Rep. Neguse Secures Funding for Critical Wildfire, Drought, and Consumer Protection Programs in Government Spending Bill

Washington, D.C. — Congressman Joe Neguse celebrated the inclusion of 39 bills, community projects, and Colorado funding priorities in the Fiscal Year 2023 omnibus government funding bill.

“I’m excited that so many priorities that are important for Colorado are included in the omnibus bill. From transformative funding that we fought to secure for providing shelter for our nation’s veterans to critical water conservation and infrastructure projects in our rural and mountain communities, the investments in this bill will benefit countless Coloradans across our great state. With these resources, we can invest in science and sustainability, bolster early education and childcare, better prepare for the next wildfire, and more. And I look forward to President Biden signing into law, as part of the omnibus, multiple pieces of legislation that our office authored, including legislation to strengthen anti-trust enforcement and protect endangered species in our water basins,” said Congressman Neguse.

The priorities include:

Bills:

• Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2022, bipartisan antitrust enforcement legislation to help small and medium-sized businesses.
• Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basins Recovery Act, conservation legislation to continue protecting four threatened and endangered native fish species in Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basins.
• Dearfield National Historic Site Act, Congressman Ken Buck’s (R-CO) bipartisan legislation that Congressman Neguse co-led to protect Dearfield.

Community Projects:

• $1,080,000 for the Boulder County Sheriff Long Range Acoustical Device Siren System
• $1,870,000 for the City of Fort Collins Intersection Improvement
• $2,000,000 for the Eagle County Government Eagle Valley Trail
• $500,000 for the Loveland Fire Rescue Authority, Loveland, CO for facilities and equipment
• $575,000 for the Lyons Emergency & Assistance Fund
• $750,000 for the Summit County Child Care Center
• $4,000,000 for the Town of Empire Water Infrastructure
• $785,937 for the Town of Estes Park Wildfire Mitigation
• $1,325,000 for the Town of Granby Highway 40 Trail Connection
• $2,000,000 for the Town of Minturn for a Water Treatment Plant
• $608,000 for the Town of Wellington for a Water Infrastructure Project
• $2,000,000 for the University of Colorado Boulder JILA
• $650,000 for the Veterans Community Project Transitional Housing
• $250,000 for the Latino Chamber of Commerce Mobile Office

Funding Priorities:

• $12 million for the Open Textbook Pilot Program, saving money for students.
• $9.5 million to improve environmental education.
• $9 million for the Joint Fire Science Program, funding research to prevent wildfires.
• $7.655 million for the Upper Colorado and San Juan River Endangered Species Recovery programs.
• $21.4 million for Colorado River Compliance Activities, protecting the environment.
• $4.2 billion for Wildland Fire Management, mitigating wildfire risk.
• Funding for $505,000 and 5 full-time Amache National Historic Site staff.
• $5 million for the John R. Justice program, providing loan repayment assistance for state and federal public defenders and state prosecutors.
• $10 million for the Homeless Veteran Reintegration Program at the Department of Labor.
• $50 million for the low or no-emission bus program.
• $925 million for the Emergency Watershed Protection Program.
• $450 million for the Department of Interior and U.S. Forest Service Wildland Fire Management suppression activities.
• $5 billion to FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund for major disasters.
• Nearly $12 billion for Head Start.
• $8 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant, providing early education and childcare support.
• Reauthorization for the Colorado River System Conservation Pilot Program.
• $720 million for firefighter assistance programs.
• $455 million in rural broadband investments, including $348 million for ReConnect.
• $557 million for AmeriCorps state and national grants.
• The National Park Foundation increased authorization and reauthorization.
• $20 million for Project Safe Neighborhoods.
• $12.5 million for the Opioid Affected Youth Initiative.

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