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Appropriations Committee Releases Fiscal Year 2020 Labor-HHS-Education Funding Bill

April 29, 2019

WASHINGTON (April 29, 2019) — The House Appropriations Committee today released the draft fiscal year 2020 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) funding bill, which will be considered in subcommittee tomorrow. The legislation includes funding for programs within the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and other related agencies, including the Social Security Administration.

In total, the draft bill includes $189.8 billion in discretionary funding, an increase of $11.7 billion over the 2019 enacted level and $47.8 billion over the President's 2020 budget request. The LHHS bill supports some of the nation's most critical programs that touch individuals and families throughout their lifespan, from Early Head Start to Social Security. Many of the bill's programs have been shortchanged in recent years, and, if enacted, the President's budget request would do irreparable damage to programs that provide opportunities for millions of families.

Instead, the draft bill charts a more optimistic course, through increased investments that help make up for lost ground, so that every individual has a better chance at a better life – with a good education, a good job, and access to affordable health care.

"This year's Labor-HHS-Education funding bill—the People's bill—makes historic investments in programs that provide opportunities for millions of people," said House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro. "We fight to make sure every child gets a good education by increasing funding for early childhood education, child care, public schools, and higher education programs like Pell Grants and the Federal Work Study program. We also protect our nation's workers and help ensure access to good jobs through increased funding for workforce training, apprenticeship programs, and worker protection programs at the Wage and Hour Division and Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Finally, we invest in people's health through groundbreaking medical research at National Institutes of Health, our public health and food safety infrastructure at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and women's health. Through billions in smart, increased investments, our bill will help people across the country at every stage of their life. I look forward to passing it into law."

"Not only does this bill resoundingly reject the proposed cuts in President Trump's budget that would have hurt working families, it provides a robust increase in funding for important national priorities that create jobs and grow the economy, improve health security, and build a stronger future for all Americans," said House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey. "This includes increased funds for lifesaving medical research, opioid abuse treatment and prevention, early childhood education, women's reproductive health, student debt relief, and job training. Additionally, for the first time in more than 20 years, it also includes funding to ensure the CDC can conduct scientific research to reduce injuries and save lives from gun violence. With this bill, we are empowering families and communities and making the investments needed to keep up with America's health care, education, and workforce needs."

The Labor-HHS-Education bill is the largest non-defense appropriations bill. It will be the first of 12 annual appropriations bills to be considered by the Appropriations Committee for fiscal 2020.

A summary of the draft fiscal year 2020 LHHS funding bill is below. The full text of the bill is here. The subcommittee markup will be webcast live and linked from https://appropriations.house.gov/events/markups.

Bill Summary:

Department of Labor (DOL) – The bill provides a total of $13.3 billion in discretionary appropriations for DOL – $1.2 billion above the 2019 enacted level and $2.4 billion above the President's budget request. Of this amount, the bill includes:

  • $10.6 billion for the Employment Training Administration, $709 million above the 2019 enacted level and $2 billion above the President's budget request. Within this amount, the bill includes:
    • $3 billion for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Grants, $178 million above the fiscal year 2019 enacted level and President's budget request.
    • $99 million for Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers, an increase of $10 million above the fiscal year 2019 enacted level. The President's budget request proposed to eliminate this program.
    • $100 million for the Reintegration of Ex-Offenders, an increase of $7 million above the fiscal year 2019 enacted level and $22 million above the President's budget request.
    • $250 million for RegisteredApprenticeships, an increase of $90 million above the fiscal year 2019 enacted level and the President's budget request.
    • $128 million for YouthBuild, an increase of $38 million above the fiscal year 2019 enacted level and $43 million above the President's budget request.
    • $150 million for a new investment in community colleges and eligible four-year partners through Strengthening Community College Training Grants (SCCTG). Funding will help meet local and regional labor market demand for a skilled workforce by providing training to workers in in-demand industries.
    • $1.9 billion for Job Corps, $150 million above the 2019 enacted level and $853 million above the President's budget request.
    • $464 million for the Senior Community Service Employment for Older Americans Program, $64 million above the 2019 enacted level. The President's budget request proposed to eliminate this program.
  • $1.8 billion for Worker Protection Agencies, $237 million above the fiscal year 2019 enacted level and $210 million above the President's budget request. Within this amount, the bill includes:
    • $298 million for the Wage and Hour Division, an increase of $69 million above the 2019 enacted level and $66 million above the President's budget request.
    • $661 million for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, an increase of $103 million above the 2019 enacted level and the President's budget request.
    • $120 million for the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, an increase of $17 million above the 2019 enacted level and $16 million above the President's budget request.
  • $122 million for the International Labor Affairs Bureau (ILAB), an increase of $36 million above the 2019 enacted level and $104 million above the President's budget request.
  • $18 million for the Women's Bureau, an increase of $4 million above the 2019 enacted level and $14 million above the President's budget request. Within this amount, the Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) program is funded at $5 million, $4 million above the 2019 enacted level. The President's budget proposes to eliminate WANTO.
  • $316 million for Veterans Employment and Training Service (VETS), an increase of $16 million above the 2019 enacted level and $10 million above the President's budget request. Of this amount:
    • $60 million for the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program, an increase of $10 million above the 2019 enacted level and the President's budget request.
    • $29 million for the Transition Assistance Program, an increase of $6 million above the 2019 enacted level and the same as the President's budget request.
    • $300,000 to establish a Disabled Veteran Program to address the high unemployment and low labor force participation rate of veterans with service-connected and non-service-connected disabilities.

