{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.blunt.senate.gov/news/press-releases/blunt-highlights-priorities-in-senate-passed-health-education-and-labor-funding-bill", "Blunt Highlights Priorities in Senate-Passed Health, Education, and Labor Funding Bill", "2019-12-19", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Roy Blunt", "B000575", "www.blunt.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON - U.S.\r\nSenator Roy Blunt (Mo.), Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor,\r\nHealth and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor/HHS), today\r\npraised Senate passage of the fiscal year 2020 Labor/HHS appropriations bill.\r\nThe bill includes several national and Missouri priorities, including the fifth\r\nconsecutive increase for the National Institutes of Health and additional\r\nresources to combat the opioid epidemic, support high-quality early childhood\r\ncare and education, promote college affordability and completion, and\r\nstrengthen America's workforce. The bill is now headed to the president's desk. This bill funds a wide range of programs that have one\r\nthing in common: improving the quality of life for every American, said Blunt. The $2.6 billion increase\r\nfor NIH marks more than a 38% increase over the past five years, paving the way\r\nfor new medical advances that are giving hope to millions of families. The bill\r\nalso focuses on giving every American the opportunity to be successful in\r\nwhatever educational or career path they choose. This year, the bill begins a\r\nnew initiative to ensure that high-school age kids have the ability to pursue a\r\nfull-range of post-secondary options  whether it's attending a four-year\r\nuniversity, a community college, or entering an apprenticeship program. We have\r\nalso, for a third year in a row, increased the maximum Pell Grant award and\r\ncontinued eligibility for Year-Round Pell, and increased investments in core\r\nelementary and secondary education programs. This bill reflects numerous\r\npriorities that have had broad support on both sides of the aisle and I look\r\nforward to seeing it signed into law. The bill also includes resources to prevent waste, fraud,\r\nabuse, and improper payments in the Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid\r\nprograms, saving taxpayers billions over the next decade. Key Priorities\r\nFunded in the Labor/HHS Bill: Supporting Groundbreaking Medical Research and Expanding Access to\r\nHealth Care Services, Including Mental and Behavioral Health Care:  National Institutes\r\nof Health (NIH): The bill includes a $2.6 billion increase for the NIH.\r\nSince Blunt became chairman of the Labor/HHS subcommittee in the FY2016\r\nappropriations cycle, NIH funding has increased by $11.6 billion, or 38.6%.\r\nMissouri institutions received $640.5 million in NIH funding in FY2019. From\r\n2015-2019, NIH funding to Missouri institutions increased by $168.9 million.\r\nMore details here.  \r\n  Ending the HIV\r\nEpidemic: The bill includes $295 million, an increase of $245 million, to\r\nsupport the President's HIV initiative and other high priority HIV efforts to\r\nreduce the number of new HIV infections by 90% in 10 years. The majority of\r\nthese resources will be targeted to 48 counties and seven states, including\r\nMissouri, for prevention, diagnoses, research, and response activities.  \r\n  Opioid Epidemic:\r\nThe bill continues $3.8 billion to combat the opioid epidemic. Funds are\r\ntargeted toward improving treatment and prevention efforts; finding alternative\r\npain medications; workforce needs, especially in our rural communities; and\r\ntreating behavioral health. Importantly, the bill gives states flexibility to\r\nuse State Opioid Response grants on stimulants. Under Blunt's leadership,\r\nfunding for health-related opioid programs has increased by $3.6 billion.  Mental Health:\r\nAs a critical part of both combating opioid use disorder and ensuring safety in\r\nour schools and communities, the bill provides $3.9 billion, a $328 million\r\nincrease, for mental health research, treatment, and prevention, including:  o Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics: The bill provides\r\n$200 million, an increase of $50 million, for Certified Community Behavioral\r\nHealth Clinics. In 2018, Blunt targeted funding to community clinics that\r\nprovide a comprehensive approach to mental health care treatment. To date,\r\nMissouri clinics have received $12 million in funds from this program. Blunt\r\nhas led efforts to expand access to mental health care, including through his Excellence\r\nIn Mental Health Act, which created a pilot program in Missouri and seven\r\nother states to advance progress toward treating mental health like all other\r\nhealth; o Project AWARE: The bill provides $102 million, a $31 million\r\nincrease, for this program that supports coordination between schools and State\r\nMental Health Agencies to increase awareness of mental health among school-aged\r\nyouth, train school personnel on detecting and responding to mental health\r\nissues, and connect school-aged youth and their families with needed\r\nservices;  o Mental Health Awareness Training: The bill provides $23 million, an\r\nincrease