Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) voted to pass H.R. 2471, government funding legislation for fiscal year 2022. The bill’s transformative investments will help working families with the cost of living, create American jobs, and support vulnerable and underserved communities. Notably, the bill includes $10 million for construction and expansion of the Selma Interpretive Center and $4.2 million for renovations to the Selma U.S. Federal Building and Courthouse. 

The bill also includes $5 million for USDA wastewater grants, $450 million for the ReConnect Rural Broadband Program, $50 million for community based violence intervention initiatives, $11 billion for Head Start, $26.3 million for competitive grants to preserve the sites and stories of the Civil Rights Movement, $10 million for Historic Preservation Grants to HBCUs, and expands Housing Choice Vouchers by up to 25,000 low-income individuals and families.

“The programs that we fund in our annual government spending package should reflect our values as Americans, and I’m so proud that this year’s funding bill will help working families with the cost of living, create American jobs, and support our nation’s most vulnerable communities,” said Rep. Sewell. “I fought hard to include millions of dollars in funding for the Selma Interpretive Center, the Selma Federal Courthouse, wastewater systems, broadband expansion, and grants for historic preservation. I’m proud to report that this funding was included in this bill and will soon be on its way to our communities!”

Among many other programs, the government funding package includes funding for the following:

Agriculture

• $5 million for USDA grants to private nonprofit organizations for the purpose of providing loans and subgrants to eligible individuals for the construction, refurbishing, and servicing of individual household water well systems and individually owned household decentralized wastewater systems.
• Ensures 42 million people in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)-eligible families get the benefits they need with $140.4 billion for SNAP 
• Provides $450 million for the ReConnect rural broadband program, which last year got more than 100,000 people connected to the 21st century economy.
• Includes $1.45 billion for rural water and waste program loans and more than $653 million for grants for clean and reliable drinking water systems and sanitary waste disposal systems. 
• Substantially increases funding to help resolve ownership and succession of farmland issues, often referred to as heirs property.

Commerce

• Provides resources for local law enforcement who are facing a period of great challenge with $674.5 million for Byrne Justice Assistance grants and $512 million for COPS program grants. 
• Addresses the epidemic of gun violence with $95 million to strengthen the National Instant Criminal Background Check system and $50 million for community-based violence intervention initiatives.

Defense

• Bolsters Ukraine with $300 million for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. 
• Support a 2.7 percent pay raise for all 2.1 million uniformed U.S. service members and approximately 750,000 civilian Defense Department employees. 

Energy and Water

• Supports economic and community development, job training, and critical infrastructure with $195 million for the Appalachian Regional Commission and $30.1 million for the Delta Regional Authority.

Interior

• $10 million for construction and expansion of the Selma Interpretive Center.
• Study to designate the Selma Interpretive Center as a unit of the National Park System and provide the Secretary of Interior authority to acquire property for expansion of the Selma Interpretive Center.
• $4.2 million for renovations to the Selma U.S. Federal Building and Courthouse.
• $26.3 million for competitive grants to preserve the sites and stories of the Civil Rights Movement.
• $10 million for Historic Preservation Grants to HBCUs.

Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies

• Includes transformative investments in education, including record funding for high poverty schools and students with disabilities, with $17.5 billion for Title I Grants and $14.5 billion for Special Education. 
• Strong increases for programs that expand access to post-secondary education with increases for Career, Technical and Adult Education, Higher Education, and Student Financial Assistance, including a $400 increase in the maximum Pell Grant.  
• Expands affordable early-learning programs with a record $6.2 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant and $11 billion for Head Start.

Military Construction and Veterans Affairs

• $13.2 billion for Mental Healthcare, providing treatment and support for the nearly 2 million veterans who receive mental health services through VA, including $598 millionto fund suicide prevention outreach. 

Transportation, Housing and Urban Development

• Rebuilds our crumbling infrastructure with $102.9 billion in budgetary resources for the Department of Transportation to invest in airports, highways, transit, passenger rail, and port systems. 
• Advances the safety and reliability of our rail systems and ports by providing $3.3 billion for the Federal Railroad Administration. 
• Provides $30 million for a newly created Thriving Communities Program for DOT and HUD to provide technical assistance, planning, and capacity building to rural and urban underserved communities in need of improved transportation systems and to address historical inequities.
• Expands Housing Choice Vouchers by up to 25,000 low-income individuals and families experiencing or at risk of homelessness, including survivors of domestic violence and veterans; includes up to 4,000 new affordable housing units for seniors and persons with disabilities; and protects housing assistance for more than 4.8 million individuals and families.