(Washington, DC) – Congressman Ed Case (HI-01) has announced approval by his U.S. House Committee on Appropriations of another key measure for Hawai‘i that is among the twelve bills to collectively fund the federal government for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 (commencing October 1, 2022).
“Our $242 billion Labor-H Appropriations bill helps families and communities with the high costs of living, trains Americans for American jobs, supports workers, and strengthens our health care infrastructure,” said Case.
The Labor, Health, Human Services and Education Appropriations bill provides for significant investments in key federal programs that increase public health research and capacity, expand access to education and childcare, address labor market demands, improve health outcomes and bolster our nation’s responses to current and future public health threats. The discretionary funding level is $242.1 billion, an increase of $28.5 billion - 13 percent - above FY 2022 enacted levels.
Case also secured more than $7 million for the following Member-designated Community Project Funding (CPF) that specifically focus on local needs in Hawai‘i:
- $1,800,000 for Hawai‘i Public Health Institute to develop and train navigators to support kūpuna and family caregivers.
- $1,800,000 for Kula No Na Po‘e Hawai‘i to provide students with academic support and wraparound services.
- $1,740,550 for King Lunalilo Trust and Home for facilities and equipment needs.
- $1,000,000 for the University of Hawai‘i System to fund the construction of an early phase clinical trial unit.
- $1,000,000 for the University of Hawai‘i System for an indigenous data science hub.
- $270,000 for the YMCA of Honolulu to support wellness and mental health services for children and youth.
The House’s CPF rules require that each project must have demonstrated community support, must be fully disclosed by the requesting Member, and is subject to audit by the independent Government Accountability Office. Case’s disclosures are here: https://case.house.gov/services/funding-disclosures.htm.
“This year’s funding bill builds on past funding increases I have been able to secure for Native Hawaiian-serving programs plus includes additional provisions to ensure these programs are more accessible to Native Hawaiian Organizations,” said Case. “The measure would also direct more resources to study and address various health disparities among Native Hawaiian communities.”
The measure provides federal funding to address many of the cultural, economic, educational and health needs of Native Hawaiians and other indigenous communities, including:
- $64 million to support Native American job training programs authorized under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014.
- $41million for Native American Nutrition and Supportive Services grants to promote the delivery of nutrition and home and community-based services to Native American, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian kūpuna.
- $40 million for the Native Hawaiian Education Program, a $2 million increase from the FY 2022 enacted level.
- $25 million for the Strengthening Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions Program, an increase of $3 million above the FY 2022 enacted level. These funds will support tutoring, mentorships, internships, faculty development and other activities to support Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian students at the collegiate level.
- $23 million for the Native Hawaiian Health Care Systems, an increase of $1 million above the FY 2022 enacted level.
- $4 million for the Center for Indigenous Innovation and Health Equity within the Office of Minority Health to advance Indigenous solutions to achieve health equity and encourage the Department of Health and Human Services to partner with universities in these efforts.
- $3 million for the Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum Services Program, which provides grants to Native American-serving organizations and federally-recognized tribes to sustain indigenous heritage, culture and knowledge through museum-related services.
- $2 million for the Native Hawaiian Resource Center on Domestic Violence within the Family Violence Prevention Program to provide supportive services for adult and youth victims of family violence, domestic violence and dating violence and to prevent such incidents in Native Hawaiian communities.
- $1.5 million for the Native American Language Resource Centers, which support higher education institutions in teaching and learning languages, including research on new teaching methods for educators and developing instructional materials, among other things.
“In response to our nation’s ongoing labor shortages, my Committee increased funding for various federal programs that help develop local talent to support our local economies,” said Case. “Key provisions from the Build Back Better Act are also included that would provide for major investments to expand educator recruitment and training, maternal health equity initiatives, home care for seniors and people with disabilities and high-quality childcare and preschool programs.”
