Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018
Floor Speech
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Mr. Chair, this amendment seeks to increase funding for the Women's Bureau within the Department of Labor by slightly more than $1 million and would decrease funding for the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Prices and Cost of Living Division by the same amount.
This increase would restore the proposed cut the underlying bill would make to DOL's Women's Bureau while still allowing the BLS Prices and Cost of Living Division to be funded at almost $3.5 million above the current enacted funding level and more than half a million dollars over the President's request for the coming fiscal year.
For those who might be unaware, the Women's Bureau within the Department of Labor conducts research to help departmental agencies develop policies that advance the interests of working women. It plans and executes research and advises other agencies on the structure and implementation of a wide range of worker programs.
Unfortunately, the President's budget request for next fiscal year sought to cut more than three-quarters of the existing staff within the Bureau as well as almost $9 million. Thankfully, this bill does better than the request. My simple hope is that we can go one small step further and fund this program next year at the level it is currently funded at. That is all my amendment seeks to do.
I urge my colleagues to support funding for the Women's Bureau within the Department of Labor at existing funding levels while offsetting this change with funds in a manner that still permits the BLS Prices and Cost of Living Division to be funded almost $3.5 million above the current enacted level and almost half a million above the President's request.
Mr. Chairman, I urge support for this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. Chairman, I want to reiterate the importance of the Department of Labor Women's Bureau. I believe that our government, especially, should have whatever advice, suggestions, and research that is needed to help all departmental agencies develop policies that further advance the interests of working women. Women currently in our country make, on average, 77 cents to every dollar that a man makes, and that amount is even lower for women of color. This Bureau would work on issues surrounding equal pay, employment rights of pregnant women and women who are breastfeeding in the workplace, paid family leave, and apprenticeships for women and women of color.
These are important issues, and our government needs to do better, and I believe Members of both parties should care about this issue.
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Mr. Chairman, again, I urge support for this amendment. My amendment simply seeks to fund this program next year at the level it is currently funded at.
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Mr. Chairman, I rise to encourage my colleagues to support my amendment, which simply increases funding for the Behavioral Health Workforce and Training program by $5 million. This is a reasonable show of support for this important program, which saw its funding cut in half in this bill.
The Behavioral Health Workforce and Training program supports education and training for careers in behavioral health at institutions of higher education and through professional and paraprofessional training programs, with a focus on rural and medically underserved communities. This program was created as part of the 21st Century Cures Act in response to the significant nationwide shortage of behavioral health providers.
According to SAMHSA, 55 percent of U.S. counties do not have a practicing behavioral health provider, and 77 percent of counties reported unmet behavioral health needs. These statistics would be alarming at any time, but they are particularly concerning in the midst of a national opioid epidemic.
A 2016 Surgeon General's Report found that only 10 percent of people with a substance abuse disorder receive any type of specialty treatment. Additionally, 60 percent of adults with a mental illness didn't receive mental health services in the previous year.
This lack of access to services has severe consequences for the individuals seeking treatment, their families, and our communities. When they don't have access to treatment, individuals with behavioral health needs receive a whole different set of services. Jails and sometimes emergency rooms become the de facto behavioral health system.
Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to make this important investment in the behavioral health workforce, and I yield back the balance of my time.
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Mr. Chair, this amendment seeks to increase funding for HRSA's Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program by $4 million, restoring program funding to the current enacted level.
I am thankful to the chairman for the funding amount already provided for in this bill, but I am hopeful that we can go one step further and fully fund this program again in the coming fiscal year.
The Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program improves healthcare for older Americans by providing clinical training opportunities to students, medical faculty and providers, direct service workers, patients, families, and caregivers that integrate geriatric and primary care delivery systems.
In the 2015-2016 academic year, grantees provided training to 18,451 students and fellows participating in a variety of geriatrics-focused degree programs, field placements, and fellowships. Of these trainees, 11,824 graduated or completed their training during the most recent academic year, and grantees partnered with 365 hospitals, long-term care facilities, and academic institutions to provide clinical training experiences to trainees.
America's population is aging, and it is imperative that new generations of healthcare professionals and providers have the skills needed to care for older Americans. Every person in this Chamber at some point in their life will wish their healthcare provider had this training. I hope we will all recognize that fact today and do what is prudent.
I hope we will unanimously support this amendment, plan for the future healthcare of our Nation, and restore funding to the HRSA Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program account.
Mr. Chair, I urge support for this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. Chair, again, this amendment requires that the program be fully funded. I do look forward to working with the chairman, and I yield back the balance of my time.
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