Congressman Dwight Evans (D-PA-3rd) welcomed a bipartisan federal funding agreement that includes benefits for Philadelphia, and he’s urging the Senate to pass it after expected House passage today.
“While negotiations with Republicans have taken months, I’m pleased we have a deal that would represent real progress for Philadelphia and our nation,” Evans said. “This bill includes gains for affordable housing, health care, small businesses and gun violence prevention. It would also deliver on more of the funding authorized by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which is important for preventing situations like the Kingsessing and Queen Village water main breaks and the recent Pittsburgh bridge collapse.”
Evans said the House version of the bill (H.R. 2471) includes nearly $6.3 million in funding he requested for eight Philadelphia projects – and emphasized that Senate passage is still needed:
- $1 million for the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium
- $1 million for improving healthy food access through the Share Food Program
- $1 million for the proposed Nicetown Sport Court
- $1 million for The Enterprise Center’s 52nd Street Initiative to transform the disinvested 52nd Street commercial corridor through strategic property acquisition and rehabilitation
- $1 million for Philadelphia Youth Basketball for a youth development and community empowerment center
- $1 million for the Mann Center for Performing Arts, to enable it to be a continued force for positive change in Parkside, and expand the reach of its arts education and workforce development programs for disadvantaged young people in the Philadelphia region
- $149,324 for an “Our Businesses, Our Neighborhoods, Our Stories” promotional campaign by VestedIn (formerly WPFSI), Temple University’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC), and ShopPhilly1st, to support the 3rd Congressional District’s small businesses and neighborhoods.
- $150,000 for Allegheny West’s Economic and Industrial Development Planning Initiative in North Philadelphia
Evans also highlighted several nationwide funding amounts in the bill that would likely help Philadelphia:
GUN VIOLENCE
- The bill would provide 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
- $95 million to strengthen the National Instant Criminal Background Check system and $50 million for community-based violence intervention initiatives
The bill would increase IRS funding by nearly 6 percent – after years of underfunding and understaffing – to help improve customer service, address the tax return backlog, and ensure the wealthy are paying their fair share in taxes, said Evans, who serves on the Ways and Means Committee that oversees tax legislation and the IRS. The bill includes $2.8 billion for taxpayer services.
NUTRITION
- Healthy Food Financing Initiative – $28 million for this program that brings grocery stores to “food desert” neighborhoods and communities that lack them. As a state representative, Evans was a leader in creating Pennsylvania’s Fresh Food Financing Initiative, which inspired creation of the national program.
- Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) –$6 billion including $834 million to increase the amounts of fruits and vegetables in the WIC Food Package
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) –$140.4 billion in required mandatory spending for SNAP
- Child nutrition programs –$26.9 billion in funding for child nutrition programs. As children return to the classroom, this funding would support school lunches and snacks.
- $967 million for senior nutrition programs
- $45 million for the Summer EBT program
- $30 million for school kitchen equipment grants
- $6 million for school breakfast expansion grants
The bill includes more than $1 billion in increases for programs Evans called for funding at higher levels in his Housing Is Essential plan. The programs’ funding levels would be:
- Tenant-Based Rental Assistance, $27.37 billion
- Project-Based Rental Assistance, $13.94 billion
- Public Housing Operating Fund, $5.04 billion
- Public Housing Capital Fund, $3.2 billion
- McKinney-Vento Homelessness Assistance Grants, $3.21 billion
- HOME Investment Partnerships, $1.5 billion
- Community Development Block Grants, $3.3 billion
- Choice Neighborhoods Initiative, $350 million
- Housing Counseling, $57.5 million
- Self-Help Opportunity Program, $62.5 million
- Fair Housing Assistance Program, $25 million
- Fair Housing Initiatives Program, $56 million
- Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation, $166 million
- Self-Sufficiency Programs, $159 million
- Housing for the Elderly (Section 202), $1 billion
- Housing for Persons with Disabilities (Section 811), $352 million
- $6.2 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant
- $11 billion for Head Start
- $290 million for Preschool Development Grants
- The bill would allow for telehealth services to continue to be provided to Medicare beneficiaries in the home and in all areas of the country for about five months (151 days) after the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
- Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) – The bill includes $1 billion to establish ARPA-H within the office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services to accelerate the pace of scientific breakthroughs for diseases such as ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, and cancer.
- National Institutes of Health (NIH) – The bill would provide a total of $45 billion for NIH, an increase of $2.25 billion above the FY 2021 enacted level. The bill includes an increase of at least 3.4 percent for each institute and center to support a wide range of biomedical and behavioral research, as well as targeted investments in several high-priority areas.
- Mental Health: $2 billion, an increase of $288.8 million over the Fiscal Year 2021 enacted level, including an $100 million increase to the Mental Health Block Grant, making investments across the behavioral health continuum to support prevention, screening, treatment, and other services; and $315 million for Certified Community Behavioral Health, a $65 million increase above the FY 2021 enacted level.
- $1.7 billion, an increase of $65 million above the FY 2021 enacted level, for the Health Centers program. This includes $30 million, an increase of $25 million, to support school-based health centers, and $5 million to establish the Alcee L. Hastings Program for Advanced Cancer Screening in Underserved Communities.
- $2.5 billion, an increase of $71 million above the FY 2021 enacted level, for the Ryan White HIV/AIDS program
- $375 million, an increase of $25 million above the FY 2021 enacted level, for Children’s Hospitals Graduate Medical Education. Philadelphia has two hospitals that benefit from this program.
- $1 billion, an increase of $43 million above the FY 2021 enacted level, for programs to improve maternal and child health
- Would establish a program at the Health Resources and Services Administration to award grants for FY 2023-2027 for the training of health care professionals to improve the provision of prenatal care, labor care, birthing, and postpartum care for racial and ethnic minority populations, including with respect to perceptions and biases that may affect the approach to, and provision of, care.
- $16.3 billion for the Federal Transit Administration, including funding to expand bus fleets and increase transit state of good repair
- $101 million in infrastructure for watershed and flood prevention and watershed rehabilitation projects
- $2.77 billion for Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds
- $775 million for Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grants, including at least $20 million to assist areas of persistent poverty and historically disadvantaged communities
- $57.5 billion for the Federal Highway Administration for formula projects to improve the safety and long-term viability of our highways
- $100 million for EPA environmental justice activities, an $84 million increase over 2021 enacted levels
- The bill would support further creating jobs with $55 million for the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) to expand business growth opportunities among minority-owned U.S. companies
- Would invest in programs to help small businesses and entrepreneurs access capital and contracting opportunities through $1 billion for the Small Business Administration, including $290 million for Entrepreneurial Development Programs
- Fund financial and technical assistance grants and the availability and affordability of small-dollar loans with $295 million for Community Development Financial Institutions
• 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.
ELECTION SECURITY
• The bill would protect our democracy with funding to ensure the integrity of our elections, including $75 million for Election Security Grants to help states secure election systems and improve election administration.
Evans represents Pennsylvania’s 3rd Congressional District, which includes Northwest and West Philadelphia and parts of North, South, Southwest and Center City Philadelphia. During Evans’ first five years in Congress, his office has helped to return to or save more than $25 million for Philadelphians from federal agencies such as the IRS, Social Security Administration and Department of Veterans Affairs. His website is evans.house.gov and his social media handle is @RepDwightEvans on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Original source can be found here.
