Booker, Menendez Outline Wins for New Jersey in Major Funding Bill

Senators secure millions in federal funds exclusively for community projects across the state 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Cory Booker and Bob Menendez (both D-NJ) today voted to approve the $1.5 trillion Fiscal Year 2022 government funding bill which provides significant investments in transportation, housing and education for New Jersey. Sens. Booker and Menendez also fought to secure federal funding in the bill designed exclusively for community projects across the state. The package also includes $13.6 billion in emergency funding to assist Ukraine and NATO allies.

“Tonight, the Senate passed a historic, bipartisan government funding bill that will help address the biggest challenges we face at home and abroad. This legislation invests in the American people, helps reduce rising costs, and will create good-paying jobs. We will increase funding for schools and Head Start programs, provide pay raises for our troops, improve health and nutrition, unlock more federal money to invest in our country’s crumbling infrastructure, and take steps toward building a more equitable country. The bill also provides much-needed humanitarian and security aid to the people of Ukraine as they fight to defend their democracy after Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion,” said Sen. Booker. “I am disappointed that this bill does not provide sufficient funding to address the global famine crisis that is threatening the lives of tens of millions of people, including millions of children, around the globe. In addition, in the midst of a global pandemic, I am also deeply disappointed that continued funding for COVID-19 relief was cut from this bill. I hope that the Senate will come together and pass urgently needed funding to continue the fight to keep Americans healthy and COVID at bay.”

“Not every day we have an opportunity to secure billions of dollars in critical federal funding for programs to support hardworking families, protect communities, and ensure every child has a chance to succeed. The funding bill crafted by Democrats and passed by the Senate today will create good-paying jobs, lower costs, and tackle some of the most pressing issues facing New Jersey families such as access to child care and higher education, affordable housing, and reliable and safe transportation. At the same time, we’re sending a strong message of support to Ukraine and our allies by providing humanitarian and security aid at the time they need it the most,” said Sen. Menendez. “And while I’m disappointed in the Republicans’ refusal to provide additional funding for COVID-19 response efforts to support state and local governments reeling from the effects of the pandemic, I will continue to push my colleagues to pass this funding in a separate bipartisan effort as quickly as possible.” 

The FY22 funding bill includes:

NJ Community Projects Funding Secured by Sens. Menendez and Booker

·        Union City – $1,100,000 to purchase a new closed-circuit television system to be installed in New York Street Park and 33^rd Street Water Park, as well as general upgrades to the city’s existing CCTV.

·        City of Hackensack – $1,000,000 to buy and install storm water infrastructure that will facilitate Combined Sewer System separation efforts.

·        City of Trenton — $1,000,000 to develop athletic fields and trails and rehabilitate existing structures at 104 Taylor Street.

·        City of Passaic – $883,000 to design and construct a multi-use pedestrian greenway that supports pedestrians and bicyclists.

·        City of Newark — $492,000 for Newark’s water loss monitoring program. The funding will purchase sensors that will be installed in the system to find and identify leaks quickly so they can be repaired, conserving water and reducing waste and costs for customers.

·        City of Paterson — $360,000 to rehabilitate Wrigley Park. The project will focus on improving the aesthetics and increasing the functionality of this green space and restore this park to a safe, accessible space for residents to enjoy.

·        City of Hoboken — $250,000 for the Hoboken Electric Vehicle Fast Charging Station Project, supporting the City’s efforts to encourage electric vehicle ownership to reduce carbon emissions and mitigate the long-term impacts of climate change.

·        Union County – $1,270,000 to establish a new radio site to enhance communications coverage for law enforcement in the western portion of the county.

·        Woodbridge Township – $1,000,000 to transform land to construct a new recreational park that will include two soccer fields, two street hockey courts, a spray park, a playground, and a restroom with changing areas.

·        North Bergen – $488,000 to introduce new speed tables and rapid flashing beacons around six schools in the city to slow vehicle traffic and improve pedestrian safety.

