Rep. Lee Votes to Pass Government Funding Legislation, Secures Over $30 Million for Local Projects

December 23, 2022
Press Release

Funding Bill Reflects Four of Rep. Lee’s Bipartisan Bills to Tackle the Drought and Expand Access to Affordable Health Care, Mental Health Care

WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. Susie Lee (NV-03) voted to pass a bipartisan package of 12 government funding bills, making smart investments in education, health care and mental health care, public safety, national security, veterans' services, clean energy, western drought resiliency, and lowering the cost of living for all Nevadans.


This legislation is the culmination of Rep. Lee's efforts this year as a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, including over $30 million to fund 15 local southern Nevada projects, language blocking efforts to store nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain without Nevada's consent, and provisions reflecting four of Rep. Lee's bipartisan bills to combat the drought and expand access to high-quality, affordable health care.


"Southern Nevada's voice needs to be in the room where our nation's most important funding decisions are made. Every day from my seat on the House Appropriations Committee, I have carried southern Nevada priorities and this legislation reflects it," said Rep. Lee. "Today, with this vote, we are advancing a bipartisan budget that reflects our values and makes direct investments in our local communities."


"I fought for this bill to include critical support for our veterans, our schools, our infrastructure, our small business economy, our drought relief efforts, and our health care, especially mental health care. Additionally, I fought for smart investments in rental assistance, vouchers, and new affordable housing to support families struggling with rising housing costs across southern Nevada. I'm proud to have voted to send these investments to the President's desk to be signed into law."


"Nevada will never become the nation's nuclear dumping ground - not on my watch. That's why I fought to block funding for Yucca Mountain in this legislation and secured language directing a consent-based path forward in finding a solution."


"This bill also directs more than $30 million in taxpayer dollars right back into local southern Nevada projects. I made a commitment that the tax dollars southern Nevadans send to Washington make their way back to our community. Local problems need local solutions, and the 15 projects, for which I secured more than $30 million, are a direct investment in our future. These projects are wide-ranging, from keeping our communities healthy, with investments that will help us train health care professionals, to keeping our communities safe, with investments to support mental health and law enforcement."


Highlights of the Provisions Secured by Rep. Lee include:


Over $30 million to fund 15 southern Nevada community projects, including:

  • $400,000 for the Boulder City Police Department Patrol Fleet
  • $1,709,594 for Clark County's CARE Team Diversion Program, in collaboration with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
  • $1,330,000 for Clark County's Mobile Health Outreach Program
  • $1,000,000 for the Desert Research Institute's STEM and Educator-Student Partnerships Program
  • $5,000,000 for the Henderson I-515/I-11 Interchange Project
  • $2,955,000 for the City of Henderson's Mental Health Co-Responder Crisis Response Unit
  • $1,624,294 for Nevada State College's Center for Career Advancement and Education
  • $611,968 for Nevada State College's Nurse Transition from Academia to Practice Readiness (N-TAPR) Program
  • $1,337,000 for Nevada State College's On-Campus Mental Health Clinic
  • $2,500,000 for the Desert Research Institute's Quantifying Carbon Fluxes Project
  • $350,000 for Clark County's Small Business Opportunity Program (SBOP)
  • $3,000,000 for the Southern Nevada Water Authority's Septic Conversion Program
  • $3,250,000 for the University of Nevada Las Vegas's Sports Research, Education, and Innovation Initiative
  • $4,515,000 for the University of Nevada Las Vegas's Functional MRI Scanner for Biomedical Research and Medical Student Training
  • $800,000 for Workforce Connections, southern Nevada's local workforce development board


More information on these 15 local projects can be found here.


Provisions Reflecting Four of Rep. Lee's Bipartisan Bills:


Funding to combat Nevada's shortage of health care professionals and to expand access to quality, affordable health care:

  • Nearly $25 million annually for Mental Health Awareness Training (MHAT) Grants to help improve behavioral health training and coordination for teachers and first responders.
  • Funding to reauthorize the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Program and to fully transition to the 9-8-8 Hotline.
  • Expands and reauthorizes the Training Demonstration Program to include more health care professionals from underserved communities in mental health training efforts.


Support for Nevada's teachers, students, and schools:

  • An increase of $2.4 billion for K-12 education to help address the funding deficit for Title I and special education programs.
  • Doubled funding Full-Service Community Schools, helping to provide comprehensive services that meet the holistic needs of children and families.
  • An increase of over $2.8 billion across critical programs that offer funding to build out Nevada's child care and early education options, including Child Care and Development Block Grants, Head Start, and Preschool Development Grants.
  • College affordability provisions, including an increase of $34 million for federal student aid programs and an increase of $500 in maximum allotments for Pell Grants.


Critical provisions to address the drought, protect public lands, and invest in clean energy:

  • Zero dollars for creating a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain and language directing the Department of Energy to continue to move forward to execute a consent-based citing approach.
  • Funding to carry out drought contingency planning, including $50 million to create or conserve recurring Colorado River water that contributes to supplies in Lake Mead—as well as $20 million for water recycling and reuse projects.
  • More than $15.3 billion of transformative investments in clean energy innovation, to help develop and deploy clean, affordable, and secure American energy—while creating tens of thousands of good-paying jobs.
  • More than doubled funding for efforts to put critical water use data in the hands of farmers, ranchers, and water managers.
  • Nearly $62 million for the Bureau of Land Management's National Landscape Conservation System, to provide essential resources and help ensure adequate staffing at managed sites including Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area, and Spirit Mountain Wilderness.
  • $62 million for reclamation and remediation of abandoned mine lands, with a focus on abandoned hardrock mines.
  • Protections for Nevada Seniors, Workers, and Families
  • Safeguards Social Security with increased funding for critical operations that help deliver these hard-earned benefits.
  • Increased funding for apprenticeships, including $285 million for Registered Apprenticeships.
  • Expansion of community-based job skills training, including an increase of $15 million for Strengthening Community College Training Grants.
  • Protections for pregnant workers and those with young children through the inclusion of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act, which protect the right to necessary accommodations for pregnant women and moms on the job.
  • Boosts retirement savings and security through the inclusion of the bipartisan SECURE 2.0 legislative package.


Background:
The full text of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 is available here. A detailed summary of the legislation is available here. Individual subcommittee fact sheets and summaries for the 12 individual funding bills are below:

###

Issues: Appropriations Congress
Washington DC Office
365 Cannon HOB
Washington, DC  20515
Phone: (202) 225-3252
Las Vegas District Office
7785 W Sahara Ave
Suite 203
Las Vegas, NV  89117
Phone: (702) 963-9336