{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=6DEACF57-625F-4C68-8CB4-30A50839A089", "McConnell Secures Resources to Benefit Kentucky in this Year\u2019s Government Funding Bill", "2022-12-22", "2022", "2022-12", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced today this year\u2019s Fiscal Year 2023 government funding bill contains significant resources to support important Kentucky institutions and programs. As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator McConnell advocated on behalf of the Commonwealth in this year's government funding process. Once the House passes the measure, it will go to the President for his signature.\n\n\u201cThis government funding bill makes a big, real-dollar increase in defense spending and a big, real-dollar cut to liberal domestic spending while still directing significant federal resources to Kentucky. It\u2019s a win for every Kentuckian concerned with rising threats to our national security and the Commonwealth\u2019s economy and health,\u201d said Senator McConnell. \u201cWhile I worked to ensure responsible spending in this bill, I also made sure it funds the programs that directly help Kentucky. This legislation devotes landmark resources to helping disaster-affected communities, securing our national defense, fighting back against substance abuse, investing in our infrastructure, and preserving our natural beauty.\u201d\n\nSenator McConnell secured the following achievements in this year\u2019s bill to benefit Kentucky:\n\nProtecting Land Between the Lakes\n\n\u201cLand Between the Lakes is one of Kentucky\u2019s finest natural treasures and drives tourism and job growth in a large portion of Western Kentucky. I\u2019ve worked with constituent groups for years to preserve this Kentucky landmark for future generations, and was proud to continue those efforts in legislation included in this year\u2019s government funding bill,\u201d said Senator McConnell. \u201cThe Land Between the Lakes Recreation and Heritage Act will improve funding and oversight and help solve the long list of issues facing LBL. I appreciate Congressman Comer\u2019s work on the issue and look forward to the improvements it will make for visitors and LBL stakeholders.\u201d\n\nSenator McConnell introduced the Land Between the Lakes Recreation and Heritage Act in April and shepherded it through the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee unanimously in July. Congressman James Comer (KY-01) introduced a companion bill in the House of Representatives. This year\u2019s federal funding bill enacts the Land Between the Lakes Recreation and Heritage Act into law, including the following provisions:\n\nSecures more federal resources to address Land Between the Lakes\u2019 (LBL) maintenance needs and expand recreation opportunities. This includes additional funding from the U.S. Forest Service and regulations ensuring user fees collected at LBL are used to improve LBL.\n\nMakes changes to the LBL Advisory Board makeup to ensure consistent and responsive leadership.\n\nBolsters law enforcement capacity in LBL and surrounding counties.\n\nBetter defines the special status of the families who once resided in LBL and guarantees their direct descendants\u2019 access to cemeteries within the territory.\n\nHelping Kentucky Rebuild from This Year\u2019s Disasters\n\n\u201cWhen I visited Eastern Kentucky following this summer\u2019s devastating floods, I told my constituents that I would stand by their side for as long as the recovery process took. This year\u2019s government funding bill helps build on that promise,\u201d said Senator McConnell. \u201cFrom funds for new housing, to resources for long-term recovery, to investments to lessen future flood risk, provisions in this legislation will directly help rebuild shattered Eastern Kentucky communities. There\u2019s no easy way to recover from disasters as destructive as these floods, but I\u2019m confident the Commonwealth will bounce back.\u201d\n\n\u201cSenator McConnell has stood with Eastern Kentucky since the moment floods hit this summer. With the provisions he secured in this year\u2019s government funding bill, he is doubling down on his commitment to helping us rebuild better than before. We appreciate his help and look forward to using the funding in this legislation to continue our recovery process,\u201d said Kentucky State Representative Chris Fugate.\n\nSenator McConnell advocated for robust funding for the following programs:\n\nThe Department of Housing and Urban Development\u2019s (HUD) Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program.\n\nThe U.S. Department of Agriculture\u2019s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Emergency Watershed Protection Program.\n\nThe USDA\u2019s Rural Water and Waste Disposal Program.\n\nThis year\u2019s government funding bill also funds federal programs that can help Kentucky communities affected by disasters rebuild homes and critical infrastructure. Those include initiatives within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Small Business Administration\u2019s (SBA) Disaster Loans Program, the Department of Transportation (DOT), the Economic Development Administration (EDA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (UDSA) and USDA\u2019s Office of Rural Development.\n\nSecuring our National Defense\n\n\u201cKentucky\u2019s military installations and servicemembers form a crucial part of America\u2019s defense infrastructure. With our nation\u2019s enemies on the move across the globe, it\u2019s more important than ever that we invest in our armed forces, in the Commonwealth and around the country,\u201d said Senator McConnell. \u201cThis year\u2019s government funding bill not only delivers record funding for our nation\u2019s military; it also provides resources to take care of Kentucky veterans, better accommodate the Commonwealth\u2019s military families, and develop the next generation of talent for our armed forces.