Senator Murray Boosts Funding For Public Health and Opioid Response, Education, Child Care, and More; Secures Over $46 Million for WA Projects in Draft Appropriations Bill

Senator Murray: “This bill touches on so many investments that represent the very heart and soul of this country: from health care, to education, to supporting workers and retirees, and ensuring everyone can live with dignity and respect”

ICYMI: Chair Murray’s Opening Remarks at Full Committee Markup

 ICYMI: Senate Appropriations Committee Overwhelmingly Approves LHHS Funding Bill in 26-2 Vote

Washington, D.C. — On Thursday, the Senate Appropriations Committee, led by Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Committee, voted to advance the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies funding bill for Fiscal Year 2024 that Senator Murray led the committee in drafting. The legislation funds the Departments of Labor (DOL), Health and Human Services (HHS), and Education. The Committee voted overwhelmingly, 26-2, to advance the legislation, where it now awaits consideration by the full Senate.

Senator Murray secured more than $46 million in the draft legislation in Congressionally Directed Spending requests for 28 projects to meet critical education, child care, and health care needs across Washington state. 

The legislation strengthens investments in kids and families, delivering $700 million more in federal child care funding and $300 million more in funding for Head Start and other early learning programs and increasing the maximum Pell Grant by $250, among other things; commits new resources to address the substance use disorder and mental health crises including by providing over $125 million more for opioid treatment and prevention; protects workers’ rights and puts money back in their pockets by sustaining essential funding for key worker protection agencies and workforce development programs; propels lifesaving biomedical research including by delivering $943 million more for NIH research into mental health, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, opioid use, and more; and protects essential health care funding and sustains key investments in our nation’s public health and preparedness system.

“This bill touches on so many investments that represent the very heart and soul of this country: from health care, to education, to supporting workers and retirees, and ensuring everyone can live with dignity and respect,” saidMurray. “Everywhere I go in Washington state, I hear about how the child care crisis is seriously holding back parents, businesses, our economy—everyone. So I’m glad we were able to increase funding for child care in our bill. While this funding alone will not fix the child care crisis, it is meaningful progress—and I am going to keep pushing for bolder steps.”

“We also have strong funding for the mental health and substance use disorder epidemic that has been so devastating here in Washington state. Fentanyl overdose deaths have skyrocketed in Washington state, and we need a whole-of-government approach to tackle this tragedy head-on,” Murray continued. “The funding in this bill is crucial to supporting the people fighting this on the frontlines and getting people the preventive care and addiction treatment that saves lives.”

In the draft legislation, Murray secured over $46 million in Congressionally Directed Spending requests for 28 important projects across Washington state:

• $250,000 for Best Buddies International, Inc. for workforce development activities for individuals with disabilities.
• $750,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Washington to expand their career mentoring and exploration program for rural high school students.
• $4.5 million for City of Everett for an alternative response team to support individuals experiencing behavioral and mental health crises.
• $1 million for Clark College to purchase and install equipment and development of curriculum for a clean energy technical education program in Vancouver.
• $750,000 for Consejo Counseling and Referral Service in Renton for a trauma-informed domestic violence therapy and recovery services program.
• $700,000 for Cowlitz Indian Tribe for a mobile health unit for substance use disorder treatment, including equipment.
• $706,000 for Entre Hermanos to support the launch of an HIV support services center in rural Yakima County.
• $511,000 for FIRST Washington Robotics to expand access to STEM education programs in Kent.
• $563,000 for Greater Health Now Accountable Community of Health for a Mobile Women’s Health vehicle to service women in the Yakima Valley. 
• $4 million for HealthPoint for equipment and construction of their new Tukwila Health and Wellness Center.
• $2 million for HopeSparks for their Pediatric Medical and Behavioral Health Care Clinic, which will expand pediatric medical and behavioral health care. 
• $2.5 million for Island Hospital to modernize their surgical center and improve services for patients, as well as assist with provider recruitment.
• $2 million for Jefferson County Public Hospital District 2, Jefferson Healthcare for the construction of new space to serve seniors in Jefferson County.
• $4.5 million for the Machinists Institute for the purchase of equipment and program development for a manufacturing workforce development program.
• $1.148 million for Mother Nation to construct Spirit Journey Village, a center to provide transitional housing and substance use treatment services for women. This will transform the existing home into a larger housing shelter for Native women who are survivors of substance abuse, homelessness, and domestic violence.
• $436,000 for Mount Vernon School District to improve student safety and provide outreach for drug-impacted and gang-involved youth.
• $772,000 for Multi-Service Center in Federal Way for their workforce development program, which will provide vocational training courses to help participants secure living-wage jobs.
• $5 million for Nisqually Indian Tribe to construct a Substance Use Disorder Integrated Care Clinic in Olympia. The clinic will serve up to 500 clients per day from the Olympia/Lacey/Tumwater/Thurston County area, providing integrated care, including counseling and dentistry, with transportation and child care services provided.
• $1.5 million for Pacific Mountain Workforce Development Council for workforce development services for veterans.
• $1 million for PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center for its Emergency Department Expansion. The project will double the size of the current Emergency Department space to approximately 50,000 square feet, including 30 percent more private patient rooms as well as increased space accommodations for families. 
• $1.936 million for Peninsula College to help fund a dental hygienist program at the college in Port Angeles.
• $1.367 million for Pushing Boundaries to purchase additional modernized rehabilitative equipment.
• $2 million for Refugee Women’s Alliance to provide child care and early childhood education to under-resourced populations.
• $755,000 for Rise Above for a youth mental health and wellness program for Indigenous adolescents.
• $1.47 million for Washington State University for their Spokane Indigenous Health Simulation Center, which will provide research-informed and scalable models to support better health outcomes for the 29 federally-recognized Tribes within Washington State. 
• $2.5 million for Whidbey Health Medical Center for surgical suite ventilation upgrades.
• $943,000 for YMCA of Snohomish County to expand access to early childhood education.
• $475,000 for YWCA Clark County for a therapeutic preschool program—the first of its kind in Clark County—that would work specifically to address trauma from child abuse and neglect.

