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Rep. Frankel Votes for Federal Funding Bill that Delivers For The People

Washington, December 23, 2022

Key Frankel Priorities Supporting Women, Seniors, Veterans, Investing in Florida Infrastructure, Included in FY23 Bill


Washington, DC – Today, Representative Lois Frankel (FL-21), member of the House Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement after voting for the budget for Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23). This government funding package includes key Frankel priorities to support women’s health, protect seniors, assist veterans when they return home from their service, restore the Everglades and South Florida’s beaches, and more. It also includes emergency funding to respond to recent natural disasters, including Hurricanes Ian and Nicole, as well as provide additional support for Ukraine.

“This government funding package delivers For The People through historic investments that will improve the lives of Americans. Specifically, this package includes priorities of mine like support for pregnant and lactating women, first-time investments to protect our aging loved ones from falls, and additional money for Alzheimer’s research,” said Rep. Frankel. “As a mother of a U.S. Marine war veteran, I’m proud that this bill includes investments to support student veterans as they transition to civilian life, and that it funds new health programs for veterans exposed to toxic substances during their service.

“Floridians will also benefit from important investments to restore the Everglades, protect our beaches, keep our waterways open and clean, and assist those impacted by Hurricanes Ian and Nicole.”

This package also contained key Frankel and Democratic legislative priorities, including:

  • Reforming the Electoral Count Act of 1887, which will help thwart future attempts to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power like we saw on January 6th.
  • The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which will provide labor protections—including bathroom breaks, the ability to sit down during shifts, limits on heavy lifting, and more—for pregnant workers.
  • The Secure 2.0 Act, which will help workers across America save for retirement more efficiently.
  • The Benjamin Berell Ferencz Congressional Gold Medal Act, which will award Ben Ferencz of Delray Beach, the last surviving prosecutor from the Nuremberg Trials, the Congressional Gold Medal.
  • Creating a nationwide permanent Summer EBT Program so that 29 million kids can get healthy, nutritious meals throughout the summer.
  • Providing more consequential assistance to Ukraine, as we continue to support their fight for Democracy.

Rep. Frankel advocated for an array of programs that were included in funding portion of the package, such as:

Health Care

Senior Health:

  • $1 million in first-time funding for the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Healthy Aging and Age Friendly Communities to coordinate fall prevention efforts across the federal government.  
  • $5 million in first-time funding to research and test new models for fall prevention and evaluate existing programs.
  • $94.85 million to expand existing fall prevention programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Administration for Community Living (ACL), and Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
  • $366.3 million for Home-Delivered Nutrition Services (Meals on Wheels) for senior citizens.
  • $410 million for Home- and Community-Based Supportive Services for older Americans and individuals with disabilities.

Women’s Health:

  • $200,000 for an Advisory Committee to implement research recommendations for pregnant and lactating women, language directing the creation of a designated NIH research category for menopause, and directives for the NIH to study to identify disparities and gaps in women’s health research.
  •  $823 million for the Maternal and Child Health Block Grant for states and $4.1 billion for international programs to improve maternal and child health and fight infectious diseases.

Energy and Water

  • $446 million for Everglades restoration, securing drinking water for the eight million people in South Florida and protecting our wildlife habitat. 
  • $133 million to keep Florida’s intercoastal waterways clear and maintained.
  • $37 million to restore and protect Florida’s beaches from erosion.
  • Language ensuring the Army Corps uses science when determining proper water levels for Lake Okeechobee, fairly distributing water supply for all water users of South Florida.
  • Over $3.4 billion for renewable energy to fight climate change.

Natural Disaster Assistance

  • $19 billion for FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund, and an additional $5 billion to strengthen disaster recovery efforts for recent hurricanes in Florida and Puerto Rico.
  • $1.67 billion for EPA programs to address the impact of climate disasters including Hurricanes Ian and Fiona.
  •  $1.48 billion for the Army Corps of Engineers to make necessary repairs to impacted projects and increases resiliency from future flooding and storms.

Veterans and First Responders

  • $9 million for Centers of Excellence for Student Veteran Success, which offer resources to student veterans transitioning from military to civilian life
  • Last year, Rep. Frankel introduced bipartisan legislation to create these centers across the nation.
  • $5 billion for the Toxic Exposures Fund, which was established to support costs related to providing veterans and their families the benefits associated with the eligibility expansions included in the Honoring Our PACT Act.
  • Language encouraging the creation of a World Trade Center Health Program Clinical Center of Excellence outside the New York area to serve first responders who have retired and relocated, including the thousands now residing in South Florida. 

Safety and Freedom from Gender-Based Violence

  • $700 million for Violence Against Women Act prevention and prosecution and $250 million to prevent and respond to global gender-based violence.
  • $20.5 million for the Domestic Violence Hotline.
  • $240 million for Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) programs to provide resources and support to survivors of domestic violence.
  • $61.75 million for Rape Prevention and Education Grants.

Global Gender Equality:

  • Over $150 million in funding to implement the Women, Peace and Security strategy, to empower women as equal partners in conflict prevention, peace building, transitional processes, relief, and reconstruction efforts in countries affected by conflict or in political transition.
  • $200 million for the Gender Equity and Equality Action Fund to advance gender equity and equality globally.
  • $15 million for the Office of Global Women's Issues to empower women and girls around the world through U.S. foreign policy.
  • $12 million for UN Women Supports USAID’s commitment to placing qualified and dedicated Gender Advisor in every overseas Mission, Regional Platform, and Washington Bureau.
  • $32.5 million for modernized body armor for females and small-framed males.
  • Language directing joint partner country assessments on barriers to the participation of women in national security forces of partner countries.

Child Care 

  • $8 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant to help low-income families afford quality child care.
  • $12 billion for Head Start.

Global Education

  • $970 million for basic education abroad, including$150 million for the education of girls in areas of conflict.
  • Language recognizing the importance of education and flexible learning opportunities, particularly for adolescent girls, in humanitarian emergencies.

Combating Antisemitism

  • $305 million for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, which synagogues, community centers, and other nonprofit institutions can use to protect themselves from the rising violent threats of antisemitism.
  • $1.5 million to the Office to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism.
  • $1.5 million for the Office of the Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues.
  • $65.2 million for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Support for Israel

  • $3.3 billion for security assistance to Israel.
  • $2 million for USAID-Israel development cooperation to address sustainability challenges relating to water resources, agriculture, and energy storage.
  • $50 million to support the 3rd year of implementation of the Nita M. Lowey Middle East Partnership for Peace Act, including a focus on programming for Israeli and Palestinian women
  • $8 million for the Middle East Regional Cooperation Program for research collaboration in the Middle East, including between Israelis and Palestinians. 
  • $500 million for U.S.-Israel missile defense cooperation.
  • $225 million in economic assistance funding for programs in the West Bank and Gaza serving the Palestinian people.

Assistance for Ukraine

  • $45 billion in emergency funding to support the Ukrainian people, defend global democracy in the wake of Russia’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine, and other purposes, including: 

The funding bills passed the House by a vote of 225-201 and now go to President Biden for his signature. For fact sheets and summaries for each of the Appropriations bills, click here.

 

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