WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, U.S. Representative Mark Pocan (WI-02) voted in favor of nine appropriations bills totaling more than $800 billion in federal funding.

“Today’s funding bills will improve the lives of millions of Americans,” Congressman Pocan said. “I was proud to help draft these once-in-a-generation spending bills through my seat on the Appropriations Committee, and I am grateful that so many federal resources will be flowing to Wisconsin’s 2nd Congressional District as a result.  These bills contain much needed aid and support, and I will continue to fight to make sure every Wisconsin family gets their fair share.”

Selected provisions directly impacting Wisconsin’s 2nd Congressional District that were included in legislation passed today by the U.S. House of Representatives are highlighted below. These provisions now head to the Senate for passage before going to the President’s desk to be signed into law.

  • $4 million toward a new plant breeding facility at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  The existing World War II-era building, which is shared by U.S. Dept. of Agriculture researchers, is outdated and in severe need of replacement.
  • $2 million for a Men’s Homeless Shelter in Madison.
  • $1 million toward the construction of the Center for Black Excellence & Culture in Madison.
  • $500,000 for a new Boys & Girls Club in Beloit.
  • $220,000 for renovating a decommissioned elementary school into a community center in Reedsburg.
  • $200,000 for a Centro Hispano of Dane County facility expansion allowing it to provide additional programming and classes such as workforce and career development, family support services, and immigration support.
  • $200,000 for the Green County Aging and Disability Resource Center to create a mobile health outreach unit and hire staff for the new unit.
  • $15 million for an NIH Center on Exposome Studies in Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias, research in which UW-Madison is a world leader.
  • $4 million increase for the Social Security Administration’s Retirement and Disability Research Consortium which will result in a $1 million increase in research at UW-Madison.
  • Full federal funding for the National Poverty Research Center at UW-Madison.
  • $12.7 million for the Rural Health Residency Program which will support expanded efforts to provide obstetrics and gynecology residencies, a specialty of UW-Madison.
  • $5 million for a national program that will connect university researchers and students with localities in need of technical support and advice based on the model created by Madison’s own Educational Partnerships for Innovation in Communities (EPIC-N).
  • $100 million for Bioenergy and Environmental Research Centers led by universities across the U.S., including the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center led by UW-Madison.
  • $7.32 billion for the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, a $270 million increase that will directly benefit UW-Madison, the second largest university recipient of this funding.
  • $173,507 for the Wisconsin Small Business Development Center located at UW-Madison.
  • $1 million increase for a competitive grant program that will benefit corn genetics research at UW-Madison.
  • $500,000 for genetic hemp research that UW-Madison researchers will pursue.
  • Direction for FDA to pursue accurate labeling of non-dairy products such as almond and soy milk to avoid confusion with traditional dairy products.

More broadly, the bills passed today by the House of Representatives included once-in-a-generation increases for federal agencies and programs, including – but not limited to – the following:

  • $119.8 billion for the Dept. of Health and Human Services ($22.9 billion increase)
  • $49 billion for the National Institutes of Health ($6.5 billion increase)
  • $10.6 billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ($2.7 billion increase)
  • $7 billion for the National Cancer Institute ($432 million increase)
  • $3.4 billion for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias research ($200 million increase)
  • $3.3 billion for HIV/AIDS research ($200 million increase)
  • $14.7 billion for the Dept. of Labor ($2.2 billion increase)
  • $2.1 billion for Worker Protection Agencies ($305 million increase)
  • $102.8 billion for the U.S. Dept. of Education ($102.8 billion increase)
  • $27.2 billion for Federal Student Aid Programs for higher education ($2.64 billion increase)
  • $17.2 billion for Special Education programs ($3.1 billion increase)
  • $2.2 billion for Career, Technical, and Adult Education ($208 million increase)
  • $113.1 billion for the Dept. of Veterans Affairs ($8.7 billion increase)
  • $105.7 billion for the Dept. of Transportation ($19 billion increase)
  • $56.5 billion for the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development ($6.8 billion increase)
  • $11.34 billion for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ($2.11 billion increase)
  • $61.8 million for research on and regulation of PFAS ($12.8 million increase)
  • $26.9 billion for Child Nutrition Programs ($257 million increase)
  • $3.5 billion for the National Park Service ($324 million increase)
  • $1.9 billion for the Fish and Wildlife Service ($301 million increase)
  • $3.77 billion for the Dept. of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy ($906 million increase)
  • $375 million for Weatherization Assistance Program to help low-income homeowners weatherize their homes ($65 million increase)
  • $1 billion for the Small Business Administration ($111.9 million increase)
  • $907 million for Rural Broadband Expansion ($165 million increase)
  • $430 million for the Peace Corps ($20 million increase)
  • $80 million in new funding dedicated to nuclear nonproliferation activities.

Congressman Pocan is a proud member of the House Appropriations Committee which writes all federal spending legislation covering every federal agency and activity.  Two weeks ago, the Appropriations Committee drafted and approved each of the spending bills passed by the full House of Representatives today.  The measures sent to the Senate for its consideration are: 1) Labor, Health and Human Services, Education; 2) Agriculture and Rural Development; 3) Energy and Water Development; 4) Financial Services and General Government; 5) Interior and Environment; 6) Military Construction and Veterans Affairs; 7) Transportation & Housing and Urban Development; 8) State and Foreign Operations; and 9) Legislative Branch.

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