{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.manchin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/manchin-west-virginia-wins-included-in-year-end-funding-package", "Manchin: West Virginia Wins Included In Year-End Funding Package", "2020-12-21", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "House", "WV", "Joe Manchin", "M001183", "www.manchin.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "December 21, 2020\n\t\t\t Manchin: West Virginia Wins Included In Year-End Funding Package \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n        \n\t\t\t\t Final legislation includes Bipartisan COVID-19 emergency relief funding, comprehensive energy package and New River Gorge National Park and Preserve designation\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t Washington,\r\nDC  Today, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) released\r\nthe following statement on the passage of the year-end spending package\r\nthat includes COVID-19 emergency relief funding, a comprehensive energy\r\npackage, designation of the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve and\r\nadditional West Virginia priorities. Late\r\ntonight Congress passed a year-end spending package that contains long overdue\r\nCOVID-19 emergency relief funding, the first comprehensive national energy\r\npackage in 13 years, designation of the New River Gorge National Park and\r\nPreserve and additional West Virginia priorities. The bipartisan, bicameral\r\nlegislation I introduced last week served as the foundation for the final\r\nCOVID-19 relief bill and while some of our priorities were unfortunately not\r\nincluded in the final package, I am pleased this final bill supports programs\r\nthat will help our workers, families and small businesses make it through the\r\ndifficult months ahead, Senator Manchin said. This year-end package\r\nalso includes the designation of the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve\r\nwhich creates a 7,021 acre National Park and 65,165 acre National Preserve in\r\nsouthern West Virginia and an all-of-the-above update to our national energy\r\npolicy that focuses on innovation, rather than elimination, by providing a down\r\npayment on the research, development and demonstration of technologies to\r\nensure that all of our abundant energy sources are used in the cleanest way\r\npossible. This legislation includes many great provisions for the Mountain\r\nState and I urge President Trump to sign the year-end spending package immediately. Details\r\non the final year-end spending package can be found below: COVID-19\r\nEmergency Relief Package \r\n Strong\r\nsupport for small business:\r\nThe agreement includes over $284 billion for the Paycheck Protection\r\nProgram (PPP), including first- and second-round forgivable loans and\r\nexpanded eligibility for 501(c)(6) nonprofits and local newspapers, TV and\r\nradio broadcasters. It also includes:\r\n \r\n$15\r\nbillion in dedicated funding for live venues, independent movie theaters,\r\nand cultural institutions, and \r\n$20\r\nbillion for targeted EIDL Grants which are critical to many smaller\r\nbusinesses on Main Street.  \r\n Enhanced\r\nUnemployment Insurance: This\r\nagreement averts the sudden expiration of Unemployment Insurance benefits\r\non December 26th and provides an additional $300 per week for\r\nAmericans out of work through March 14th.  \r\n Schools: This agreement provides $82 billion for states, K-12\r\nschools, and institutions of higher education. \r\n \r\n$54.3\r\nbillion for public K-12 schools\r\n$22.7\r\nbillion for institutions of higher education\r\n$4\r\nbillion for the Governor's Emergency Education Relief Fund  \r\n Nutritional\r\nassistance: The agreement provides $13\r\nbillion for nutritional assistance, including a temporary 15% increase in\r\nSNAP benefits and additional funding for food banks and senior nutrition\r\nprograms.  \r\n Rental\r\nassistance: The agreement includes $25\r\nbillion in critically needed rental assistance for families struggling to\r\nstay in their homes, and an extension of the eviction moratorium through\r\nJanuary 31, 2021.  \r\n Broadband: The agreement includes $7 billion in funding to close\r\nthe digital divide, including $65 million to update the national broadband\r\nmaps.  \r\n Mental\r\nHealth and Addiction: The\r\nagreement includes $4.25 billion to help those struggling with addiction,\r\nincluding $1.65 billion for Substance Abuse and Treatment Block Grants and\r\n$1.65B for Mental Health Services Block Grants\r\n  The\r\nEnergy Act of 2020 Notable\r\nprovisions include: \r\n Modernization\r\nof the functions and structure of the Department of Energy's program for\r\ncarbon capture, utilization, and storage, to help make these technologies\r\ncommercially viable for coal and natural gas generation and industrial\r\nfacilities.  \r\n Reauthorization\r\nof the Weatherization Assistance Program. West Virginia has received over\r\n$30 million since 2010 through this program for weatherization work in\r\nover 8,000 West Virginian homes.  \r\n Codification\r\nof a NETL-led program to develop advanced separation technologies for\r\nextraction and recovery of rare earth elements from coal byproducts. West\r\nVirginia University has been a lead recipient and research partner in this\r\nwork.  \r\n A\r\nrobust effort to rebuild domestic supply chains through a multi-Department\r\nemphasis on locating, responsibly producing, increasing the efficient use\r\nof, recycling, and developing alternatives for critical minerals.  \r\n Investment\r\nin all types of renewable energy resources  including wind, solar,\r\nhydropower, marine, and geothermal  including a focus on applying\r\ngeothermal technologies to deeper or more challenging resources such as\r\nWest Virginia's geologic formations.  \r\n An\r\nexpanded focus on energy storage, including technical and planning\r\nassistance grants to help smaller utilities and electric cooperatives,\r\nlike West Virginia's Harrison Rural Electrification Association, deploy\r\nenergy storage.\r\n  New\r\nRiver Gorge National Park and Preserve Designation Act This\r\ndesignation will: \r\n Create\r\na 65,165 acre National Preserve and a 7,021 acre National Park  \r\n Open\r\nup 368 acres to hunting in Grandview for the first time ever  \r\n Keep\r\n301 acres of the Lower Gorge open to hunting following the requests of local\r\nhunters  \r\n Authorize\r\nthe National Park Service to acquire up to 3,711 acres of land for\r\npotential addition to theNational Preserve.  \r\n Authorize\r\nthe NPS to acquire up to 100 acres near the National Park and Preserve for\r\nparking, which is needed to avoid impacts to nearby landowners from\r\nincreased visitation to the National Park \r\nWater\r\nResource Development Act of 2020 \r\n Southern\r\nWV Economic Development:\r\nSenator Manchin secured a provision directing the Army Corps of Engineers,\r\nthe Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), and other relevant federal\r\nagencies to work together on a comprehensive report that would help\r\nidentify the potential for Corps of Engineers Facilities that could be\r\nimproved for recreation, economic development, and hydropower in the Appalachian\r\nregion.  \r\n WV\r\nWater Infrastructure:\r\nSenator Manchin secured two provisions expanding the project caps for the\r\nCentral and Southern West Virginia Environmental Restoration programs by\r\n$80 million each, keeping these programs viable and able to continue providing\r\nclean water and sanitary waste systems to West Virginia communities.  \r\n Bluestone\r\nDam: Continues support for the Army\r\nCorps to expedite the final bolstering of Bluestone Dam. \r\n  Other\r\nWest Virginia priorities included:  \r\n Opioids\r\n($3.95B): Billions in dedicated funding\r\nto combat opioids including $1.5 billion for the State Opioid Response\r\nGrant program with 15% set aside for the hardest hit states, including WV.  \r\n Clean\r\nDrinking Water ($2.74B):\r\nSupports nearly $2.74 billion in appropriations toward water\r\ninfrastructure, as well as $43 million directed to address PFAS chemicals,\r\nwhich have impacted several cities in WV.  \r\n Suicide\r\nPrevention ($757.6M):\r\nIncludes Senator Manchin's Crisis Care Improvement & Suicide\r\nPrevention Act, which provides an increase of $35 million to the Mental\r\nHealth Services Block Grant, including a 5% set aside for evidence-based\r\ncrisis care programs.  \r\n Youth\r\nHomelessness ($303.3M):\r\n$106.5 million for McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children &\r\nYouth, $116.8 million for the Runaway and Homeless Youth Program at the\r\nAdministration for Children & Families and $80 million to stop youth\r\nhomelessness through HUD, as well as language Senator Manchin authored to\r\nrequire schools to provide greater transparency on how funding is spent to\r\nassist homeless youth.  \r\n Appalachian\r\nEconomic Development ($198.5M):\r\n$115 million for AML Economic Development Grants, $50 million for ARC\r\nPOWER Grants, $33.5 million for EDA's Assistance to Coal Communities.\r\n \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t \n\t\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n    \n\t\n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 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.manchin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/manchin-west-virginia-wins-included-in-year-end-funding-package"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.2016658913344145, "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"}