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) – The bill includes a total of $99.0 billion for HHS, an increase of $8.5 billion above the 2019 enacted level and $20.9 billion above the President's budget request.

  • National Institutes of Health (NIH) – The bill provides a total of $41.1 billion for NIH, an increase of $2 billion above the 2019 enacted level and $6.9 billion above the President's budget request.

The bill continues to support several critical research initiatives, including:

  • $2.4 billion for Alzheimer's disease research.
  • $3.2 billion for HIV/AIDS research.
  • $500 million for the All of Us precision medicine research initiative.
  • $411 million for the Brain Research through Application of Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) initiative.
  • $195 million for the Cancer Moonshot research initiative.
  • $50 million for the Childhood Cancer Data Initiative.
  • $25 million for firearm injury and mortality prevention research.
  • $75 million for Research Centers in Minority Institutions.

Additionally, the bill provides sufficient funding to increase the appropriation for each Institute and Center by nearly five percent.

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – The bill includes a total of $8.3 billion for CDC – $921 million above the 2019 enacted level and $1.7 billion above the President's budget request. This includes $854 million in transfers from the Prevention and Public Health Fund and $225 million in transfers from the HHS Nonrecurring Expenses Fund for a new research support building and campus infrastructure improvements.
    • For the first time in more than 20 years, the bill includes funding – $25 million – to specifically support firearm injury and mortality prevention research.
    • The bill includes significant investments in our nation's public health infrastructure including:
      • $100 million for the first year of a multi-year effort to support modernization of public health data surveillance and analytics at CDC, State and local health departments and the National Center for Health Statistics.
      • $66 million, an increase of $6 million, for food safety.
      • $56 million, an increase of $5 million, in public health workforce initiatives.
      • $700 million, an increase of $25 million, for public health emergency preparedness cooperative agreements.
    • The bill provides increases for numerous public health efforts, including:
      • $140 million to support CDC's efforts to reduce new HIV infections by 90 percent in 10 years.
      • $10 million for the establishment of a suicide prevention program.
      • $250 million, an increase of $40 million, to address tobacco and e-cigarettes.
      • $160 million, an increase of $20 million, for heart disease and stroke.
      • $168 million, an increase of $20 million, for diabetes, and $30 million, an increase of $5 million, for the Diabetes Prevention Program.
      • $15 million, an increase of $5 million, for the health impacts of climate change.
      • $346 million, an increase of $10 million, for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
      • $123.4 million, an increase of $25 million, for global disease detection efforts.
  • Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) – The bill funds SAMHSA at $5.9 billion – $115 million above the 2019 enacted level and $179 million above the President's budget request. SAMHSA funding includes increased support for:
    • Mental health resources for children and youth including $84 million for Project AWARE, an increase of $13 million; and $71 million for the National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative, an increase of $7 million.
    • Suicide prevention including $14 million for the Zero Suicide program, an increase of $5 million; and $17 million for the Suicide Lifeline, an increase of $5 million.
    • Substance use treatment: $3.8 billion, an increase of $14 million, including continued funding for opioid prevention and treatment, and three new behavioral health programs to enhance treatment efforts.
    • Substance abuse prevention: $212 million, an increase of $7 million above the 2019 enacted level.
  • Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) – The bill includes $7.6 billion for HRSA, which is $475 million above the 2019 enacted level and $1.5 billion above the President's budget request. The amount includes:
    • $1.7 billion, an increase of $50 million, for the Health Centers program.
    • $2.4 billion, an increase of $116 million, for the Ryan White HIV/AIDS program.
    • $50 million in Health Centers and $70 million in the Ryan White HIV/AIDS program to reduce new HIV infections by 90 percent in 10 years.
    • $1.2 billion, an increase of $138 million, for HRSA's Bureau of Health Professions programs to support the medical workforce.
    • $973 million, an increase of $46 million, for programs to improve maternal and child health, including an additional $5 million to reduce maternal mortality.
    • $400 million, an increase of $114 million, for the Title X Family Planning program.
  • Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) – The bill provides $358 million for AHRQ, an increase of $20 million above the 2019 enacted level.
  • Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) – The bill provides $4 billion for CMS administrative expenses, an increase of $315 million above the 2019 enacted level and $405 million above the President's budget request. This funding level includes an increase of $10 million for State Survey and Certification activities to ensure that beneficiaries receive care at facilities that meet health, safety, and quality standards required by CMS.

