{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://courtney.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/courtney-votes-pass-2023-consolidated-appropriations-act-spending-bill", "Courtney Votes to Pass 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act, a Spending Bill that Includes Important Support and Investments in Eastern Connecticut", "2022-12-23", "2022", "2022-12", "Democrat", "House", "CT", "Joe Courtney", "C001069", "courtney.house.gov", "courtney", "https://courtney.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "December 23, 2022\n\nWASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Today, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) voted to pass the FY 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 2617), a bipartisan omnibus spending package that includes all twelve annual federal appropriations bills and will fund the federal government through September 30, 2023. The bill was passed by the House by a vote of 225-201 and now moves to the President\u2019s desk to be signed into law.\n\n\"It took some tough sledding to get here, but after months of negotiations and late nights to complete the 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act, the final result is a budget that focuses heavily on eastern Connecticut,\u201d said Congressman Courtney. \u201cPeople in eastern Connecticut want to see Congress work together and get our jobs done, and I think we met those expectations with the 2023 Omnibus. In addition to refueling critical programs that are relied on by seniors, families, farmers, small businesses and many others in our region, the 2023 budget also includes over $21 million in direct funding that my office secured for fifteen local projects in towns throughout CT-02. Our budget fully funds the major submarine manufacturing opportunities and other priorities included in this year\u2019s Defense Authorization, it will help ramp-up workforce development and apprenticeship programs that have already been operating successfully in our region, and it provides new support to America\u2019s seniors, working families, and veterans. We also worked hard to ensure that the 2023 budget includes increased support for federal home energy assistance to help folks lower costs and stay warm this winter, and to make sure it contained funding specifically to support our farmers who have been impacted by severe drought conditions.\u201d\n\n\u201cFollowing President Zelenskyy\u2019s address to a Joint Session of Congress on Wednesday, the 2023 budget also includes expansive new support for our Ukrainian allies, including training, equipment, defense articles and other supplies, and it takes steps to ensure that we are conducting thorough oversight of all of it,\u201d Courtney continued. \u201cI was proud to help craft and pass a budget that supports our nations\u2019 shared interest in the defense of democracy and that provides such a strong boost to our towns and our region, and I\u2019m glad that we got it done on a bipartisan basis.\u201d\n\nEastern Connecticut Priorities and Initiatives\n\nThe Consolidated Appropriations Act includes funding for several priorities and projects that were secured specifically by Rep. Courtney\u2014both as Chairman of the House Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, which oversees all U.S. Navy shipbuilding, and as part of his Community Project Funding requests for 2023.\n\nTargeted Funding for Community Projects \u2014 Includes $21.5 million for 15 Community Project Requests throughout eastern Connecticut that were specifically requested by Rep. Courtney. These projects, requested earlier this year by local officials and non-profits, range from improving local health care services, to supporting local police and first responders, to expanding local trail networks and improving local libraries, and more. For more information on each of Courtney\u2019s 15 Community Project Requests, click here.\n\nSupport Submarine Construction and Development of Undersea Capabilities \u2014Includes expansive support for sustained submarine construction and procurement\u2014a total of $12.8 billion. That total includes $6.5 billion to support the sustained two-per-year build rate of new Virginia-class submarines, and $3.1 billion to support the second year of funding for the first-ever Columbia-class submarine. These provisions were secured by Rep. Courtney, Chairman of the House Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, and his colleagues in the 2023 NDAA, and are fully supported by the 2023 Omnibus. For more information, click here.\n\nSupporting the Submarine Workforce and Industrial Base \u2014 Includes $541 million for submarine supplier development, workforce development, shipyard infrastructure, and strategic outsourcing specifically for the Columbia-class program, and $207 million to support submarine workforce development initiatives.