Rep. Stevens Secures Funding for MI-11 Priorities in House-Passed Appropriations Package

Statement

Today, Congresswoman Haley Stevens (MI-11) released the following statement after the House of Representatives passed H.R. 3055, consisting of five key FY 2020 appropriations bills: Commerce-Justice-Science; Agriculture-Related Agencies; Interior-Environment; Military Construction-VA; and Transportation-HUD.

"H.R. 3055 provides funding for programs that will strengthen southeast Michigan's manufacturing economy, protect our treasured Great Lakes, and prepare our workforce to thrive in the 21st century economy," said Congresswoman Stevens. "I am also thrilled that the House of Representatives passed two of my amendments with this appropriations package, to properly enforce existing animal welfare laws and develop a national strategy to enhance our domestic recycling infrastructure."

Rep. Stevens played a key role in securing funding for several programs that will benefit Michigan's 11th District by formally petitioning the House Appropriations Committee to provide funding for the following priorities:

Supporting small and mid-sized manufacturers. The National Institute of Standards and Technology's Manufacturing Extension Partnership program is a network of public-private partnerships in every state that gives small- and mid-sized manufacturers the services and resources they need to create well-paying manufacturing jobs and thrive in today's economy. The Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center, which is the official representative of the MEP National Network in Michigan, is located in Michigan's 11th Congressional District. The Manufacturing Extension Partnership program received $154 million in federal funding, a $14 million increase from FY19. The National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (also known as "Manufacturing USA") also received $15 million in funding to develop manufacturing technologies through public-private partnerships among U.S. industry, universities, and federal government agencies.

Protecting our Great Lakes. Despite the Administration's threats to slash funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, H.R. 3055 increased funding for the GLRI to $320 million. The GLRI is an inter-agency program designed to address the most significant problems in the Great Lakes, and works to protect, restore, and maintain the Great Lakes ecosystem. The Great Lakes are the source of drinking water for 40 million people, and hold 90 percent of our nation's supply of fresh water. Jobs, recreation, and tourism in Michigan and the entire region depend upon a healthy and flourishing Great Lakes ecosystem.

Preparing our workforce for the jobs of today and tomorrow. H.R. 3055 included $75 million for the National Science Foundation's Advanced Technological Education program, one of the largest federal investments in two-year colleges. The program supports two-year community colleges with the education of technicians for next generation technologies. There are several active ATE grants in Michigan, including a program to study the use of collaborative robots in advanced manufacturing systems at Oakland Community College.

Adequately funding veteran's mental health services. The appropriations package allocated $222 million for veteran's suicide prevention outreach. Rep. Stevens recently held a roundtable with Michigan veterans, who raised the issue of adequate funding for mental health and suicide prevention services.

H.R. 3055 also included several amendments co-sponsored by Congresswoman Stevens, including:

H. Amdt. 423, an amendment to instruct the DOJ's Environment and Natural Resources Division to allocate more resources to adequately enforce our nation's animal cruelty laws.
H.Amdt. 192, an amendment to instruct the Environmental Protection Agency to prioritize funding to develop a national recycling strategy to ensure the long-term economic and environmental viability of local recycling programs.

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