House Passes Seven-Bill Appropriations Package With $14.5 Million Included For Nepa Projects

Press Release

U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright (PA-08) today voted to pass a seven-bill fiscal year 2022 appropriations package (H.R. 4502). It passed on a 219-208 vote. In addition to strong funding for infrastructure, job training, education, veterans' health care and more, the package includes $14.5 million in direct funding for seven projects in Northeastern Pennsylvania for which Rep. Cartwright advocated:

$1 million for the Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce in Wilkes-Barre to create a business development hub
$3.5 million for the Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority in Luzerne County to support stormwater infrastructure improvements
$1.85 million for YMCAs across NEPA to provide mental health and substance use disorder treatment and rehabilitation
$1.15 million for Hazleton to combat hunger
$2 million for Wayne County to build a substance use disorder rehabilitation to workforce regional facility
$2 million for Lackawanna College in Scranton to establish a technical and vocational education center
$3 million for Moosic Borough to build a new combination police and fire facility
More details on these projects are outlined below. Next, these bills will be negotiated in a House-Senate conference committee.

"Funding bills are a reflection of our values, and this package shows we value and believe in the American people," said Rep. Cartwright, a member of the House Appropriations Committee. "Not only does it make investments in creating good-paying jobs, caring for veterans and growing opportunity for workers and families across the nation, it also addresses challenges we face in Northeastern Pennsylvania, with direct funding for things like substance use disorder treatment, local police, job training and business development. With its passage today, we are advancing the values of prosperity and justice for all."

SOME HIGHLIGHTS FOR PA-08:

Job Training

18,000 young people and 138,000 adults in PA-08 are eligible to receive federally funded job training. In 2020, the district received $4.8 million in Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Adult and Youth State Grants.
This appropriations package provides $3.1 billion in WIOA funds for job training for disadvantaged youth and adults, and for assistance to dislocated workers, an 8.8 percent increase over 2021.
Education

An estimated 33,000 children in PA-08 benefited from federal Title I education funding in 2021, including 21,000 children living in poverty, receiving monthly Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), or in foster care or delinquency. In 2021, the district received $41.4 million in Title I funds.
This appropriations package provides $36 billion in Title I funds, a 118 percent increase over 2021.
This increase would provide $48.9 million in additional funding for schools in the district to support these children at risk of failing out of school.
Veterans' Health Care

There were 19,000 veterans signed up to receive health care from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) in PA-08 in 2020. The VHA spent $205 million in 2020 providing healthcare to 13,000 veterans in the district.
House Democrats' appropriations bill provides $98.5 billion for veterans' healthcare, an 8 percent increase over 2021.
This increase would provide an additional $45 million in funding for veterans' health care in PA-08. These additional funds will enable the VHA to improve access to health care in key areas like women's health, mental health, and opioid treatment; provide more veterans with home and community-based services; recruit and retain nurses and physicians; and support crucial medical research that improves veterans' health and quality of life.
NEPA PROJECT FUNDING INCLUDED IN PACKAGE:

$1 million for a business development hub in Wilkes-Barre: Project Elevate

Sponsored by the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business & Industry -- a division of the Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce -- the goal of Project Elevate is economic and social revitalization in the Greater Wyoming Valley. In addition to attracting new business, this funding, if secured in the final enacted bill, would also promote mentorship and workforce training programs in the region.

$3.5 million for stormwater infrastructure improvements in the Wyoming Valley

Sponsored by the Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority (WVSA), this funding will support their Warrior Creek Stream Restoration and Abrahams Creek MS4 Stream Restoration & Creek Street Stormwater Basin Retrofit projects. It will address stormwater management and achieve the goals of reducing sediment and nutrient loads under Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s) regulations.

$1.85 million for mental health and substance use disorder treatment and rehabilitation across NEPA: YMCA Mental Health & Substance Use Disorder Support Services

Sponsored by the Greater Scranton YMCA, this funding is for local YMCAs to contract with at least one mental health/substance use disorder organization in their community to provide services at their facilities. The funding will also support the hiring of specialized staff to offer added therapy services, focusing on the prevention and treatment of mental health disorders and drug use, and tobacco and alcohol use among children. Although open to all, the Ys will target low-income community members who may not have access to services, or who may desire alternative service options.

$1.15 million to combat food insecurity in Hazleton

Sponsored by the Hazleton Integration Project (HIP), this funding would help the organization create a STEAM-based education model to eradicate food insecurity in the Greater Hazleton Area. Age specific STEAM labs will maximize innovative approaches to problem solving and serve as centerpieces to drive and sustain this effort for years to come. Student-led committees will research root causes of food insecurity and drive solutions by incorporating community gardening, logistics, marketing, communication, legislation and the food supply chain. Additional emphasis will focus on the impact of food insecurity and poverty on mental health. Hundreds of our area's economically disadvantaged high schoolers will be mentored throughout by university students.

$2 million to build a substance use disorder rehabilitation to workforce regional facility in Wayne County

Sponsored by Wayne County, this facility will support a recovery-to-work program and serve as a regional hub for treatment and rehabilitation for individuals struggling with addiction and behavioral health challenges. This funding would help to pay for construction of four buildings that would be used in a multitude of capacities to address much-needed drug recovery, mental health and work training initiatives in Wayne County and the surrounding region where such facilities are non-existent or few and far between.

$2 million for a technical and vocational education center in Lackawanna County

Sponsored by Lackawanna College, this funding would help the school establish a Center for Technology Innovation. It will offer a college-level student program, high school program, and a training site for STEM, industrial technologies and trades employers for continuing education students. The Center will feature five laboratories to train students for careers in Gas & Electric Vehicle Technology, Smart Design Building Systems, Robotics & Automation, Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality (AR/VR) multimedia and Cybersecurity & Information Technology.

$3 million to build a new combination police and fire facility in Moosic Borough

Sponsored by Moosic Borough, this project involves the demolition of an existing Greenwood Hose Company structure which is need of replacement for space, safety, handicap accessibility and emergency services efficiency considerations. This funding would support the construction of a new facility that will surpass the capacity of current facilities and adequately serve and protect the entire Borough.

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