·        Capital Health System – $925,000 to make internal and external repairs and upgrades to the Capital Health Family Health Center.

·        Deborah Heart and Lung Center – $1,000,000 to purchase a cardiac MRI machine to create detailed images of the heart without using radiation.

·        Hudson County Community College – $980,000 to equip and staff seven classrooms on the HCCC’s North Hudson Campus with Immersive Telepresence Video (ITV) synchronous learning classroom technology systems, which will connect remote students to in-class learning from home or across classrooms.

·        University Hospital – $3,870,000 to build Trauma Operating Room.

·        Atlantic Cape Community College — $212,000 to build capacity for the Cape May County BizHub project to help meet the business development and resource needs of Cape May County’s entrepreneurial community.

·        Borough of Red Bank — $250,000 to help remove and replace lead water service lines.

·        Monmouth University — $460,000 to develop a community engagement and planning process for local resilience planning in environmental justice.

The full list of NJ Community Projects secured by Sens. Menendez and Booker can be found HERE. 

Hoboken Rebuild by Design Extension
The package includes a provision giving the Hoboken Rebuild by Design project until September 2025 to spend the funding for the project. Sen. Menendez secured a one-year extension in the last fiscal year spending bill.

Child Care

·        Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG): Includes $6.2 billion for states to provide child care subsidies for low income families.

·        Head Start: Includes $11 million for school readiness programs.

Education

·        K-12 Education: Includes $42.6 billion for K-12 public schools.

·        Student Financial Assistance: Includes $24.6 billion in federal student aid programs, an increase of $35 million above FY21.

·        Pell Grant: Increases the maximum grant per student by $400, bringing the total to $6,895. This is the largest Pell Grant increase in over a decade.

·        HBCUs: Includes $363 million for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, an increase of $25 million above FY21.

·        HSIs: Includes $183 million for Hispanic Serving Institutions, an increase of $34 million above FY21. There are 20 HSIs in New Jersey. 

Transportation

·        Department of Transportation: Provides $102.9 billion for USDOT.

·        Gateway: Includes $874.5 million for Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor, which can be tapped in part to fund the Gateway Project. The bill also includes $2.248 billion for the Capital Investments Grants (CIG) program.

·        RAISE Grants: Includes $775 million for Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity Grants. At least $20 million is dedicated for projects in disadvantaged areas.

·        FAA Tech Center: Successfully prevented the FAA from restructuring the William J. Hughes Technical Center in Atlantic City, protecting jobs in the aviation industry.

Housing, Community, and Economic Development

·        MEP: Includes $158 million for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership program, which supports public-private partnerships serving small- and medium sized manufacturers.

·        Community Development:

o   Includes $3.3 billion for Community Development Block Grants.

o   Provides $350 million for the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative, a 75% increase in funding from FY21.

o   Provides $295 million for the Community Development Financial Institutions. Sen. Booker and Sen. Menendez led the fight to secure funding for CDFIs.

·        Public Housing: Includes $8.45 billion for Public Housing.

·        Section 202 Housing for the Elderly: Provides $1 billion to provide 2,200 new affordable housing units for low income seniors.

·        Section 811 Housing for Persons with Disabilities: Includes $352 million to construct 1,800 new affordable housing units for persons with disabilities.

·        Housing Counseling Assistance: Includes $57.5 million for housing counseling assistance.

·        LIHEAP: Includes $3.8 billion for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which provides financial assistance for home heating and cooling to low-income households.

Health Care

·        Maternal and Infant Health Care: Includes $83 million for the Safe Motherhood and Infant Health Program, which included funding for the Maternal Mortality Review Committee. Sen. Booker has long been an advocate for addressing disparities in maternal health care.

·        Sickle Cell Data: Includes $7.4 million for the Public Health Approach to Blood Disorders which includes an increase to expand sickle cell data collection.

·        White House Conference on Food, Nutrition, Hunger, and Health: Includes $2.5 million for a Sen. Booker-led initiative that sets aside funding for the White House to develop a roadmap to end hunger and improve nutrition.