\u201d\n\n$35 million for the new Robley Rex VA Medical Center in Louisville, Kentucky to cover construction cost increases.\n\n$1.059 billion for chemical agents and munitions destruction, a portion of which supports demilitarization operations at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Richmond, Kentucky.\n\n$135 million for the renovation of Vietnam War-era barracks to improve soldier quality of life at Fort Campbell.\n\n$20 million for an Army Research Lab manufacturing project, which supports research done at the University of Kentucky.\n\n$20 million for the National Security Agency (NSA) to support the University of Louisville\u2019s cyber workforce training program.\n\n$350 million for the acquisition of the first Gray Eagle Unmanned Aerial Systems for Army National Guard units.\n\nFighting Back Against Substance Abuse\n\n\u201cKentucky is facing record drug overdoses and, with fentanyl flooding across our southern border, the crisis is far from over. As we continue to fight our Commonwealth\u2019s substance abuse epidemic, I\u2019ve worked across party lines to bring federal drug czars to Kentucky and direct more than $650 million to fight back against addiction in our state. This year\u2019s government funding bill goes even further than those past initiatives, directing millions of dollars to the programs that keep drugs off our streets and help Kentuckians beat addiction,\u201d said Senator McConnell.\n\nThis legislation extends the federal ban on fentanyl-like substances through the end of 2024 and provides robust funding to programs that help prevent and treat substance abuse in Kentucky. Those include the State Opioid Response Grant program, the Byrne Justice Assistance Grants (JAG) program, the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program, the National Guard Counter-Drug program, the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program, and the Comprehensive Addiction Recovery through Effective Employment and Reentry (CAREER) Act workforce and transitional housing programs.\n\nInvesting in Kentucky\u2019s Infrastructure and Economy\n\n\u201cBy investing in Kentucky\u2019s infrastructure today, we are building the jobs, businesses, and economy that our Commonwealth needs for the future. Last year\u2019s bipartisan infrastructure bill offered record resources to spur infrastructure development in our state and this year\u2019s government funding bill will go even further. The programs funded by this legislation promise to help Kentucky stay at the crossroads of American commerce and cement our place in the global economy,\u201d said Senator McConnell.\n\nFunds the Department of Transportation\u2019s (DOT) RAISE discretionary grant program, which has funded over $286 million in new Kentucky transportation projects to date.\n\nFunds the Essential Air Service program, which benefits the Barkley Regional Airport in Paducah and the Owensboro-Daviess County Regional Airport.\n\n$344.9 million to support workers performing necessary environmental cleanup operations at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant. This includes $7.5 million for the treatment and offsite shipment of oxide cylinders and $2 million for a reindustrialization study for the site following the completion of its deconstruction.\n\nFunds the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) to support infrastructure development in Central Appalachia. This includes $16 million for basic infrastructure development \u2013 through a program Senator McConnell helped create - $13 million to address substance abuse, and $10 million to develop broadband.\n\nFunds the Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS), a 3,090-mile network of highways linking Appalachian states like Kentucky to the national Interstate Highway System.\n\n$52 million to be split among the 12 Regional Biocontainment Laboratories, including the University of Louisville\u2019s biocontainment laboratory, to support research in biodefense.\n\nFunds the Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communities (WORC) program to provide enhanced worker training in rural areas. $21.75 million will be distributed to the ARC and Delta Regional Authority (DRA) each, both of which include Kentucky.\n\n$43.4 million for the American Printing House for the Blind in Louisville, which creates innovative products for visually-impaired students and people around the country.\n\n$30.1 million for the Delta Regional Authority to support economic and infrastructure development in the Mississippi Delta region, which includes a number of counties in Western Kentucky.\n\n$10 million for researching alternative uses for coal at the University of Kentucky.\n\nFunds programs to encourage broadband and telehealth improvements in rural areas.\n\nEnsures funding remains available for the Letcher County federal prison construction project to move forward.\n\nPreserving Kentucky\u2019s Natural Beauty\n\n\u201cKentucky\u2019s natural treasures don\u2019t just make our Commonwealth beautiful; they also attract tourists, support jobs, and offer recreation opportunities to locals and visitors alike. This year\u2019s government funding bill helps Kentucky preserve that natural inheritance for years to come, ensuring future generations can enjoy the parks and waterways we all cherish,\u201d said Senator McConnell.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:41:06Z"]], "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.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=6DEACF57-625F-4C68-8CB4-30A50839A089"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.495857024565339, "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"}