of $2 million, for Mental Health Awareness Training in which Missouri\r\nwas one of the first adopters; o Suicide Prevention Programs: The bill provides $90 million, an\r\nincrease of $16 million, to support the suicide lifeline and grants to help\r\nidentify and help those at risk of suicide; o Behavioral Health Workforce Education & Training: The bill\r\nprovides $105 million, an increase of $30 million, to support new and existing\r\nworkforce training programs, including $26.7 million to establish the Mental\r\nand Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Workforce Training Demonstration for grants to\r\ntrain professionals to provide SUD and mental health treatment and $10 million\r\nfor peer support specialists and other types of behavioral health-related\r\nparaprofessionals. o Pediatric Mental Health Access Grants: The bill provides $10\r\nmillion for Pediatric Mental Health Access Grants to expand access to\r\nbehavioral health services in pediatric primary care settings; o National Institute of Mental Health: The bill provides $2 billion\r\nfor mental health research at the National Institutes of Health, an increase of\r\n$161.7 million.  Community Health\r\nCenters: The bill provides $1.63 billion for Community Health Centers. As\r\nco-chair of the Community Health Center caucus, Blunt has introduced legislation\r\nto reauthorize and increase mandatory funding for the program. There are more\r\nthan 260 sites in Missouri, with Missouri health centers receiving over $100\r\nmillion in federal grant funding to serve a total of 585,000 patients a year.\r\nAdditionally, Community Health Centers received a five-month extension of their\r\nmandatory funding as part of the bill.  Medical Student\r\nEducation: The bill provides $50 million, an increase of $25 million, for\r\nMedical Student Education funding for states with highest projected physician\r\nshortages in 2025. Missouri is one of eight eligible states. Funding includes\r\n$15 million for supplemental grants to 2019 grantees, including the University\r\nof Missouri, and $35 million to fund the remaining 2019 applicants.  Rural Health:\r\n$318.3 million for Rural Health Care programs. The obstacles faced by patients\r\nand providers in rural communities are unique and often differ greatly from\r\nthose in urban areas. The bill focuses resources toward efforts and programs to\r\nhelp rural communities, including: o Opioid Response: $110 million to support treatment for and\r\nprevention of substance use disorders, with a focus on rural communities at the\r\nhighest risk for substance use disorder; o Telehealth: $29 million, an increase of $4.5 million, to expand the\r\nuse of telecommunications technologies within rural areas that can link rural\r\nhealth providers and patients with specialists; and o Delta States Network Rural Development Network Grant: $22 million,\r\nan increase of $2 million, to continue a program to help underserved rural\r\ncommunities in the Delta identify and better address their health care needs.\r\nThis includes $10 million for the Delta Region Community Health Systems\r\nDevelopment (DRCHSD) program, which started under Blunt's chairmanship, to help\r\nsmall rural hospitals improve their financial and operational stability.\r\nMadison Medical Center in Fredericktown, Mo., was selected to participate\r\nin the DRCHSD program in August 2019; Pemiscot County Memorial Hospital in\r\nHayti, Mo., and Iron County Hospital in Pilot Knob, Mo., have participated\r\nin the in the program since December 2017.  Children's\r\nHospitals Graduate Medical Education (CHGME): The bill provides $340\r\nmillion, a $15 million increase, for the CHGME program. The program protects\r\nchildren's access to high quality medical care by providing freestanding\r\nchildren's hospitals with funding to support the training of pediatric\r\nproviders. In Missouri, Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City and St. Louis\r\nChildren's Hospital in St. Louis both receive approximately $6 million a year\r\neach in funding from this program. This funding level represents an increase of\r\n$75 million for CHGME under Blunt's chairmanship the last four years, or 20\r\npercent. Supporting Education from Early Childhood through Career: Early Childhood Care\r\nand Education:  Head Start: The\r\nbill provides $10.6 billion, an increase of $550 million, for Head Start. This\r\nincludes funding to help all Head Start programs keep up with rising costs,\r\nmaintain enrollment, and continue to provide high-quality services for children\r\nand families. In 2018, Missouri Head Start programs received more than $167\r\nmillion to serve 15,000 children and their families. The increase includes: o $250 million in new funding for\r\nall Head Start programs targeted at improving trauma-informed care practices to\r\naddress adverse childhood experiences, including those related to substance use\r\ndisorders; o $100 million to expand Early Head\r\nStart, which serves children and families from\r\nbefore birth to age three, including partnerships with child care providers\r\nto leverage investments in child care and improve the quality of those\r\nprograms.  