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Rep. Stansbury Secures Over $10 Million in Funding for New Mexico

March 9, 2022

Rep. Stansbury secured funding for Community Projects as part of a wider government funding bill that increases investments in nutrition assistance, housing, climate resilience, and national security

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (N.M.-01) secured over $10.5 million in funding for Community Projects in New Mexico’s First Congressional District. The funding includes projects to combat crime and invest in public safety, economic development, education, and youth programs across New Mexico communities. 

Rep. Stansbury secured this funding on her first day of office, after winning a special election in June. These projects are included in a wider government spending package expected to pass the House of Representatives today, which will fund the federal government for the remainder of the 2022 Fiscal Year. 

“My top priority in Congress is to ensure that our communities have a seat at the table and that federal resources reach our communities across New Mexico,” said Rep. Stansbury. “That’s why my team and I rolled up our sleeves on Day One to secure over $10 million for crucial projects across our district. This funding will help address crime and break cycles of violence, invest in public safety and our fire departments, economic development, healthcare and education, and programs and services for our young people. Coupled with investments in the budget in economic development and national security, housing, hunger, and working families, and clean energy and climate resilience, this funding will invest in New Mexico our recovery and chart a path to a brighter future.”

Rep. Stansbury championed funding for seven projects that will directly benefit Albuquerque and Moriarty residents. The projects include:

  • $5,250,000 to fund upgrades to the nearly 60-year-old Moriarty Fire Station
  • $1,000,000 to fund the City of Albuquerque’s first Trauma Recovery Center and services for Victims of Violent Crime
  • $1,032,800 for IPCC Indian Pueblo Opportunity Center
  • $750,000 for Daniel Webster Park for upgrades to serve young people with disabilities
  • $125,000 for New Mexico Black Leadership Council for youth development programs
  • $1,500,000 for University of New Mexico in Albuquerque for health research facilities and equipment
  • $850,000 for YDI (Youth Development Inc.) in Albuquerque for student and family wraparound services

The funding Rep. Stansbury secured is in addition to the 12-bill government funding package designed to lower the cost of living for middle class families, create American jobs, support New Mexico’s most vulnerable communities, and help small businesses and restaurants succeed.

Additional highlights from the FY2022 government spending bill for New Mexico include:

Community Well-Being

Increased funding for nutrition assistance:

  • Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) – The bill provides $6 billion in discretionary funding for WIC, including $834 million to increase the amounts of fruits and vegetables in the WIC Food Package. In FY 2022, WIC will serve an estimated 6.2 million women, infants, and children, including more than 33,500 New Mexicans.
  • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) – The bill provides $140.4 billion in required mandatory spending for SNAP, including $3 billion for the SNAP reserve fund, which will serve more than 42 million people. This fully funds participation, as well as the SNAP enhanced allotments authorized by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. According to the New Mexico Human Services Department, over 550,000 New Mexicans receive SNAP benefits.
  • Child nutrition programs – The bill provides $26.9 billion in funding for child nutrition programs, an increase of $1.77 billion. As kids return to the classroom, this funding will support more than 5.2 billion school lunches and snacks. In addition, the bill provides $45 million for the Summer EBT program, $30 million for school kitchen equipment grants, and $6 million for school breakfast expansion grants.

Housing

  • Expands housing choice vouchers to up to 25,000 low-income individuals and families experiencing or at risk of homelessness, including survivors of domestic violence and veterans.
  • Protects housing assistance for more than 4.8 million individuals and families to ensure they continue to remain in safe, stable, and affordable housing.
  • Includes $11 billion in funding for new affordable housing, critical health, safety, and maintenance improvements to ensure the safety and quality of public and low-income housing, and community development activities, including $360 million to construct over 4,000 new affordable housing units for seniors and persons with disabilities, $1.5 billion in direct funding to states and local governments through the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, and significantly increases investments in distressed neighborhoods through the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative program.