\n\nNew Support for SUBASE New London \u2014 Provides $15.5 million to relocate the base\u2019s existing underwater electromagnetic measurement system in the Thames River. The move is necessary due to planned construction of a floating dry dock at Electric Boat in support of the Columbia-class submarine program. The current system is used to determine if submarines need degaussing or magnetic silencing to protect from undersea mines.\n\nAcademic Partnerships for Undersea Research \u2014 Fully funds Courtney\u2019s request for $25 million to support Navy partnerships with academic institutions conducting research on undersea capabilities, such as the National Institute for Undersea Vehicle Technology (NIUVT), a collaborative undersea research program between the University of Connecticut and the University of Rhode Island.\n\nAdditional Funding for Federal Energy Assistance Programs \u2014 Includes $4 billion in base-level funding for the federal Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which represents an increase of $200 million over 2022 enacted levels. The bill also includes an additional $1 billion in emergency LIHEAP funding, for a total of $5 billion included for LIHEAP in the 2023 Omnibus. With this spending package, Congress has now provided a total of $6 billion for LIHEAP in 2023: $4 billion in base-level funding and $1 billion in emergency funding included in the Omnibus, and $1 billion in supplemental LIHEAP funding which Rep. Courtney led the effort to secure in the FY 2023 Continuing Resolution, passed in September. Click here to read more.\n\nHelping Farmers Hit by Drought and Extreme Weather \u2014 The bill includes $3.7 billion for the USDA Emergency Relief program, which helps farmers offset losses of revenue, quality, or production losses of crops resulting from droughts and other extreme weather conditions. Rep. Courtney led the Connecticut and Rhode Island Congressional Delegations in requesting this funding to support Agricultural producers in Southern New England\u2014click here to read more.\n\nNational Coast Guard Museum \u2014 Fully funds the Coast Guard\u2019s request of $20 million to continue developing exhibits and artifact displays for the future National Coast Guard Museum in New London. This funding will be combined with $25 million previously provided at Courtney\u2019s request to the Coast Guard, as well as $50 million allocated in 2022 to support construction of the museum\n\nCrumbling Foundations Research \u2014 Rep. Courtney\u2019s request to provide $4 million specifically to the University of Connecticut (UConn) to complete their research on pyrrhotite in concrete aggregate. UConn has previously been awarded multiple grants to collaborate with NIST on this work. In addition to the $4 million that Rep. Courtney secured for UConn, Rep. Courtney also secured $750,000 for NIST to research testing, a risk-rating scale, and mitigation strategies for concrete structures that may not have yet developed cracking but contain pyrrhotite.\n\nImpact Aid \u2014 Includes $1.6 billion for the U.S. Department of Education\u2019s Impact Aid program, which provides support to local school districts with high proportions of military connected students and students who live on tribal lands, including Groton and Ledyard public schools. This represents a $61 million increase over 2022 levels. The measure also includes the full $60 million requested by Rep. Courtney to support the DOD Supplemental Impact Aid program, which directs additional support to school districts with high proportion so military-connected students.\n\nPreserving Eastern Connecticut\u2019s Natural Heritage \u2014 The final agreement includes $40 million for the Long Island Sound Geographic Program in FY 2023, an increase of $8.6 million from FY 2022. It also includes $3 million to support the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, which spans Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont, and $5.3 million for the Partnership Wild and Scenic Rivers Program, which helps protect local waterways like the Eightmile River and the Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed.\n\nPermanent Conservation of Plum Island \u2014 Includes language requested by Courtney expressing support for the permanent conservation of Plum Island following the decontamination and closure of the existing animal disease facility by the Department of Homeland Security, as well as $13.5 million to help DHS clean up the island in support of future preservation. Courtney has long championed the preservation of Plum Island, and earlier this year urged President Biden and Interior Secretary Haaland to use all available tools to ensure the permanent protection and management of Plum Island.