Soto's Proposed Legislation Passes in Minibus Appropriations Bill
Press Release
The U.S. House of Representatives yesterday passed a package of 12 spending bills (H.R. 3354), which included amendments and report language introduced by Congressman Darren Soto. The minibus appropriations bill, Make America Secure and Prosperous Appropriations Act of 2018, funds the Department of the Interior, Environment, and related agencies for the next fiscal year 2018.
Rep. Soto's six amendments passed by voice vote, included:
Estuary Amendment -- Increasing funding for National Estuary Program
Invasive Species Amendment-- Increases funding for the National Wildlife Refuge System
Grassroots Water Amendment -- Increases the funding of the Grassroots Source Water Protection Program
Citrus Greening Amendment -- Increases funding for Specialty Crop Pest Program
Tax Counseling for the Elderly Amendment -- Increases funding for Tax Counseling by $1 million
Housing for the Elderly Amendment -- Increases funding for Housing by $2.5 million
The House Reports provide details and congressional guidance to the agencies on how to spend the money appropriately. Rep. Soto secured the inclusion of 15 pieces of report language, which include:
Interior:
Antimicrobial Solutions protecting crops and combating Citrus Disease
Agriculture:
Vector Control technologies to combat Zika-carrying mosquitos
Zika Outreach and Education expansion through Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Financial Services:
Technical Assistance Puerto Rico
Identity Theft Report from the IRS on detecting, preventing, and combating tax fraud
Increase Broadband Access in Territories and Tribal Lands
Labor/Health and Human Services:
National Early Child Care Collaboratives Program funding increase to $4 million
Creation of Vector Control Guidelines for use by States and local communities
Education for Homeless Children and Youth
Harmful Algal Bloom surveillance and reporting of health-related concerns by the CDC.
Technical Assistance and Dissemination for special education IDEA National Activities
Vector-Borne Diseases funding within the CDC
Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity funding within the CDC
State and Foreign Operations
Public Diplomacy expansion to counter Russian propaganda
Office of the Coordinator for Cyber Issues requested and secured full funding
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