Public Safety Infrastructure and Support

  • Grants to State and Local Law Enforcement – The bill increases the amount available for federal grants to state and local law enforcement by $506.4 million to $3.9. This includes:
    • $674.5 million for Byrne JAG;
    • $512 million for Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) programs;
    • $201 million to address sexual assault kit and other DNA evidence backlogs;
    • $115 million for Second Chance Act programs;
    • $572.5 million for grant programs to address substance use disorders;
    • $135 million for the STOP School Violence Act;
    • $575 million for Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) prevention and prosecution programs;
    • $95 million for grants to improve the NICS firearms background check system;
    • $50 million for a new Community Violence Intervention and Prevention initiative;
    • And nearly $300 million in community projects to fight crime and improve public safety in communities across the country.

Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Resources

  • Mental Health: $2 billion, an increase of $288.8 million, including an $100 million increase to the Mental Health Block Grant (MHBG), making investments across the behavioral health continuum to support prevention, screening, treatment, and other services.
  • Children and Youth Mental Health: $120 million for Project AWARE, an increase of $13 million above the FY 2021 enacted level; $81.8 million for the National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative, an increase of $10 million above the FY 2021 enacted level; and $10 million for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health, an increase of $2 million above the FY 2021 enacted level.
  • Suicide prevention: $101.6 million for the Suicide Lifeline, an increase of $77.6 million above the FY 2021 enacted level to support the implementation of the Lifeline’s new 988 number; $5 million to create a new Behavioral Health Crisis and 988 Coordinating Office; and $38.8 million for Garrett Lee Smith Youth Suicide Prevention grants, an increase of $2.3 million above the FY 2021 enacted level.
  • Substance use treatment: $3.9 billion, an increase of $99.8 million above the FY 2021 enacted level, including continued funding for opioid prevention and treatment, recovery, and tribal-focused treatment efforts. This includes $1.85 billion, an increase of $50 million above the FY 2021 enacted level, for the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant (SABG); $1.525 billion for State Opioid Response Grants, an increase of $25 million over the FY 2021 enacted level; $34.9 million for Pregnant & Postpartum Women, an increase of $2 million above the FY 2021 enacted level; $13 million for Building Communities of Recovery, an increase of $3 million above the FY 2021 enacted level; and $101 million, an increase of $10 million, for Medication Assisted Treatment.
  • Substance abuse prevention: $218.2 million, an increase of $10 million above the FY 2021 enacted level. This includes $127.4 million for the Strategic Prevention Framework, an increase of $8 million above the FY 2021 enacted level; and $12 million for the Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking (STOP Act), an increase of $2 million.

Economic Development

Rural Economic Development and Infrastructure – The bill provides a total of nearly $4 billion for rural development programs. These programs help create an environment for economic growth by providing business and housing opportunities and building sustainable rural infrastructure for the modern economy.

  • Rural Broadband – The legislation invests over $550 million in the expansion of broadband service to provide economic development opportunities and improved education and healthcare services, including an additional $450 million for the ReConnect program. This is in addition to the $2 billion provided in Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Since 2019, more than 200,000 rural residents have gained access to broadband through these programs.
  • Critical Infrastructure – The legislation includes responsible investments in infrastructure to help rural areas of the country access basic utilities. This includes $1.45 billion for rural water and waste program loans, and over $653 million in water and waste grants for clean and reliable drinking water systems and sanitary waste disposal systems, which will provide safe drinking water to millions of rural residents. An additional $7.9 billion in loan authority is provided for rural electric and telephone infrastructure loans.
  • Rural Housing Loans and Rental Assistance – The bill provides a total of $30 billion in loan authority for the Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program. The bill includes $1.25 billion in direct single family housing loans, meeting the estimated need for these loans, which provide home loan assistance to low-income rural families, many of whom would have few loan options for purchasing a home because of their geographical location. In addition, a total of $1.495 billion is provided for rental assistance and rental vouchers for affordable rental housing for low-income families and the elderly in rural communities to renew all existing rental assistance contracts. In FY 2020, Rural Development housing programs provided affordable housing to 138,331 rural homeowners and over 250,000 rental units.
  • Business and Industry Loan Program – The bill includes $1.250 billion, a 25% increase. This will enable additional lending opportunities to business and non-profits in rural areas.