Child Care and\r\nDevelopment Block Grant (CCDBG): The bill provides $5.8 billion, an\r\nincrease of $550 million, for CCDBG. This funding will help ensure and improve\r\nthe safety and quality of child care programs, including increasing provider\r\npayment rates, and expand working families' access to high-quality child care.\r\nMissouri receives over $95 million from CCDBG annually, and an additional $56\r\nmillion from related mandatory programs. Blunt previously highlighted the\r\nimportance of CCDBG during\r\na roundtable discussion led by Ivanka Trump in Kansas City.    Preschool\r\nDevelopment Grants: The bill provides $275 million, an increase of $25\r\nmillion, to help improve the coordination of existing early childhood programs\r\nfor children from birth to five. Missouri received a $6.5 million planning\r\ngrant in January 2019. Elementary and\r\nSecondary Education:  Individuals with\r\nDisabilities Education Act (IDEA): The bill provides $13.6 billion, an\r\nincrease of $410 million, to support the educational needs of students with\r\ndisabilities. Missouri received approximately $254 million from these programs\r\nfor the 2019-2020 school year.  Title I Grants to\r\nLocal Educational Agencies: The bill provides $16.3 billion, an increase of\r\n$450 million, for grants to school districts to help all children meet\r\nchallenging state academic standards. Missouri received approximately $249\r\nmillion in Title I funding for the 2019-2020 school year to support schools\r\nwith a significant number or percentage of students from low-income families.  Title II Supporting\r\nEffective Instruction State Grants: The bill provides $2.1 billion, an\r\nincrease of $76 million, to support teacher professional development.  Impact Aid: The\r\nbill provides $1.5 billion, an increase of $40 million, for Impact Aid.\r\nMissouri school districts receive approximately $26 million annually to help\r\ncompensate for the presence of federal activities and land, including lost\r\nrevenue.  STEM and Computer\r\nScience Education: The bill provides $65 million, an increase of $5\r\nmillion, in targeted STEM and computer science education funding, including\r\nsupporting STEM/CSE teachers. Higher Education:  Pell Grants:\r\nFor the third year in a row, the bill increases the maximum Pell Grant award,\r\nproviding an increase of $150 or 2.4%, for the 2020-21 school year, from $6,195\r\nto $6,345. Approximately 90,000 students receive over $350 million in Pell\r\nGrant funding to attend Missouri colleges and universities. In 2018, Blunt successfully\r\nled efforts to restore funding for year-round Pell Grants.  Campus-Based\r\nStudent Aid Programs: The bill provides $865 million, an increase of $25\r\nmillion, for Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, and $1.2 billion, an\r\nincrease of $50 million, for Federal Work Study. These programs provide\r\nflexibility for colleges and universities to design financial aid packages to\r\nbest meet their students' needs.  TRIO: The bill\r\nprovides $1.1 billion, an increase of $30 million, for the TRIO program to help\r\nlow-income and first generation students get into college and succeed when they\r\nare there.           Preparing America's\r\nWorkforce:  Career Pathways\r\nInitiative: Too many students leave high school without a clear\r\nunderstanding of the full range of post-secondary options, from apprenticeship\r\nprograms to advanced degrees, that can lead to good, high-paying careers.\r\nCreating these connections for students beginning when they are high school-age\r\ncan be critical to improving educational and employment outcomes. The bill\r\nprovides $20 million to establish new initiatives at the Departments of Labor\r\nand Education: o $10 million for a new initiative\r\nto help school districts, institutions of higher education, and area CTE\r\nschools implement a wide-range of activities, such as aligning curriculums with\r\nacademic standards and occupational licensing and credentialing, and providing\r\ndirect services to students, with the goal of improving pathways for students\r\nbeginning in high school that can lead to the full-range of post-secondary\r\ncollege and career options. o $10 million for a new youth\r\ncareer pathways demonstration program at the Department of Labor to improve\r\nworkforce readiness, employment and training opportunities, and provide early\r\nexposure to multiple career pathways.  Apprenticeship\r\nProgram: The bill includes a $15 million increase for the Apprenticeship\r\nprogram, bringing the overall funding level to $175 million. That marks an $85\r\nmillion increase since Congress began funding this program in FY2016. Blunt has\r\nadvocated\r\nfor increased apprenticeship opportunities to close the skills gap.  Veterans Employment\r\nand Training (VETS): The bill provides $311.3 million, an $11.3 million\r\nincrease, for VETS. VETS provides intensive employment services to veterans and\r\neligible spouses, transitioning service members, and disabled veterans. This\r\nincreased funding will support veterans in the transition assistance program as\r\nthey move into the civilian workforce, and allow the Department of Labor to implement\r\nreforms required by the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act and assist\r\nmilitary spouses in addressing occupational and credentialing barriers.  