Today, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) voted for the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, a bipartisan government funding bill that funds essential programs, addresses many of the challenges our country faces, and provides more than $31.1 million for fifteen local projects that Congresswoman Fletcher requested through the Community Funded Projects process.  The legislation also includes Congresswoman Fletcher’s bipartisan bill to improve and develop pediatric medical devices, H.R. 7679, as well as a modified version of her bipartisan mental health bill, the Collaborate in an Orderly and Cohesive Manner (COCM) Act, H.R. 5218.  The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, now heads to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law. 

“Today, Congress fulfilled its constitutional responsibility to appropriate funds for the benefit of the people, including funds to keep our communities safe, improve public health, and grow our economy,” said Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher.  “I am glad to announce that this bipartisan funding bill includes critical investments for our community and our country.  In particular, the bill provides nearly $10 million for Harris County Flood Control’s improvement of Poor Farm Ditch’s water conveyance, support for Houston and Harris County public libraries, funding for a variety of programs—including domestic violence prevention programs and civic engagement programs for college students—and so much more.  This legislation also includes a modified version of my bill to bring mental health care resources to primary care settings.  I am proud of this legislation, which reflects many of the priorities TX-07 constituents have asked me to support and I look forward to seeing President Biden sign it into law.”

For TX-07, Congresswoman Fletcher secured the following Community Funded Projects: 

• $9.8 million for Harris County Flood Control District’s Poor Farm Ditch water conveyance channel restoration and construction;
• $5 million for Houston Metro’s Westheimer BOOST bus stop improvements;
• $3 million for Southwest Houston Redevelopment Authority’s Harwin Drive and Hillcroft Avenue intersection improvement project;
• $2.5 million for the City of West University Place’s Milton Street waterline replacement; 
• $2.4 million for the City of Bellaire’s water and wastewater line replacement;
• $2 million for the Houston Public Library’s digital literacy project for children and adolescents;
• $1.4 million for Harris County Public Health’s Black Maternal and Child Health Pilot Program; 
• $1 million for Harris County Public Health’s Accessing Coordinated Care and Empowering Self Sufficiency (ACCESS) integrated care-coordination model;
• $1 million for Houston Police Department’s Mobile Community Storefront Program; 
• $750,000 for St. George Place Redevelopment Authority’s East and West Greenridge intersection safety project; 
• $741,000 for the City of Southside Place’s Auden Street drainage improvement project;
• $600,000 for the City of Bellaire’s Evergreen Accessible and Inclusive Playground;
• $578,000 for Harris County Public Library’s Project GRAD, for college and career guidance programs;
• $139,212 for Harris County Public Library’s library lockers for Texas’ Seventh Congressional District; and
• $100,000 for Harris County Sheriff’s Office’s virtual reality training equipment. 

In July, six of these fifteen projects passed the House.  More detail on all fifteen of these projects can be found here. 

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 includes Congresswoman Fletcher’s bipartisan bill to improve and develop pediatric medical devices by reauthorizing the Pediatric Device Consortia (PDC) grant program and allowing profits for certain Humanitarian Device Exemption (HDE) devices. 

It also includes a version of the Congresswoman’s COCM Act, which initially passed the House in June, and will allow states to partner with primary care practices through a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grant program to implement integrated models of care, including the collaborative care model (CoCM).  The bill will also ensure that SAMHSA allocates 10 percent of grant funds from this program to practices implementing the CoCM. 

More broadly, this omnibus appropriations bill provides: 

Energy and Water Infrastructure

• $10.6 billion for Army Corps of Engineers water infrastructure projects;
• $15.3 billion for the research, development, demonstration, and deployment of clean energy and secure, domestic energy supply chains; 

Transportation and Infrastructure

• $803 million for the Federal Highway Administration to reimburse states for damage from natural disasters to roads and bridges in the National Highway System;
• $213.9 million for the Federal Transit Administration to support public transit systems impacted by natural disasters;
• $3 billion for the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery program for the long-term housing, infrastructure, and economic recovery needs for areas impacted by a natural disaster; 
• $800 million for the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity Grant Program, which directs the Department of Transportation to invest in a variety of transportation modes, like transit, passenger rail, bicycle and pedestrian, and multimodal projects;

Health Care

• $502 million for the 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline; 
• $3.5 billion for the Food and Drug Administration to address medical supply chain issues; 

Commerce and Justice

• $4.4 billion in grants for state and local law enforcement; 
• $700 million for Violence Against Women Act prevention and prosecution programs to prevent domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking while improving access to essential support services such as health care and safe housing for all survivors; 
• $560 million for the Legal Services Corporation to help expand the availability of free legal aid for underserved communities;  
• $45 million in grant funding to prevent and respond to hate crimes; 

Voting Rights

• $75 million for election security grants to augment state efforts to improve the security and integrity of federal elections; and
• $1 million for the Help America Vote College Program.

For full text of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, click here.