Other funding and provisions requested and secured by Case include:
Addressing the Nation’s Labor Shortages
- $1.8 billion for Job Corps, an increase of $50 million above the FY 2022 enacted level, which provides career development services for youth.
- $1 billion, for Youth Employment and Training activities, an increase of $100 million above the FY 2022 enacted level.
- $940 million for Adult Employment and Training activities, which is a $70 million increase above the FY 2022 enacted level.
- $303 million for Registered Apprenticeships, an increase of $48 million above the FY 2022 enacted level.
- $150 million to provide ex-offenders with training and credentials in fields that prepare them for successful reintegration into society.
- $145 million for the YouthBuild program, an increase of $46 million above FY 2022 enacted level, to provide at-risk youth with basic education and job skills training in the construction field.
- $70.5 million, an increase of $10 million above the FY 2022 enacted level, for the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program.
- $523 million for AmeriCorps State and National Grants, an increase of $56 million over the FY 2022 enacted level.
Responding to Current and Future Health Threats
- $47.5 billion for the National Institutes of Health, an increase of $2.5 billion above the FY 2022 enacted level, to support a wide range of biomedical and behavioral research.
- $2.75 billion for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) within the Department of Health and Human Services to accelerate the pace of scientific breakthroughs for diseases such as ALS, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes and cancer.
- $1.95 billion for Community Health Centers, an increase of $198 million above FY 2022 enacted level, to provide high quality, cost-effective health care to predominantly low-income and medically-underserved communities.
- $750 million, an increase of $550 million above the FY 2022 enacted level, for public health infrastructure and capacity nationwide.
- $500 million for the Title X Family Planning Program, a $214 million increase above the FY 2022 enacted level.
- $75 million to address the health impacts of climate change.
- $60 million for firearm injury and mortality prevention research.
Investing in Public Education, School Safety and Childcare
- $20.5 billion for Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies (low income schools), an increase of $3 billion above the FY 2022 enacted level.
- $12.4 billion for Head Start, an increase of $1.4 billion above the FY 2022 enacted level.
- $7.2 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant, an increase of $1 billion above the FY 2022 enacted level.
- $2.2 billion for Career, Technical and Adult Education, an increase of $124 million above the FY 2022 enacted level.
- $1.3 billion for the Federal TRIO Program, $161 million more than the FY 2022 enacted level, to provide academic support to low-income individuals, first-generation college students, veterans and individuals with disabilities.
- $350 million for Preschool Development Grants, an increase of $60 million above the FY 2022 enacted level.
- $132 million for Teacher Quality Partnerships, an increase of $30 million about the FY 2022 enacted level, to support teacher preparation and residency programs.
- $122 million for McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program, which provides homeless youth with the health services and academic support they need to succeed in and out of the classroom.
- $100 million to continue and expand Strengthening Community College Training Grants, which offer training to workers in in-demand industries at community colleges and four-year institutions to help meet local labor market needs.
- $100 million, an increase of $86 million above the FY 2022 enacted level, for community and youth violence prevention.
Additional Provisions
- Provides $24.6 billion for Federal student aid programs to provide $7,395 for the maximum Pell Grant award, an increase of $500 above the FY 2022 enacted level.
- Includes language to allow DREAMERS and students with temporary protected status to be eligible for Pell Grants and other Federal student financial assistance.
- Eliminates the Hyde and Weldon Amendments, long-standing policies that have denied low-income women access to abortion care.
- Includes language consistent with the Administration’s Title X rule to ensure continued access to federal funding for health care clinics that offer the full range of reproductive health services.
- Includes a new provision preventing discrimination by federally-funded foster care agencies on the basis of sex, age, disability, race, national origin, religion, sexual orientation and gender identity.
Case’s Appropriations Committee is responsible for allocating some $1.6 trillion in funding to federal government agencies, departments and organizations on an annual basis through twelve separate bills. he bill now moves on to the full House of Representatives for consideration.
A summary of the FY 2023 Labor, Health and Human Services, Labor and Related Agencies funding bill is here.
###
