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Pappas Votes To Pass Appropriations Bills Containing New Hampshire Priorities

July 30, 2021

Package includes provisions Pappas fought for to fund job training services, improve health care access, and support working families

Package also includes $5.92 million secured by Pappas to fund seven New Hampshire projects that will support first responders, connect homes to broadband, and invest in New Hampshire's infrastructure

Today, Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) voted for the passage of a legislative package to fund the government through fiscal year 2022 that includes amendments and funding Pappas fought for to fund job training services, improve health care access, and support working families. Alongside two standalone appropriations bills passed yesterday, these packages will create good-paying American jobs rebuilding our nation's infrastructure, grow opportunity for the middle class and small businesses, and support working families and veterans.

"As we work to rebuild our economy and strengthen our communities following the COVID-19 pandemic, we need to support New Hampshire's working families, small businesses, and veterans, and I'm pleased that this legislation delivers for them," said Congressman Pappas. "This legislation will fund key community projects across the First District, create good-paying American jobs, and invest in our workforce. I urge the Senate to support this legislation and fund these critical obligations."

Granite State priorities that Pappas fought for in the legislation include:

Protecting the health of Granite State families:

  • $9.16 billion for Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), an increase of $3.14 billion above the 2021 enacted level. This includes:
    • $2 billion for State Opioid Response grants
    • $2.85 billion for Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant and a 10% set aside for recovery services, an increase of $1 billion above the 2021 enacted level.
  • An amendment Pappas co-led to increase funding for neonatal abstinence syndrome research to $3.25 million in the CDC.
  • $100 million for the Drug Free Communities Program under ONDCP, an increase of $8 million above the 2021 enacted level.
  • $1.8 billion for the Health Centers program, an increase of $148 million above the 2021 enacted level.
  • $400 million for Title X Family Planning, an increase of $113.5 million above the 2021 enacted level.
    • Restores grant funding eligibility to Planned Parenthood and other health clinics that offer the full range of reproductive health care.
  • Eliminating the Hyde and Weldon amendments, long-standing policy that limited access to reproductive health care.
  • $4 million for a bilateral cooperative program with the Government of Israel for the development of health technologies, an increase of $2 million above the 2021 enacted level.
  • Language directing NIH to report animal research numbers and explore alternatives to the use of animals in scientific research and testing.
  • $3.9 billion for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), an increase of $150 million above the 2021 enacted level.

Building back the Granite State economy:

  • $907 million for rural broadband programs, an increase of $165 million above the 2021 enacted level.
    • The legislation also includes $1.6 million in funding for the Sandwich Broadband ReConnect Project, which will support local families and businesses by bringing high-speed internet to the town.
  • $145 million for Small Business Development Centers, an increase of $9 million above the 2021 enacted level.
    • Includes language ensuring that NH gets its fair share of SBDC core funding.
  • $34 million for the Northern Border Regional Commission, an increase of $4 million above the 2021 enacted level.
    • Pappas co-led an amendment to add an additional $2 million to the NBRC, representing an historic funding level for the program.
  • $7 million for the Acer Access Program which offers research, development, marketing, and sustainability grants to support the domestic maple syrup industry, an increase of $1 million above the 2021 enacted level.

Caring for our veterans and safeguarding our national defense:

  • $97.6 billion for medical care for veterans, an increase of $7.6 billion above the 2021 enacted level. This includes:
    • $599 million is for suicide prevention outreach activities
    • $778.5 million for gender-specific care for women
    • $2.2 billion for homeless assistance programs
    • $621 million for opioid abuse prevention
    • $307 million in rural health initiatives
  • $475 million for Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Plan (SIOP) projects, an increase of $379 million above the 2021 enacted level.
  • $16 million for Adaptive Sports Grants for veterans.

Protecting access to clean air and water:

  • $61.8 million in funding for scientific and regulatory work on PFAS, building on the $53 million EPA received in 2021 to help establish drinking water and cleanup standards.
  • $60 million for Sewer Overflow Control Grants, an increase of $20 million above the 2021 enacted level.
  • $5 million for the Northeastern States Research Cooperative to support the ecological and economic strength of the Northern Forest region, an increase of $2 million above the 2021 enacted level.

Supporting our students and helping Granite Staters build their skills:

  • $3.1 billion in Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funds for job training for disadvantaged youth and adults, and for assistance to dislocated workers, an 8.8 percent increase above the 2021 enacted level.
    • In New Hampshire's 1st Congressional District, 15,000 youth and 84,000 adults are eligible to receive federally funded job training. This increase would provide $186,000 in additional WIOA funds to support middle class and working families by helping youth and adults obtain good-paying jobs.
  • $2.2 billion for Career, Technical and Adult Education, an increase of $208 million above the 2021 enacted level.
  • $36 billion in Title I funds to support public education, an 118 percent increase above the 2021 enacted level.
    • In New Hampshire's 1st Congressional District, an estimated 17,000 children benefited from federal Title I education funding in 2021, including 7,000 children living in poverty, receiving monthly Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), or in foster care or delinquency. This increase would provide $26.9 million in additional funding for schools in the district to support children at risk of failing out of school.

Ensuring responsible spending:

  • Blocking any pay raise for Members of Congress for 2022, after Pappas co-led a letter opposing a pay increase in June.

The package also includes funding for the following community funding projects secured by Pappas:

  • $1.65 million for the Sandwich Broadband ReConnect Project to establish broadband in the Town of Sandwich.
  • $1.5 million for the Town of Barrington to support the construction of a new Town Hall and Emergency Operations Center.
  • $750,000 for the YWCA to fully fund the expansion of existingACERT programs and enhance trauma-informed training for law enforcement and first responders so they can best respond to children who have experienced trauma.
  • $700,000 for Community Health Action Networks to implement new health information technology that will enable New Hampshire's community health centers to improve population health.
  • $600,000 for the Town of Exeter to make emergency repairs to failing sewers that run under the Squamscott River.
  • $600,000 for the City of Portsmouth to replace a 60 year old water line that runs under Little Bay.
  • $120,000 for the City of Somersworth to fully fund the construction of a fire training tower for the Somersworth Fire Department to safely train and practice ladder truck operations.