HIRE Vets Medallion\r\nProgram: The bill continues to provide resources to carry out the HIRE\r\nVets Act, a bill authored by Sen. Blunt which established a tiered\r\nrecognition program within the Department of Labor to award employers based on\r\ntheir contributions to veteran employment. In November, the department\r\nannounced that seven Missouri employers received HIRE Vets Medallion Program\r\nAwards.  Rural Workforce\r\nTraining Initiative: The bill provides $30 million in continued funding for\r\nthe dislocated worker training initiative, Workforce Opportunity for Rural\r\nCommunities, to provide reemployment and training assistance to dislocated\r\nworkers in rural areas of the country hit hardest by the recession and\r\nrecovering more slowly. Funding is\r\ndevoted to training those who have lost their jobs in the Appalachian and Delta\r\nregions to ensure they can adapt existing skills and learn new skills demanded\r\nby other growing industries and return to work as soon as possible.  Strengthening\r\nCommunity Colleges Initiative: The bill provides $40 million for a new\r\ninitiative to better align workforce development needs for in-demand industries\r\nwith post-secondary education.  Workforce Training\r\nGrants: The bill includes $2.8 billion in grants to states, an increase of\r\n$30 million. These funds are distributed by formula to states and localities to\r\nmeet each state's unique workforce training and development needs. Missouri\r\nreceived $38.2 million in training and employment services grants in 2019.  Youth Workforce\r\nTraining: The bill increases funding for several other programs to provide\r\nat-risk youth with the opportunity to gain educational and occupations skills:      o Youth Grants to States: $913 million, an increase of $9.7\r\nmillion; o YouthBuild: $94.5 million, an\r\nincrease of $5 million. Missouri has\r\nfour current YouthBuild grantees located in Columbia, St. Joseph, and St.\r\nLouis; and o Job Corps: $1.7 billion, an\r\nincrease of $25 million. Missouri has\r\nthree Job Corps centers located in Excelsior Springs, Puxico, and St. Louis. Reducing Fraud, Waste, and Abuse of Taxpayer Dollars:  Reemployment\r\nServices and Eligibility Assessments: $175 million to conduct enhanced,\r\nin-person assessments to accelerate the reemployment of Unemployment\r\nCompensation recipients in order to reduce the duration of their time receiving\r\nbenefits and the likelihood of exhausting benefit coverage. These actions would\r\nalso help protect the integrity of the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund by\r\nreducing improper payments. This program has been shown to save $2.60 for every\r\n$1.00 spent.  Health Care Fraud\r\nand Abuse Control (HCFAC): $786 million is provided by utilizing the cap\r\nadjustment provided in the Budget Control Act. For every $1 spent on HCFAC, $2\r\nis recovered by the U.S. Treasury. This will create over $10.2 billion in\r\nsavings to the Treasury over 10 years.  Preventing Social\r\nSecurity Disability Fraud, Abuse, and Improper Payments: $1.6 billion is\r\nprovided to support periodic reviews to ensure that individuals receiving\r\nSocial Security disability benefits are still eligible under program rules.\r\nThis funding is estimated to save approximately $9.6 billion over 10 years for\r\nthe Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid programs. Other highlights of the bill include:  Child Welfare and\r\nChild Abuse Prevention and Treatment Programs: The bill includes $90\r\nmillion, an increase of $5 million, for Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment\r\nState Grants and $56 million, an increase of $16 million, for Community Based\r\nChild Abuse Prevention Grants. In addition, the bill includes funding to accelerate\r\nreview of programs and interventions potentially eligible for mandatory funding\r\nto leverage those resources to prevent children from entering the foster care\r\nsystem.  Family Violence and\r\nPrevention Services: The bill includes $175 million, an increase of $10.5\r\nmillion, for domestic violence shelters and services, and $12 million, an\r\nincrease of $2 million, for the national domestic violence hotline.  Low Income Home\r\nEnergy Assistance Program (LIHEAP): $3.7 billion, an increase of $50\r\nmillion, for home heating and cooling assistance for low-income households.\r\nMissouri receives approximately $80 million which provides home energy\r\nassistance to approximately 124,000 households.  Corporation for\r\nNational and Community Service: $1.1 billion, an increase of $20 million,\r\nincluding $428.5 million for AmeriCorps grants, an increase of $3.5 million,\r\nand $221 million for Senior Corps, an increase of $13 million, including\r\nfunding to increase the Senior Companion and Foster Grandparent Program\r\nstipends.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "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://www.blunt.senate.gov/news/press-releases/blunt-highlights-priorities-in-senate-passed-health-education-and-labor-funding-bill"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5998710878193378, "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"}