In Appropriations Markup, Rep. Lee Votes to Fund Law Enforcement Training, Strengthen National Security

WASHINGTON – Last week, Rep. Susie Lee, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, voted to pass the fiscal year 2023 Homeland Security appropriations bill out of the full committee. The bill includes multiple provisions that Rep. Lee has pushed for, including increased funding for Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers, grants to combat security threats through the Urban Area Security Initiative, and increased funding for smarter, more effective border security.

"Full funding for our police, first responders, and national security keep our communities safe, and that's exactly what this legislation delivers," said Rep. Susie Lee. "In May, I did a ride-along with the LVMPD, where officers encountered and de-escalated a domestic violence situation. Specialized training programs for law enforcement help officers respond to the wide range of difficult circumstances that they encounter every day. I'm proud to support this funding bill, which includes a robust increase in funding for Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers to help in this exact kind of situation. Additionally, I'm pleased to have secured my requests for the Urban Area Security Initiative, which provides regular grant funding for the LVMPD, and for several essential programs to improve our nation's cyber and border security."

The Homeland Security funding bill:

• Supports security efforts for local law enforcement, with increased funding for the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) and Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers.
• Makes smart and effective investments in border security.
• Supports mental health programs dedicated to first responders.
• Secures our critical infrastructure with dramatically increased funding to prevent cyber-attacks and root out cyber intrusions.
• Increases funding for Homeland Security Investigations offices to combat human trafficking, child exploitation, cybercrime, and other illegal activities.
• Invests strongly in maritime security through funding for the Coast Guard.
• Supports a new pay system for TSA to ensure its personnel are paid salaries equivalent to other federal workers carrying out comparable work.
• Respects the dignity of immigrants with funding to improve migrant processing and address an excessive backlog.

A summary of the bill is here. The text of the draft bill is here. The bill report, before the adoption of amendments in full Committee, is here. In keeping with the Appropriations Committee's commitment to transparency, information on Community Project Funding in the bill is here.

The following amendments to the bill were adopted by the full Committee:

• Rep. Roybal-Allard – The manager's amendment makes technical and noncontroversial changes to the bill and report. The amendment was adopted by voice vote.
• Rep. Newhouse – This amendment requires Title 42 expulsions to continue for 180 days after the COVID-19 emergency is terminated. The amendment was adopted by voice vote.
• Rep. Aguilar – The amendment makes funding available to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for processing Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) applications and work authorizations. The amendment was adopted by voice vote.
• Rep. Espaillat – The amendment exempts the Special Immigrant Juvenile Status children from employment-based visa caps. The amendment was adopted by voice vote.
• Rep. Lee (CA) – The amendment makes technical corrections to the STORM Act (Section 205 of the Stafford Act) to make United States territories eligible for assistance. The amendment was adopted by voice vote.
• Reps. Meng, Pocan, Espaillat, Torres – The amendment allows unused employment- and family-based visas from FYs 1992-2022 to remain available in FY 2023. The amendment also protects against future loss of unused employment- or family-based visas and permits the issuance of diversity visas to immigrants who would have otherwise been permitted entry into the United States but for executive policies of the prior administration. The amendment was adopted by a vote of 32 to 25.
• Reps. Pingree, Harris, Cuellar, Ruppersberger – The amendment provides the Secretary authority to make available additional H-2B visas and waives certain rulemaking requirements to expedite visa approvals. The amendment was adopted by voice vote.
• Reps. Cuellar, Newhouse — The amendment authorizes the Secretary to issue H-2A visas for agricultural work without regard to whether the work is temporary or seasonal in nature.

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