The legislation also includes important funding and report language for national programs that are longstanding priorities for Senator Murray, former Chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) and Labor-HHS appropriations subcommittee, including:

• $8.7 billion for the Child Care Development Block Grant program (CCDBG),a $700 million increase over last year, when Murray secured a 30% boost for the program.
• $12.27 billion for Head Start, a $275 million increase over last year’s funding level. The funding will focus on increasing wages and making a down payment on pay parity between Head Start teachers and elementary school teachers with the same qualifications. Staff attrition is leading to lower enrollment in Head Start programs, and it is critical that this issue is addressed.
• $9.2 billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including $12.5 million for gun violence prevention research and $71 million for the Public Health Workforce Loan Repayment Program.
• $47.8 billion for the National Institutes of Health with funding boosts for the agency’s research programs on mental health (+$100 million), Alzheimer’s disease (+$100 million), cancer (+$60 million), opioids (+$20 million), diabetes (+$10 million), and maternal mortality (+$10 million). The bill also protects funding for the Cancer Moonshot initiative, the BRAIN Initiative, All of Us research, and ARPA-H.
• Protects funding for the Office of Women’s Health, and includes $287 million for Title X, $101 million for the Teen Pregnancy Prevention program and $341 million for the Improving Maternal Health initiative, a $17 million increase over last year’s funding level.
• $7.55 billion for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. That includes $1.04 billion for the Community Mental Health Block Grant—a $35 million increase; $2.05 billion for the Substance Use Prevention and Treatment Block Grant—a $40 million increase; $519.6 million for the Suicide Prevention Lifeline Program–an $18 million increase; $1.595 billion for State Opioid Response Grants—a $20 million increase; and $60 million for Tribal Opioid Response Grants—a $5 million increase.
• $4.075 billion for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), a $75 million increase over last year’s funding level. LIHEAP helps households with low incomes heat and cool their homes.
• $616 million for the Ending the HIV Epidemic Initiative, a $3 million increase over last year which provides funding for high-need jurisdictions to increase prevention and treatment services for people at high risk for HIV transmission, including Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) related services, outreach, and care coordination. The draft legislation also protects funding for the primary HIV/AIDs programs.
• $3 million for a new youth homelessness prevention pilot program, which will provide grants to state, local, and Tribal governments to provide primary prevention services for youth at risk of homelessness.
• $18.562 billion for Title I-A Grants, which provide financial assistance to local educational agencies and schools with high numbers or high percentages of children from low-income families, to help ensure that all children meet challenging academic standards. This is a $175 million increase above last year’s funding level, which will help address learning loss and academic recovery.
• $14.369 billion for Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) state grants, a $175 million increase over last year’s funding level. IDEA funding helps improve academic outcomes for students with disabilities by providing appropriate support and services for learning.
• A $250 increase in the maximum Pell Grant award, increasing the total maximum award to $7,645 for the 2024-2025 school year.

More information on the bill is available HERE. 

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