The bill also directs CMS to use $100 million in carryover funds from ACA user fees to support the ACA Navigators program, as well as outreach, enrollment, and advertising during the ACA open enrollment period.

  • Administration for Children and Families (ACF) – The bill provides $27.9 billion in discretionary funding for ACF, which is $4.7 billion above the 2019 enacted level and $9.6 billion above the President's budget request.
    • Early childhood programs receive an increase of $4 billion:
  • $7.7 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant, an increase of $2.4 billion;
  • $11.6 billion for Head Start, an increase of $1.5 billion; and
  • $350 million for Preschool Development Grants, an increase of $100 million.
    • $3.8 billion for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), an increase of $150 million.
    • $760 million for the Community Services Block Grant, an increase of $35 million.
  • Administration for Community Living (ACL) – The bill funds ACL at $2.3 billion, which is $180 million above the 2019 enacted level and $317 million above the President's budget request. This amount includes:
    • $1 billion for Senior Nutrition programs, an increase of $93 million above the 2019 enacted level.
    • $245 million for Family Caregivers Services, an increase of $26 million above the 2019 enacted level.
  • Office of the Secretary—General Departmental Management – The bill provides $550 million, an increase of $5 million above the 2019 enacted level and $141 million above the President's budget request. The amount includes:
    • $110 million for the Teen Pregnancy Prevention program, an increase of $9 million above the fiscal year 2019 enacted level.
    • $65 million for the Office of Minority Health, an increase of $8 million above the fiscal year 2019 enacted level.
    • $60 million for the Minority HIV/AIDS Initiative, an increase of $6 million above the fiscal year 2019 enacted level.
    • $36 million for the Office on Women's Health, an increase of $4 million above the 2019 enacted level.
    • $10 million for KidneyX, a new public-private partnership to accelerate the development and adoption of novel therapies and technologies to improve the diagnosis and treatment of kidney diseases.
  • Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund (PHSSEF) – The bill provides $2.7 billion for PHSSEF, an increase of $77 million above the 2019 level and $42 million above the President's budget request. The total funding level includes:
    • $567 million, an increase of $5 million, for the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).
    • $735 million for Project BioShield, the same as the 2019 enacted level and the President's budget request.
    • $620 million, an increase of $10 million, for the Strategic National Stockpile.
    • $300 million, an increase of $35 million, for Hospital Preparedness Program formula grants
    • $11 million for the National Ebola Training and Education Center (NETEC) and 10 existing regional Ebola and other special pathogen treatment centers. This effort was previously supported with Ebola supplemental funds.
    • $6 million for Regional Disaster Health Response System Demonstration Pilot. This effort was previously supported with Ebola supplemental funds.

Department of Education (ED) – The bill provides a total of $75.9 billion in discretionary appropriations for ED – $4.4 billion above the 2019 enacted level and $11.9 billion above the President's budget request. Of this amount, the bill includes:

