Senator Murray Secures Over $65 Million for Key Transportation and Housing Projects in WA State, Funding Boost for FAA and Key Housing Programs in Draft Appropriations Bill

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

ICYMI: Senate Appropriations Committee Unanimously Approves Transportation-HUD Bill

Washington, D.C. — On Thursday, the Senate Appropriations Committee, led by Chair Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), voted to advance the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development funding bill for Fiscal Year 2024 that Senator Murray led the committee in drafting. The draft legislation, which funds the Department of Transportation and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), is critical to getting Americans safely to where they need to be, increasing America’s housing supply, and addressing the affordable housing and homelessness crisis. The Committee voted unanimously, 29-0, to advance the legislation, where it now awaits consideration by the full Senate.

Senator Murray secured more than $65 million in the draft legislation in Congressionally Directed Spending requests for twenty-two projects to meet critical transportation, housing, and community needs across Washington state. This does not include funding for national programs that will later be allocated on a competitive or formula-specific basis.

Notably, the legislation also provides a historic $1.2 billion increase in funding for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to hire more air traffic controllers, reduce flight delays, and improve safety, and the legislation maintains critical investments in other infrastructure programs—including the RAISE grant program Senator Murray established in 2009 that awarded $133 million to Washington state for transportation projects this year. On housing, the legislation protects critical funding from cuts House Republicans have approved and boosts funding for important programs. This includes a $275 million increase for Homeless Assistance Grants—including $80 million in targeted increases to advance coordination between housing and health services to improve outcomes for individuals experiencing homelessness, including in Washington state—and a $62 million increase for the Native American Housing Block Grant formula program, a record high for the program.

“The investments in this bill are critical to make sure people aren’t left on the streets or out in the cold, and to get people and goods where they need to go in a safe, timely way,” Murray said at today’s markup. “Washington state, like so many others, has been grappling with our nation’s housing and homelessness crisis for years. So I’m glad we are able to maintain and build on some key investments in this bill that provide rental assistance to families in need, increase our housing supply, get support to people experiencing homelessness—and I’m especially proud we were able to deliver a record level of investment in Native housing programs.”

“When it comes to our nation’s transportation infrastructure, the investments in this bill are especially important in light of some of the derailments, disasters, and disturbing close calls we saw this year,” Murray continued. “I’m pleased we were able to increase funding for the Federal Aviation Administration so it can address the shortage of air traffic controllers, reduce flight delays, increase efficiency, modernize technology, and—critically—improve safety. This bill also increases the Federal Railroad Administration’s funding for its safety work to make sure we have enough inspectors keeping our rails safe and that we can research important questions to improve rail safety and efficiency.”

In the draft legislation, Murray secured more than $65 million in Congressionally Directed Spending requests for twenty-two major transportation and housing projects in Washington state:

• $1.7 million for Adams County for preliminary engineering and design for five bridges across the county, which will support completion of the Odessa Groundwater Replacement project.
• $1.5 million for the City of Cle Elum for complete streets and accessibility infrastructure as part of the final phase of its First Street Downtown Revitalization project.
• $400,000 for the City of Spokane to plan and design a suicide barrier on the Monroe Street Bridge.
• $4 million for the City of Vancouver’s Heights Infrastructure Investment Project, specifically, for horizontal infrastructure development including streets and roadways, parks, drainage, and other public amenities.
• $3.888 million for Grant County for a bridge replacement project to help the Bureau of Reclamation deliver water to irrigators through the Odessa Groundwater Replacement project.
• $2 million for the Highline United Methodist Church in Burien for planning, design, and construction of a new shelter and crisis care center.
• $4 million for the Housing Authority of the City of Vancouver’s Lieser School Redevelopment Project to fund a street connection that will allow for major components of the project to move forward, including rental unit apartments, a new public park to increase access to open space for the community, and an early learning child care facility for low-income children and families.
• $2.2 million for Indian American Community Services in Kent to support the reconstruction of a community hub that will offer everything from small business support to early learning services in South King County.
• $4 million for Island Transit for pre-construction and construction activities for the multimodal South Whidbey Transit Center facility.
• $3 million for the Low-Income Housing Institute in Seattle to support the construction of their Aurora Senior Housing project, which will have 90 units of affordable housing for seniors at Aurora and 125th.
• $8 million for the Lummi Nation to elevate Slater Road to preserve access and mobility during frequent flooding events.
• $3.7 million for the Makah Indian Tribe to make road improvements on the Makah Passage.
• $4 million for the Meridian School District to construct a new early learning center in Whatcom County.
• $4 million for the Multicultural Child and Family Hope Center, based in Tacoma, to construct 17 Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program classrooms that will provide no-cost early education to children from low-income communities.
• $1.5 million for Pierce County to widen the road and incorporate complete streets infrastructure as part of their South Hill 122nd Ave Corridor Safety and Relief Project.
• $1.5 million for the Port of Walla Walla’s US-12 Clinton Interchange Project which will replace an at-grade intersection with an interchange.
• $1 million for the Spokane International Airport’sAircraft Parking Apron Project, which proposes to add a new taxi lane and apron to allow an aerial firefighting company, to expand their presence at the airport.
• $3 million for the Spokane Tribe of Indians for the relocation of a Head Start facility.
• $3 million for Sound Transit for project development activities for the West Seattle Link light rail extension.
• $3 million for Sound Transit to support project development activities for the Ballard Link light rail extension.
• $1.755 million for the South Kitsap Helpline to construct a new Food Distribution Center to allow for expanded services.
• $4 million for the United Learning Center of Lewis County to build a high-quality early learning center that will service 80 students each year from low- to moderate-income families in a location that will also help to revitalize downtown Centralia.

