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In Appropriations Markup, Rep. Susie Lee Secures Funding to Make Nevada Communities Safer, Funding for CCSD Social Workers, NSC School of Nursing, STEM Education

July 15, 2021

WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. Susie Lee, a member of the Appropriations Committee, voted to pass two funding bills out of the full committee that include multiple provisions pushed by Congresswoman Susie Lee. The Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies funding bill and the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies funding bill for Fiscal Year 2022 now head to the House floor for final passage.

Rep. Lee secured nearly $2 million in Community Project Funding in the Labor, Health and Human Services and Related Agencies appropriations bill: $950,000 for more social workers for Clark County School District (CCSD),$35,000 for Nevada State College School of Nursing equipment enhancements, and $975,000 for the Nevada STEM Co-Lab to strengthen STEM education.

"Before coming to Congress, I spent my career working in education, and I'm so proud that the funding bill we passed today invests in our students," said Rep. Lee. "Education is the key to opportunity in this country, and this funding will expand opportunity for students in Nevada by expanding STEM education, providing equipment to nursing students at Nevada State College, and providing more funding for social workers in Clark County School District.

"I was also proud to pass the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies funding bill, which I know will make Nevada safer. This bill includes robust funding for law enforcement that gives them the tools and resources needed to keep southern Nevada families and communities safe. In addition, the bill directs $100 million to the NICS program, ensuring background check records are up-to-date, and in turn, helping to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals. This bill will also help keep our schools safe by providing more funding for threat assessment programs that can help prevent tragedies before they strike. And, importantly, this bill will help law enforcement efforts to process DNA evidence, including evidence collected in rape kits by increasing funding for the Debbie Smith Backlog Grant Program."

Rep. Susie Lee helped to champion and secure the following priorities in the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Funding Bill, which was also advanced by the full Appropriations Committee today:

  • Funds coming directly back to Nevada including:
    • $975,000 for the Nevada STEM Co-Lab, to expand STEM education opportunities in Nevada through new programs and local partnerships
    • $950,000 for the hiring of social workers in Clark County School District, to provide critical services directly to students and families
    • Almost $35,000 for Nevada State College School of Nursing to acquire equipment technology enhancements to enrich curricular offerings for their nursing training program
  • An increase of $413 million in funding for the Full-Service Community Schools program, which provides funds to help coordinate academic, social, and health services through local partnerships
  • A $5 million increase for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Zero Suicide program, a comprehensive, multi-setting approach to suicide prevention in community health systems
  • Funding to start a direct care workforce demonstration program to attract and retain high-quality, diverse direct care workers
  • A $6.75 million increase for Area Health Education Centers to continue and expand their work training a diverse, local health workforce pipeline in Southern Nevada
  • A $3.85 million increase in critical funding to protect and advocate for the rights of all individuals with mental illness
  • The Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Funding bill also:
    • Creates and sustains good-paying American jobs through investments in job training, apprenticeship programs, and worker protection
    • Grows opportunity with transformative investments in education, including record funding for high-poverty schools and students with disabilities, and strong increases for programs that expand access to post-secondary education
    • Supports middle class and working families with increased funding for child care and development programs, Head Start, and preschool development grants
    • Strengthens lifesaving biomedical research with increased funding for the National Institutes of Health, including funding to establish the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health
    • Bolsters our public health infrastructure with more resources for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and for states and local governments to strengthen infrastructure and capacity
    • Addresses our nation's most urgent health crises, including maternal health, mental health, gun violence, and opioid abuse, while making strides to reduce persistent and unacceptable health disparities

A summary of the bill is here. The text of the bill, before the adoption of amendments in full Committee, 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. DeLauro – The manager's amendment makes technical and noncontroversial changes to the bill and report. The amendment was adopted by voice vote.
  • Rep. HarrisThis amendment strikes sections 116-118 of the underlying bill. The amendment was adopted by voice vote.

Rep. Susie Lee helped to champion and secure the following priorities in the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies funding bill, which was advanced by the full Appropriations Committee today:

  • More than $360 million in Byrne Justice Assistance formula grants and COPS Hiring grants, grants that fund local law enforcement in Clark County
  • A $15 million increase for Veteran Treatment Courts that provide rehabilitation services to veterans with substance abuse issues
  • A $61 million increase for the STOP School Violence Act Program, which helps schools to boost their security and supports threat assessment programs to help stop tragedies like school shootings
  • $120 million for the Debbie Smith Backlog Grant Program to support law enforcement efforts to process DNA evidence, including evidence collected in rape kits
  • $100 million for NICS Improvement Grant Program, funding that can help the Nevada Department of Public Safety improve its NICS program, helping to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals by ensuring background check records are up-to-date
  • $458 million for programs to combat the opioid epidemic
  • $227 million for the National Science Foundation Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research to ensure that academic research institutions in 25 states, including Nevada, develop a strong research infrastructure
  • $60 million for the NASA National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program, from which UNLV has received grant funding
  • The Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies funding bill also:
    • Creates good-paying American jobs with investments in economic development in distressed communities with support for small businesses, including small and medium sized American manufacturers
    • Supports safer communities with funding for local law enforcement while bolstering police and criminal justice reform and expanding gun violence prevention efforts
    • Addresses gender-based violence with strong increases for Violence Against Women Act prevention and prosecution programs, as well as efforts to reduce the backlog of unprocessed rape kits
    • Confronts the climate crisis with strong funding for climate resilience and research at NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the National Science Foundation

A summary of the bill is here. The text of the bill, before the adoption of amendments in full Committee, 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.

  • Rep. Cartwright – The manager's amendment makes technical and noncontroversial changes to the bill and report. The amendment was adopted by voice vote.
  • Rep. Cline #2 – This amendment specifies that, of the $110 million for NASA's Nuclear Thermal Propulsion program, $80 million is for the design of a flight demonstration system. The amendment was adopted by voice vote.