Quick Hit Highlights of the FY 2011 Omnibus Bill
Selected Proposed Appropriations for State Governments
Information from Individual Appropriations Committee Summaries
Agriculture, FDA, and Rural Development
· Nutrition: The bill provides a total of $95.506 billion, including mandatory funding, for domestic nutrition assistance.
· The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): SNAP, formerly the Food Stamp Program, is funded at $70.907 billion in mandatory budget authority.
· Child Nutrition: School Lunch and Breakfast programs are funded at $17.32 billion in mandatory budget authority.
· The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC): WIC is funded at $6.852 billion in discretionary budget authority. There is also $125,000,000 in contingency funds which will be sufficient to meet current estimates of WIC caseload requirements.
· Commodity Supplemental Food Program: The bill provides $181.788 million for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, which includes $5 million to begin service in six additional States.
· Rural Development: The bill includes $2.842 billion in discretionary budget authority for rural development programs, which is a decrease of $135 million from the fiscal year 2010 enacted level and an increase of $63 million above the President’s request. Generally, the bill provides level funding for rural development programs, including water and waste water, business programs, and electric and telecommunications loans and grants.
Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations
· State and Local Law Enforcement – The agreement provides a total of $3.8 billion, which is $115.5 million above the enacted level and $345 million above the President’s budget request, for grants to aid local and state law enforcement and crime victims. From 2001 to 2006 these grant programs were cut by nearly $2 billion.
o $519 million for Byrne Justice Assistance Grants (JAG), state formula grants to assist local law enforcement;
o $542 million for Community Oriented Policing Service (COPS) programs, including $363 million for COPS Hiring grants to hire or retain roughly 1,500 police officers;
o $506 million for juvenile justice and delinquency prevention;
o $449 million to prevent violence against women; and
o $363 million to prevent, investigate and prosecute crimes against children
· State Justice Institute (SJI) –The agreement provides $6.3 million, $1.1 million above the enacted level and $862,000 above the President’s request.
Energy and Water Development Appropriations
· The Subcommittee legislation would provide $5.320 billion for the Army Corps of Engineers. This level is $439 million above the President’s budget request. The bill restores funding for 172 Corps of Engineers on-going construction projects that were proposed to be cancelled in the President’s budget request. The projects are in 41 states. Similarly, the Bill restores funding to 138 Corps of Engineers studies that were proposed to be cancelled in the President’s budget request. These studies are in 35 states. Under a continuing resolution the President’s budget request would serve as the basis of funding and these on-going studies and projects would be in jeopardy.
· The bill also restores funding for cleanup activities proposed to be cut by the Administration. Restored funding for activities in Idaho, Tennessee, Utah, and Washington would ensure compliance with legal milestones and maintain progress on critical projects.
· The Subcommittee legislation would provide $27.895 billion for the Department of Energy.
o Energy and Efficiency and Renewable Energy programs would receive $2.242 billion, the same as FY 2010.
· The Subcommittee legislation would provide $1.133 billion for the Department of the Interior. This level is $25 million above the President’s budget request.
Financial Services and General Government Appropriations
· Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI) – $277.4 million
o CDFI grants support financial services to underserved communities, including lending and investment in affordable housing, small business, and community development.
· Small Business Administration: Total funding of $957 million for small business lending and outreach. Funding supports over $65 billion in small business lending, and also includes $22 million for microloan grants, $4 million to support $25 million in Microlending, and $115.25 million for Small Business Development Centers. Total funding is a decrease of $36 million (3.7%) below the request as a result of the Small Business Jobs Act continuing enhanced lending programs further into FY11.
Homeland Security Appropriations
· Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA): $7.45 billion
o $950 million for State Homeland Security Grants, of which $60 million is for Operation Stonegarden and $10 million is for the Citizen Corps Program
o $3.58 billion to fully fund 20,500 Border Patrol agents, of whom over 17,000 will be stationed on the Southwest Border – more than double the number of agents on board in 2004
· Coast Guard: $8.92 billion (excluding mandatory retirement funding), $142 million above FY 2010 and $200 million above the request.
o $6.95 billion for operating expenses, $147 million above FY 2010 and $47 million above the request. The bill maintains key assets and activities proposed for elimination in the President’s budget, including: two high endurance cutters; four Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Teams in New York/New Jersey, Kings Bay, Georgia; New Orleans, and San Francisco; five Coast Guard short-range helicopters; and two seasonal air facilities. The bill also includes $13 million above the request to improve Coast Guard oversight of the maritime industry, including the offshore energy industry; and $5 million above
Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Summary
· U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - The bill includes $1.7 billion for operations of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, an increase of $39 million above the FY 2010 enacted level and $43.6 million above the President’s FY 2011 request. The total amount includes $504 million for national wildlife refuges; $291.5 million for protection of threatened and endangered species; and $890.1 million for a broad variety of other wildlife and habitat conservation programs in all 50 states and the U.S. territories
· Environmental Protection Agency - The bill includes $10 billion for the Environmental Protection Agency, a decrease of $275 million below the fiscal year 2010 level and $26 million above the President’s request. The distribution of funds among major programs of the agency follows:
o $3.5 billion for water and sewer infrastructure and other infrastructure improvement activities, a decrease of $372 million below the FY 2010 enacted level. The Senate mark will fund more than 1,000 water and sewer projects for communities nationwide and includes:
§ $1.9 billion for sewer system improvements through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund program;
§ $1.2 billion for drinking water system improvements through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund program; and
§ $145 million above the President’s request for targeted water and sewer improvements.