\n\nSupport for Spent Nuclear Fuel Disposal \u2014 Provides $53 million for nuclear waste management and directs the Department of Energy to move forward to identify a site for a federal interim storage facility using a consent-based approach. This will help DOE continue efforts to identify an interim storage site that can host spent nuclear fuel from CT. Recently, Courtney hosted Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm and Assistant Secretary for the Office of Nuclear Energy Kathryn Huff in CT-02. In addition to visiting Connecticut Yankee in Haddam Neck and Millstone in Waterford, Secretary Granholm and Dr. Huff provided an update on the Department\u2019s efforts to identify interim storage sites for spent nuclear fuel, and heard from local stakeholders about the need to remove it from Connecticut.\n\nFunding for Working Families, Workforce Development, Veterans, and More\n\nEnsuring the Health of Our Veterans \u2014 Includes $5 billion to fully fund implementation of the Honoring Our PACT Act, which Courtney helped pass into law in July of this year, to address increased demand for health care and benefits and support the expedited implementation schedule announced by the Biden Administration.\n\nSpecial Education \u2014 Special education received $15.5 billion, an increase of $934 million over FY 2022 funding levels. This includes an increase of $850 million for Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B Grants to States, for a total of $14.2 billion.\n\nExpansion of Pell Grants \u2014 Provides $24.6 billion for Federal student aid programs, an increase of $34 million above the FY 2022 enacted level. Within this amount is $7,395 for the maximum Pell Grant. This $500 increase is the largest increase in the maximum award in more than a decade.\n\nCareer, Technical, and Adult Education \u2014 Provides $2.2 billion for Career, Technical and Adult Education, an increase of $100 million above the FY 2022 enacted level. This amount includes $1.4 billion for CTE State Grants, an increase of $50 million over 2022 levels.\n\nRegistered Apprenticeships \u2014 Provides a total of $285 million for Registered Apprenticeship programs nationwide, a $50 million increase over FY 2022 enacted levels.\n\nWIOA State Grants \u2014 Includes $2.9 billion for the Workforce Investment and Opportunity Act State Grant program, which supports a variety of workforce and career development opportunities nationwide.\n\nCommunity Based Services \u2014 $770 million for the Community Services Block Grant program, an increase of $15 million over FY 2022 levels.\n\nCommunity Health Centers \u2014 $1.9 billion to support the nationwide Community Health Center Program, an increase of $100 million over 2022 enacted levels.\n\nState Opioid Response Grants \u2014 $1.5 billion for nationwide State Opioid Response Grants, a $50 million increase over 2022 levels.\n\nDrug Free Communities Program \u2014 $109 million for the nationwide Drug Free Communities Program, a $3 million increase from 2022.\n\nAssistance to Firefighters and Local Fire Stations \u2014 $360 million for the federal Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program, which helps support fire stations and first responders across eastern Connecticut with important equipment purchases, necessary training, capital investment, and more.\n\nContinued Support for Ukraine\n\nOn the heels of President Zelenskyy\u2019s address to Congress, the Consolidated Appropriations Act includes $45 billion in emergency funding for Ukraine, as they continue to repel Russia\u2019s unlawful invasion and head into the winter months. Key priorities include:\n\nUkraine Security Assistance Initiative \u2014 Provides $9 billion for training, equipment, defense articles, and supplies, which has proved critical to Ukraine\u2019s success.\n\nUnited States European Command \u2014 Provides nearly $7 billion for the United States to continue mission support and logistics services in the European Area of Responsibility.\n\nHumanitarian Assistance \u2014 Provides $2 billion to support humanitarian initiatives for Internally Displaced Persons within Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees.\n\nChildren and Families \u2014 Provides $2 billion for resettlement and other support activities such as emergency housing, job training, and case management for Ukrainian arrivals.\n\nContinued Oversight \u2014 Provides $19.5 million in funds to the Department of Defense and Department of State to continue oversight of response activities and requires the DOD to report on enhanced end-use monitoring of defense articles sent to Ukraine. Also included is $7.5 million for the Government Accountability Office to conduct oversight on funds obligated in this bill and prior measures.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T03:32:05Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://courtney.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/courtney-votes-pass-2023-consolidated-appropriations-act-spending-bill"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.0054189953953028, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}