Washington, DC – Today, Representative Lois Frankel (FL-21) released the following statement after helping pass the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies funding bill for Fiscal Year 2020 out of the Appropriations Committee. Rep. Frankel’s provisions included in the bill will support women in the workforce, provide more resources to student veterans, and make sure health care, reproductive services and child care are attainable for all working families.

“This bill helps all Floridians – from veterans pursuing education to working families who need quality, affordable child care,” said Rep. Frankel. “By fighting For The People, Democrats are investing in public health, arts and education, and programs that enrich the lives of our children, students, and all Americans.”

The Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies appropriations bill is the largest non-defense funding bill. This year it includes an overall $189.9 billion in funding, a $9.9 billion increase over current levels. As a member of this Appropriations subcommittee, Rep. Frankel advocated for an array of programs, many of which will positively impact South Florida, including:

Education:

• In the Department of Education’s Fund for Improvement of Postsecondary Educations, $10 million in new funding for Veterans Student Service Centers, which provide resources and give a boost to student veterans transitioning from military to civilian life.
• Earlier this year, Rep. Frankel introduced bipartisan legislation to create these centers across the nation.
• $4.99 million for the Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations Act, over $4 million increase from FY19, that will expand career opportunities for women.

• $1.3 billion for 21st Century Community Learning Centers, a $100 million increase from FY19, to award grants to rural and inner-city public schools.
• $35 million for Arts in Education, a $6 million increase from FY19, which provides funding for school art programs.
• $257 million for the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a $15 million increase from FY19, which provides grants for libraries in every state.

Health:

• Urges the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to provide information, training and support for communities dealing with the opioid addiction crisis, specifically information regarding sober home best practices and effective oversight of drug treatment facilities, sober homes and marketing entities to protect vulnerable persons with substance use disorder and their families from fraudulent and abusive practices.
• $41 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a more than $2 billion increase over FY19 to this agency that provides life-saving research and care. This includes:
  • $2.3 million for Alzheimer’s disease research,
  • $3 billion for HIV/AIDS research,
  • $195 million for the Cancer Moonshot project.
• $50 million for firearm injury and mortality prevention research, divided evenly between the NIH and the Center for Disease Control. This is new funding, not included in last year’s budget.
• $110 million for the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program, a $9 million increase over FY19, to help prevent unplanned teenage pregnancy across the U.S.

Children and Families:

• $7.7 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant, an increase of more than $2 billion from FY19 that will help low-income families afford quality child care.
• $11.6 billion for Head Start, an increase of $1.5 billion from FY19 to provide comprehensive early childhood education for low-income families.
• $175 million for the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act to assist survivors of domestic violence and support programs, counseling, and related services. This is an increase of $10.5 million from FY19.
• $400 million for the Title X Family Planning Program, an increase of $114 million from FY19, which provides life-saving quality health care, including reproductive care.  

Additional Priorities:

• This bill completely defunds abstinence-only education.
• $13 billion for the Social Security Administration’s operating expenses, an increase of $300 million above FY19’s levels to hire additional staff at field offices, teleservice and processing centers and improve public services.
• $3.5 million for the National Human Trafficking Resource Hotline, a $1.5 million increase from FY19.
• $12 million for the Domestic Violence Hotline, a $1.75 million increase from FY19.
• $2.3 billion for refugee and entrant assistance, a $507 million increase from FY19.
• This includes $1.8 billion for unaccompanied children, and $190 million for legal services, child advocates, and post-release services.
• $5 million for Holocaust Survivors, the same as in FY19, to aid survivors with health care, aging assistance, and emergency costs.
• $4.1 million for the Violence Against Women health initiatives, over $1 million increase from FY19.

Now that the legislation has passed out of committee, it will be brought to the House floor for a vote. Once the Senate passes its own bill, appropriators will reconcile the differences to then send the result to the President’s desk for a signature.

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