WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee, today participated in a markup of five FY2020 government funding measures. In addition to legislation Senator Capito authored to fund the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the committee advanced the FY2020 Interior and Environment bill; the State and Foreign Operations bill; the Commerce, Justice, and Science bill; and the Legislative Branch bill.
“Today, the Appropriations Committee took action to provide resources that will keep our nation secure, our citizens safe, our economy thriving, and our environment protected,” Senator Capito said. “West Virginians feel the impact of the work of these agencies and programs every day and thousands work at facilities supported by these bills—from the Katherine Johnson IV&V Center, NOAA in Fairmont, CJIS in Clarksburg, the Leetown Science Center or our three Coast Guard facilities in the Eastern Panhandle. But all of us can benefit from the increased resources we dedicate to fighting opioids, monitoring PFAS contamination, improving cybersecurity, and securing our border. As a leader on this committee, I made sure that West Virginians’ best interests were always front and center; and I’m proud that all of these measures reflect that.”
Earlier this summer, with Senator Capito’s support, Congress passed and President Trump signed into law the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2019. That legislation enabled Congress to set appropriations funding levels over the next two years and made it possible for the Senate Appropriations Committee to consider the bills marked up today.
All of the highlights of Senator Capito’s FY2020 Homeland Security Appropriations Act are available here.
The FY2020 Interior, Environment, Related Agencies Appropriations Act includes:
- $20 million to assist states addressing PFAS contamination through the EPA, an issue Senator Capito has worked on extensively.
- Inaugural funding for the Innovative Water Infrastructure Workforce Development Program, a new competitive grant Senator Capito championed in last year’s passage of the America’s Water Infrastructure Act.
- Support for both the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, which help the public wastewater systems and public health standards in rural areas.
- A $1 million increase for Brownfield Projects, a useful tool in the development of former industrial and military manufacturing sites in West Virginia.
- Funding for the Office of Surface Mining Regulation and the Chemical Safety Board.
- Funding for the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown.
- Funding under the United States Geological Survey’s Fisheries, which support programs such as the Leetown Science Center in Kearneysville.
The FY2020 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act includes:
- $3.3 billion for Foreign Military Financing Program assistance for Israel, $5 million for refugees resettling in Israel, and funding available for construction of the New Embassy Compound in Jerusalem.
- Zero funding or support for the Green Climate Fund.
- Language that builds on language previously authored by Senator Capito encouraging the State Department to continue to use the Summit Point facility in the Eastern Panhandle to provide critical training for diplomats and their families.
The FY2020 Commerce, Science, Justice and Related Agencies Appropriations Act includes:
- Enacted funding for the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration’s (NOAA) supercomputing research and a $1 million increase for high performance computing initiatives. These funds support the National Environmental Security Computing Center in Fairmont.
- Language recognizing the importance of Green Bank Observatory in the continued exploration of outer space and encouraging NASA to utilize the world’s largest, fully steerable telescope.
- $180 million for NASA Restore-L, which contributes to programs such as the collaboration between Maxar Technologies and the West Virginia Robotic Technology Center—which are engineering SPIDER, a robotic in-space assembly system.
- $378 million for anti-opioid funding—which will also include other illicit drug use, allowing this money to be available for further uses in West Virginia—and an additional $35 million for Anti-Heroin Task Forces.
- $7.47 billion for the Bureau of Prisons and language calling for improved hiring practices to reduce the officer-to-prisoner ratio, an issue Senator Capito has discussed directly with U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr.
- $545 million for the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants, which contribute to numerous activities of crime prevention and control across the state.
- $100 million for the STOP School Violence Program, supporting Bureau of Justice Assistance and the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS).
- By way of the Violence Against Women Act, $215 million for STOP grants—along with a $1.5 million increase for the Rural OVW grants and $2 million increase for the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative grants.
- A $2.9 million increase for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), with funds to enhance the National Broadband Map.
The FY2020 Legislative Branch Appropriations Act includes:
- Increases funds for salaries for the U.S. Capitol Police in recognition and support for the work those brave men and women do to keep members, visitors, and constituents safe when visiting the Capitol Complex.
Additional information on the Interior and Environment bill is available here.
Additional information on the State and Foreign Operations bill is available here.
Additional information on the Commerce, Justice, and Science bill is available here.
Additional information on the Legislative Branch bill is available here.
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