·        Cancer Research:

o   $110 million for prostate cancer research.

o   $45 million for ovarian cancer research.

o   $150 million for breast cancer research.

o   $50 million for kidney cancer research.

o   $20 million for lung cancer research.

o   $40 million for melanoma research.

o   $15 million for pancreatic cancer research.

o   $17.5 million for rare cancer research.

·        Firefighter Cancer Registry: Provides $3 million to support the Firefighter Cancer Registry. Sen. Menendez was the lead sponsor of the Firefighter Cancer Registry Act and fought for its robust funding.

·        Public Health Emergency Preparedness: Includes $715 million for PHEP programs, a $20 million increase from last year, which Sen. Menendez fought for.

·        Autism Programs: Includes $60.345 million to fund research and development of new treatments and therapies authorized through Sen. Menendez’s Autism CARES Act.

Environment

·        Innovative Water Workforce Development Program: Sen. Booker’s program to help develop the next generation of water utility workers received $4 million.

·        Water Infrastructure:

o   Includes $1.126 billion for Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.

o   Includes $1.638 billion for Clean Water.

o   Includes $69.526 million for the Water Infrastructure Financing Innovation Act loan program.

o   Includes $27.5 million for lead contamination testing at schools and child care centers.

·        Partnership Wild and Scenic Rivers: Includes $4.9 million for the Partnership Wild and Scenic Rivers program, which creates partnerships across all levels of government to preserve rivers in a natural, free-flowing condition. Sen. Menendez fought to increase this funding by almost $1 million from last year. Four New Jersey rivers—Great Egg Harbor, Lower Delaware, Maurice, and Musconetcong—benefit from the program.

·        BEACH Act: Includes $10.119 million to reduce the risk of disease to users of the Nation’s coastal recreation waters. Sen. Menendez fought to secure additional funding for this program.

·        Energy: Provides a record $3.2 billion for energy efficiency and renewable energy.

Public Safety

·        First Step Act: Fully funds the requested $409.5 million for programs and activities authorized by the First Step Act of 2018, which helps incarcerated individuals be productive members of society and reunite with their families.

·        JAG: Includes $674.5 million for Byrne Justice Assistance Grants.

·        Community Policing: Includes $512 million for Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) programs.

·        UASI: Provides $865 million for Urban Area Security Initiative grants.

·        AFG: Includes $360 million for Assistance to Firefighter Grants.

·        SAFER: Includes $360 million for Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grants.

·        Transportation Security:

o   Provides $105 million for Public Transportation Security Assistance grants.

o   Includes $100 million for Port Security grants.

o   Includes $100 million for Transit Security grants.

IRS

·        Provides $12.6 billion for the Internal Revenue Service. The bill also provides special funding transfer authority and direct hire authority to address the backlog of returns and correspondence at the agency.

·        Includes $2.8 billion for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Matching Grants Program, Low Income Taxpayer Clinics, the National Taxpayer Advocate, Tax Counseling for the Elderly, and increased personnel to improve IRS customer service.

·        Includes $275 million to modernize the IRS computer systems.

Agriculture

·        Supporting farmers of color: Ensures equitable participation in USDA programs, including funding for 1890s land grants, 1994 land grants, and Hispanic serving institutions. Sen. Booker is a longtime advocate for equitable treatment of Black and Hispanic farmers.

·        Cranberry Research: Includes $1.633 billion for the Agricultural Research Service, which can be tapped for cranberry research. New Jersey is one of the country’s leading cranberry producers.

·        Floriculture: Sen Menendez fought to include $190.1 million for the National Agricultural Statistics Service, including for the Floriculture Crops Report, which is beneficial to New Jersey’s large greenhouse industry.

·        Horse Slaughter: Sen. Menendez led a bipartisan effort to ensure the continued prohibition of funding for USDA meat inspectors at horse slaughter plants, effectively prohibiting the ban on horse meat. Menendez is the Senate leader in the fight to ban horse slaughter.