Southwest Border Regional Commission – The bill provides $2.5 million, equal to the request and $2.25 million above the fiscal year 2021 level for the U.S. Department of Energy. This funding targets the economic development needs of distressed portions of Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas.

Department of Labor (DOL) – The bill provides a total of $13.2 billion in discretionary appropriations for DOL, an increase of $653 million above the FY 2021 enacted level. Of this amount, the bill includes:

  • $9.8 billion for the Employment and Training Administration, an increase of $412 million above the FY 2021 enacted level. Within this amount, the bill includes:
  • $2.9 billion for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act State Grants, an increase of $34 million above the FY 2021 enacted level.
  • $95.4 million for Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers, an increase of $1.5 million above the FY 2021 enacted level.
  • $102.1 million for the Reintegration of Ex-Offenders, an increase of $2 million above the FY 2021 enacted level.
  • $235 million for Registered Apprenticeships, an increase of $50 million above the FY 2021 enacted level.
  • $99 million for YouthBuild, an increase of $2.5 million above the FY 2021 enacted level.
  • $50 million, an increase of $5 million over the FY 2021 enacted level, to continue and expand Strengthening Community College Training Grants to help meet local and regional labor market demand for a skilled workforce by providing training to workers in in-demand industries at community colleges and four-year partners.
  • $1.7583 billion for Job Corps.
  • $405 million for the Senior Community Service Employment for Older Americans Program.
  • $2.9 billion for operation of the Unemployment Insurance program, an increase of $285 million above the FY 2021 enacted level. The bill also includes contingency funding to help States if there is a spike in unemployment claims.

Climate Action and Environmental Sustainability

Environmental Justice—an $83 million increase for Environmental Justice activities under the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Renewable Energy

  • Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy – The bill provides a record-level $3.2 billion investment in renewable energy, an increase of $338 million above the fiscal year 2021 level. This funding provides for clean, affordable, and secure energy and ensures American leadership in the transition to a global clean energy economy.
  • Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response – The bill provides $185.8 million, an increase of $29.8 million above the fiscal year 2021 level. This funding provides for efforts to secure the nation’s energy infrastructure against all hazards, reduce the risks of and impacts from cybersecurity events, and assist with restoration activities.
  • Electricity – The bill provides $277 million, an increase of $65.3 million above the fiscal year 2021 level. This funding will advance technologies to increase the resiliency and efficiency of the nation’s electricity delivery system with capabilities to incorporate growing amounts of clean energy technologies.

Climate Research, Modeling, and Data Collection

  • National Science Foundation (NSF) – $8.84 billion, an increase of $351 million above the FY 2021 enacted level to support cutting edge research
    • Climate Research – $200 million, an increase of $18 million above FY 2021, including an increase of $10 million to provide actionable climate information to inform Americans’ decisions about how to adapt to the changing climate.
  • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) – $5.88 billion, an increase of $447 million above FY 2021.

Environmental Conservation

  • Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – The bill provides a total of $9.56 billion in for EPA – $323 million above the 2021 enacted level.
  • National Park Service—$3.26 billion, $142 million above the fiscal year 2021 enacted level
  • Bureau of Land Management—$1.41 billion for the $101 million above the fiscal year 2021 enacted level. Within this amount, the bill includes:
    • $31 million for threatened and endangered species
    • $137 million for the wild horse and burro program, $21 million above the fiscal year 2021 enacted level.
  • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service—$1.65 billion, $62 million above the fiscal year 2021 enacted level. Within this amount, the bill includes:
    • $277 million for Ecological Services, $8 million above the fiscal year 2021 enacted level.
    • $519 million for National Wildlife Refuge System, $15 million above the fiscal year 2021 enacted level.
    • $23 million for Science Support, $6 million above the fiscal year 2021 enacted level.
  • Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement—$268 million, $46 million above the fiscal year 2021 enacted level. Within this amount, the bill includes:
    • $149 million for the Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation Fund, an increase of $20 million above the fiscal year 2021 enacted level.

This legislation will then be voted on by the Senate and signed into law by President Biden. A detailed summary of the bill is available here.