{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://cicilline.house.gov/press-release/house-approves-national-estuary-program-funding-bill", "House Approves National Estuary Program Funding Bill", "2014-11-13", "2014", "2014-11", "Democrat", "House", "RI", "David Cicilline", "C001084", "cicilline.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Today, the U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation to reauthorize the Environmental Protection Agency\u2019s National Estuary Program (NEP), which awards grants to the nation\u2019s 28 national estuaries to safeguard the health of important coastal ecosystems across the country, including Rhode Island\u2019s Narragansett Bay Estuary Program. U.S. Congressman David N. Cicilline (D-RI) noted that the program has a long history of bipartisan support and was first established in 1987 by Rhode Island\u2019s Republican Senator John Chafee.\n\u201cThe Narragansett Bay is an essential part of Rhode Island\u2019s economy and culture, and connects Rhode Islander\u2019s with nature and the sea. It\u2019s important that we continue to protect this natural treasure for future generations to enjoy and reauthorizing the National Estuary Program will provide critical funds for the Narragansett Bay Estuary Program to continue its important work,\u201d said Cicilline.\nIn Fiscal Year 2014 the National Estuary Program was funded at $25.1 million. This legislation would authorize $27 million for the program through FY2018 and prioritize funding within the NEP to meet high priority needs, including sea grass loss, reoccurring harmful algal blooms and invasive exotic species or jellyfish proliferation. These awards would be provided on a competitive basis and would not impact the amount of base grants for estuaries.\nNow that the bill has passed the House it must be approved by the full Senate before it can be signed into law by the President.", 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": ["http://cicilline.house.gov/press-release/house-approves-national-estuary-program-funding-bill"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5646701212972403, "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"}