Congressman Ed Case: Case’s House Appropriations Committee Approves FY2023 Transportation and Housing Bill to Advance Affordable Housing And Fix Critical Infrastructure

From June 30, 2022 post.

Congressman Ed Case (HI-01) has announced approval by his U.S. House Committee on Appropriations of another key measure for Hawai‘i that is among the twelve bills to collectively fund the federal government for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 (commencing October 1, 2022).

The Transportation-Housing Urban Development Appropriations bill, the last of 12 bills considered and passed by the full Committee over the past two weeks, supports the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Department of Transportation (DOT) including the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Federal Maritime Commission, United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board, National Transportation Safety Board, Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

The bill’s discretionary funding level is $90.9 billion, an increase of $9.9 billion over the FY 2022 enacted level.

“My Appropriations Committee confronted the everyday challenges this bill covers across our country and provided the funds necessary to address our crumbling infrastructure as well as the lack of affordable housing,” said Case.

The bill also funds the following Member-designated Community Funding Projects (CPF) requested by Case to address critical needs in Hawai‘i:

• $4.8 million to the City and County of Honolulu Department of Transportation Services to develop a 30 mile active transit corridor connecting East to West O‘ahu. 
• $500,000 to the Institute for Human Services for the Village of Redemption project to support housing for formerly incarcerated individuals. 

“When it comes to transportation, we must work towards other means of mobility for those who either can’t afford or don’t want to rely on motor vehicles,” said Case. “The $4.8 million in funding for the City complements the ‘complete streets’ approach that seeks to accommodate reasonable access and mobility for all users of public highways and byways by investing in bike and pedestrian paths, thereby reducing traffic congestion while boosting our Hawai‘i’s efforts to combat greenhouse gases and climate change.”

The House’s CPF rules require that each project must have demonstrated community support, must be fully disclosed by the requesting Member, and is subject to audit by the independent Government Accountability Office. Case’s disclosures are here: https://case.house.gov/media/funding-disclosures.htm

“This funding measure also addressed a wide range of housing needs which have worsened for our work force, our kūpuna and veterans,” said Case.

The bill includes the following provisions to improve access to affordable housing:

• $5.299 billion for the Community Development Fund.
• $3.6 billion for the Homeless Assistance Grants.
• $62.5 million for the Self-Help and Assisted Homeownership Opportunity Program.
• $50 million for the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program and Native American Veterans programs.
• $14.94 billion on project-based rental assistance.
• $10 million for the Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant (NHHBG). The NHHBG funds support the building, acquisition and rehabilitation of affordable homes.
• A provision allowing up to $28 million in housing loans through the Native Hawaiian Housing Loan Guarantee Program. The Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 established a loan guarantee program for Native Hawaiians who are eligible to reside on Hawaiian home lands and would otherwise face barriers to acquiring such financing because of the unique legal status of the Hawaiian home lands.

“This bill also represents our Appropriations Committee’s commitment to fund the generational investment secured in last year’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law which I fought for”, said Case “This funding will ensure Hawai‘i can repair and modernize our ports, roads and mass transit systems to keep up with growing use.”

Transportation and Infrastructure programs and provisions requested and secured by Case include:

• $987 billion for the Maritime Administration, including $318 million for the Maritime Security Program, $300 million for the Port Infrastructure Development Program and $20 million for Assistance to Small Shipyards like Kalaeloa/Barbers Point.
• Language directing the Maritime Administration to review the fuel transportation capabilities of the Jones Act fleet to ensure Hawai‘i and other non-contiguous areas can meet their energy needs.
• $61 billion for the Federal Highway Administration to improve the safety and long-term viability of our highways.
• $17.5 billion for the Federal Transit Administration, including $13.6 billion for formula grants to states to expand their bus fleets and ensure transit systems are in good repair.
• $775 million for National Infrastructure Investments.
• $18.7 billion for the FAA, including $1.6 billion for aviation safety. 
• Direction to the FAA to work with other federal agencies, including the Department of Defense, to participate in community engagement to address noise concerns.
• Additional funding for the FAA’s community engagement capacity and requires the FAA to make aggregated information about noise complaints available to the public.

Case’s Appropriations Committee is responsible for allocating some $1.6 trillion in funding to federal government agencies, departments and organizations on an annual basis through twelve separate bills.

The bill now moves onto the full House of Representatives for consideration.

A summary of the Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies funding bill is here.

Original source can be found here.