  • $16.9 billion for Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies, an increase of $1 billion above the 2019 enacted level and the President's budget request.
  • $14.5 billion for Special Education, an increase of $1.05 billion above the 2019 enacted level and $1.07 billion above the President's budget request. Within this amount, the bill provides:
    • $13.4 billion for Part B Grants to States, an increase of $1 billion above the 2019 enacted level and President's budget request, and
    • $21 million for Special Olympics education programs, an increase of $3.5 million above the 2019 enacted level. The President's budget proposes to eliminate this program.
  • $2.6 billion for Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants (Title II-A), an increase of $500 million over the 2019 enacted level. The President's budget proposes to eliminate this program.
  • $980 million for English Language Acquisition, an increase of $243 million above the 2019 enacted level and the President's budget request.
  • $1.3 billion for Student Support and Academic Enrichment State Grants, an increase of $150 million above the 2019 enacted level. The President's budget proposes to eliminate this program.
  • $1.3 billion for 21st Century Community Learning Centers, an increase of $100 million above the 2019 enacted level. The President's budget proposes to eliminate this program.
  • $260 million for a Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Initiative to support SEL and "whole child" approaches to education. Within this amount, the bill provides:
    • $170 million within the Education Innovation and Research program for grants for evidence-based, field-initiated innovations that address student social, emotional, and cognitive needs;
    • $25 million within the Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) grant program for teacher professional development and pathways into teaching that provide a strong foundation in child development and learning, including skills for implementing SEL strategies;
    • $25 million within the School Safety National Activities program to make schools safer through a new competition that will help local educational agencies (LEAs) directly increase the number of mental health and child development experts in schools; and
    • $40 million for Full-Service Community Schools to provide comprehensive services and expand evidence-based models that meet the holistic needs of children, families, and communities.
  • Student Financial Assistance – The bill provides $24.9 billion for Federal student aid programs, $492 million above the 2019 enacted level and $1.9 billion above the President's budget request. Within this amount, the bill provides:
    • $6,345 for the maximum Pell Grant, an increase of $150 over the 2019 enacted level and the President's budget request. The increase will help the maximum award keep pace with inflation.
    • $1 billion for the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant program, an increase of $188 million above the 2019 enacted level. The President's budget request proposes to eliminate this program.
    • $1.4 billion for Federal Work Study, an increase of $304 million above the 2019 enacted level and $934 million above the President's budget request.
  • Higher Education – The bill provides $2.7 billion for higher education programs, an increase of $431 million above the 2019 enacted level and $1.2 billion above the President's budget request.
    • Within this amount, the bill provides $917 million, an increase of $251 million over the 2019 enacted level, to assist primarily Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) in the Aid for Institutional Development account, including:
      • $375 million for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, an increase of $93 million above the 2019 enacted level and the President's budget request.
      • $150 million for Hispanic Serving Institutions, an increase of $26 million above the 2019 enacted level. The President's budget proposes to consolidate this and other MSI programs into a single MSI grant program, which the bill rejects.
      • $51 million for Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, an increase of $19 million above the 2019 enacted level and $23 million over the President's budget request.
    • The bill also provides investments in the following higher education programs:
      • $1.1 billion for Federal TRIO programs, an increase of $100 million above the 2019 enacted level and $210 million above the President's budget request.
      • $395 million for GEAR UP, an increase of $35 million above the 2019 enacted level. The President's budget proposes to consolidate the program into the TRIO programs.
      • $53 million for Teacher Quality Partnerships, an increase of $10 million above the 2019 enacted level. The President's budget request proposes to eliminate this program.
      • $60 million for the Child Care Access Means Parents in School, an increase of $10 million above the 2019 enacted level and $45 million above the President's budget request.
      • $10 million to restart the Centers of Excellence for Veterans Student Success Program. The President's budget request does not include funding for this program.

Related Agencies –

  • $1.14 billion for the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), an increase of $55 million above the 2019 enacted level. The President's budget proposes to eliminate CNCS and includes $94 million for this purpose.
    • Within the total amount, the bill includes $222 million for Senior Corps programs, an increase of $13 million over the 2019 enacted level. With this increase, the stipend will increase to $3.00/hour for the first time.
  • $495 million for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), in 2022 advance funding, an increase of $50 million above the 2019 enacted level. In addition, the bill includes $20 million for the interconnection system and system wide infrastructure, the same as the 2019 enacted level. The President's budget request proposes to eliminate the CPB and includes $30 million for this purpose.
  • $257 million for the Institute of Museum and Library Services, an increase of $15 million above the 2019 enacted level. The President's budget request proposes to eliminate IMLS and includes $23 million for this purpose.
  • $342 million for the National Labor Relations Board, an increase of $67 million above the 2019 enacted level and $100 million above the President's budget request.
  • $13 billion for the Social Security Administration's (SSA) operating expenses, with an increase of $300 million above the 2019 enacted level to hire additional staff at field offices, teleservice and processing centers and improve public services.