o $1.29 billion to States and tribes to fund environmental regulation and protection activities, an increase of $170 million above the FY 2010 enacted level and $10 million above the President’s request including:
§ $309 million for State and local air pollution control grants, an increase of $83 million over the 2010 level;
§ $274 million for State water pollution control grants, an increase of $45 million above the FY 2010 enacted level; and
§ $30 million for a new tribal grant program to implement pollution control activities in Indian Country.
o $2.93 billion for environmental programs and management activities, a decrease of $66.8 million below the fiscal year 2010 enacted level. An amount of $454 million is provided for environmental protection programs focused on regional water bodies, including $300 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, $63 million for the Chesapeake Bay Program and $7 million to restore the San Francisco Bay.
o $1.29 billion for Superfund programs and activities, a decrease of $13.5 million below the FY 2010 enacted level and the same amount as the President’s request.
o $852 million for science and technology programs, an increase of $4 million above the fiscal year 2010 enacted level and $5 million above the President’s request. Within the funds provided, $3 million is included to expand environmental testing of subsea dispersants such as those used during the recent Deepwater Horizon incident.
o $60 million for Diesel Emission Reduction Act grants, the same amount as the fiscal year 2010 enacted level.
Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies
· Title I (Education for the Disadvantaged)—The bill includes $14.8 billion for title I grants to local education agencies—a $290 million increase—for improving education for low-income students. These funds provide support to more than 90 percent of the Nation’s 15,000 school districts—an important contribution given the reductions to education spending by State and local governments.
· Early Learning Challenge Fund—The bill includes $300 million for a new Early Learning Challenge Fund that will provide competitive grants to States to raise the bar for early childhood programs. High-quality early learning programs help children develop the cognitive, social, and emotional skills needed to succeed in school and later in life. Yet quality varies greatly across settings, within States, and across the Nation.
· Special Education—The bill provides $11.8 billion under section 611of IDEA Part B grants to States for educating students with disabilities. This amount is $290 million more than the fiscal year 2010 level.
· Job Training—The bill provides an increase of $141 million over the fiscal year 2010 level for state grants for job training and employment services, for a total of $3.1 billion.
· Unemployment Insurance Program Integrity—The bill includes $65 million, an increase of $5 million, to conduct eligibility reviews of claimants of unemployment insurance [UI]. This increase will save State UI Trust fund accounts an estimated $210 million – representing a return on investment of more than $3 for every $1 spent.
· Workforce Innovation Funds—The bill includes a total of $217 million for Workforce Innovation Funds that will reform the Nation’s workforce investment system by improving the delivery of education and training programs to workers. These funds, to be administered jointly by the Departments of Labor and Education, will encourage States and local areas to develop workforce development strategies that assess the needs of employers and workers across broader, more cohesive economic regions and facilitate development of a workforce that reflects the specific set of skills needed in those communities.
· Chronic Disease Initiative—Obesity is the predominant risk factor in three of the top five most prevalent chronic diseases in this country: diabetes, heart disease and arthritis. The initiative includes: $209 million for community-based programs, $250 million for State planning and policy change, $49 million for national research and surveillance, and $56.8 million for the CDC to develop new models, evaluate current activities and produce cutting edge-science.
MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, VETERANS AFFAIRS AND RELATED AGENCIES
· Long Term Care: $6.8 billion for long term care for the Nation’s aging veterans as well as severely wounded combat veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The funding includes both institutional and home based care programs. The bill provides $85 million for grants for the construction of State extended care facilities.
· Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC): $2.35 billion for BRAC 2005 as requested and $450 million for BRAC 1990, $90 million over the request. The BRAC 2005 request is $5.1 billion below the fiscal year 2010 enacted level, reflecting the scheduled completion of the BRAC 2005 construction program in 2011.
· Rural Health: $250 million as requested for medical care, including telehealth and mobile clinics, for veterans in rural and highly rural areas, including Native American populations.
· Rural Clinic Initiative/Outpatient Clinics: $20 million above the request for the VA to establish additional Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs), of which $10 million is designated for the establishment of additional clinics in areas currently underserved by VA health care facilities.
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
· Community Development Block Grants (CDBG): $3.99 billion for CDBG grants for States and communities across the Nation, the same level as the fiscal year 2010 level and the budget request. This funding will assist struggling States and communities as the economy recovers to invest in and support the needs of low-income communities.
· Automobile Safety: An increase of $23 million to research the causes of sudden unintended acceleration and identify ways to improve vehicle crash worthiness. The bill also provides funds for performance and incentive grants to States that enact distracted driver laws.
· Funding for Significant Transportation Projects: $500 million for grants to support significant transportation projects in a wide variety of modes, including highways and bridges, public transportation, passenger and freight railroads, and port infrastructure. The funding requires the Secretary to allocate no less than $100 million for projects in rural communities.
· Intercity and High Speed Rail Grants: $1 billion for investments in intercity and high speed rail grants. This funding will build on the $10.5 billion already provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and fiscal year 2010 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill.
· Highway Investments: An additional $669 million in funding above the budget request is provided for the Federal-Aid Highway program.
· Transit Investments: $1.85 billion for the transit “New Starts” program. This funding supports projects across the Nation that will provide new or expanded public transportation services.
· Airport Investments: $3.5 billion for capital investments at airports across the country.
· Transit Energy Efficiency Grants: $65 million for grants to help transit agencies make cutting-edge and innovative capital investments that will reduce the energy consumption or greenhouse gas emissions of their operations.