The legislation also includes important funding and report language for national programs that are particularly important to Washington state, including:

• $848.6 million for the Native American Housing Block Grant formula program, a $62 million increase over last year’s funding level and a record high. Tribes across Washington state use this flexible program to provide rental assistance, build affordable housing, and provide supportive services. An additional $225 million is provided for Tribal competitive grants.
• $3.9 billion for the Homeless Assistance Grants Program, an increase of $275 million. This includes $52 million to support survivors of domestic violence, $107 million to support youth experiencing homelessness, as well as $80 million in targeted increases to advance coordination between housing and health services to improve outcomes for individuals experiencing homelessness, including in Washington state.
• $45 million for the Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program, a competitive grant program created in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to provide funding for local and regional bike and pedestrian trail projects. Many local governments across Washington state are carrying out pedestrian and bike trail projects that will be competitive for these funds.
• $3.3 billion for the Community Development Block Grant, a popular, flexible funding source for state and local governments to carry out community and economic development activities.
• $20 million for the Eviction Prevention Grant Program, which works to expand the reach of legal services to low-income tenants at risk of—or subject to—eviction and adds much-needed legal capacity to underserved rural communities.
• $140.5 million for the Family Self-Sufficiency Program, a $15.5 million boost over last year’s funding level, to renew service coordinators that help Section 8 and public housing residents achieve self-sufficiency and economic independence. This program has been utilized by a number of housing authorities in Washington state to help families access services including job training, employment counseling, financial literacy, and homeownership counseling.
• $30 million for the Family Unification Program, which provides Housing Choice vouchers to low-income families whose lack of adequate housing is a primary factor in the imminent placement of a child into foster care.
• $2.45 billion for the Federal Transit Administration’s Capital Investment Grants program, a $240 million increase above last year’s funding level. This funding will help finish out the Full Funding Grant Agreement for the Sound Transit Lynnwood Link Light Rail Extension and would help advance projects like the Sound Transit West Seattle and Ballard Link Light Rail Extension that are currently in project development.
• $1.5 billion for the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, the largest federal block grant to states and local governments to expand the supply and affordability of housing to low-income people.
• $42.5 million for the Resident Opportunity and Self-Sufficiency program to connect residents of public housing and Indian housing with supportive services including employment and educational opportunities. This is a $7.5 million increase over last year’s funding level.
• $20 million for the Passenger Ferry Grant Program, a $5 million increase over last year’s funding level, through which Washington State Ferries has successfully competed for funding.
• $8.875 billion for the Public Housing Fund, an increase of $361 million above last year’s funding level. This includes $3.2 billion for the capital fund, equal to FY23 enacted, and $5.53 billion for the operating fund, $421 million above the FY23 enacted level. This funding supports the capital and operating needs of public housing for more than 2 million residents, including improving the quality and safety of public housing.
• $31.738 billion for Tenant-Based Rental Assistance, $1.485 billion above last year’s funding level, to continue to serve more than 2.3 million very low- and extremely low-income households nationwide.
• $15.791 billion for the Project-Based Rental Assistance program, an increase of $884 million above last year’s funding level, to continue to house more than 1.3 million very low- and low-income households nationwide.

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