposal—The bill includes $10.2 million for nuclear waste disposal and directs the Department of Energy to move forward to identify a site for a federal interim storage facility using a consent-based approach.

Financial Services and General Government

• Invest in American small businesses—The bill provides $1 billion to the Small Business Administration to help small businesses and entrepreneurs access capital and contracting opportunities.
• Preserve six-day mail delivery—The bill provides that the U.S. Postal Service shall continue a six-day mail delivery schedule, as well as the rural delivery of mail.
• Bolster election security—The bill would provide $500 million in Election Security Grants to help states protect elections.
• Support local Drug Free Communities efforts—H.R. 8294 would provide $110 million to the national Drug Free Communities Program, which has supported substance abuse prevention and response efforts in eastern Connecticut for years. This is an increase of $4 million over last year's funding level.
• Invest in a clean Federal vehicle fleet—H.R. 8294 would provide $100 million for the Electric Vehicle Fund to start the transition of the Federal vehicle fleet to electric and zero-emission vehicles.

Interior and Environment

• Support National Heritage Areas like the Last Green Valley—H.R. 8294 includes $29 million for the Heritage Partnership Program to support National Heritage Areas, including Last Green Valley in eastern Connecticut.
• Bolster conservation efforts for Connecticut and America's historic trails—The bill includes a request supported by Rep. Courtney to provide $23 million in funding for the National Scenic and Historic Trail system.
• Provide new support for the National Trail System, and the New England Scenic Trail System—H.R. 8294 includes $18.9 million in funding to support the National Trail System, which helps support upkeep and upgrades to trail systems nationwide, including the New England Scenic Trail system.
• Help conserve eastern Connecticut's natural heritage—The bill includes Rep. Courtney's request of $19.77 million in funding to support work at the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge.
• Fund conservation efforts on the Long Island Sound—H.R. 8294 includes over $679 million in 2023 for geographic programs operated by the U.S. Department of Interior, which support conservation efforts nationwide, including in eastern Connecticut through the Long Island Sound Geographic Program.
• Protect Connecticut's scenic rivers—Several waterways in eastern Connecticut, including the Eight Mile River and the Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed, are provided support through the federal Wild and Scenic Rivers Program. H.R. 8294 would provide the program with $903,000 in FY 2023.

Military Construction and Veterans Affairs

• Support military construction at Naval Submarine Base New London—H.R. 8294 fully funds President Biden's request of $15.5 million to relocate the existing underwater electromagnetic measurement system due to planned construction of a floating dry dock at Electric Boat in support of the Columbia-class submarine program. The current system is used to determine if submarines need degaussing or magnetic silencing to protect from undersea mines.
• Increase support for veterans' mental health services—H.R. 8294 would provide $498 million to the Veterans Health Administration for veterans suicide prevention and outreach.
• Enhance the VA's ability to reach homeless veterans—The bill funds $2.7 billion for the VA's Homeless Assistance programs.
• Improve housing for America's servicemembers and their families—H.R. 8294 would provide $2.1 billion to improve housing on military installations, including family housing and barracks.
• Improve VA facilities for veterans and their families—The bill would help modernize and retrofit VA facilities with $3 billion for VA Construction.
• Expand access to compensation for veterans—The bill funds $3.9 billion for operating expenses of the Veterans Benefits Administration to address processing disability claims and administer service-connected disability compensation payments to survivors and dependents.
• Improve childcare centers for American servicemembers—H.R. 8294 would support increased capacity and better facilities for the 1.2 million children of active duty servicemembers worldwide with $274.4 million for Child Development Centers.

Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development

• Support the popular Community Development Block Grant Program—Towns across eastern Connecticut rely on CDBG funding to improve communities, and to address the crumbling foundations crisis. The bill funds the CDBG program with $3.7 billion in FY 2022.
• Invest in America's manufacturing workforce and promote national security—H.R. 8249 would provide $20 million to the Small Shipyard Grant Program. Small shipyards are a critical component of U.S. maritime operations, and the program is designed to help them make capital investments, provide workforce training, and more.
• Promote maritime security—The bill provides $318 million for the Maritime Security Program to support Department of Defense sustainment sealift requirements during times of conflict in other national emergencies, a priority for Rep. Courtney.
• Provide resources to the Amtrak Northeast Corridor—H.R. 8294 authorizes $882 million for the Amtrak Northeast Corridor grants in 2023. Additionally, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) – the new Infrastructure Law – provides $4.3 billion in advance appropriations in FY 2023 for Amtrak improvements through Northeast Corridor Grants and National Network Grant accounts.
• Improve America's rail systems—H.R. 8294 would provide $630 million for the Consolidated Rail Safety Improvements program. This program funds projects that improve the safety, efficiency, and reliability of intercity passenger and freight rail.

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