Bipartisan legislation heads to Senate with new resources for election security, gun violence research, infrastructure, and more  

WASHINGTON – The U.S. House passed a bipartisan proposal today that will fund the federal government through the end of the fiscal year. U.S. Congressman David N. Cicilline (RI-01), who voted in favor of the bills proposed, used his position in House Leadership to lead the effort to secure substantial resources for several initiatives important to Rhode Islanders.

“Rhode Islanders deserve to know that they’re getting more than their share of federal funding. That’s exactly what we’ve done with the bill the House passed today,” said Cicilline, who serves as chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee (DPCC). “This proposal will help create full-time, good-paying jobs in our state. It will enhance public safety, strengthen public education, and help secure our elections.”

Cicilline continued, “I’m particularly proud that this proposal includes the CREATES Act, my legislation to drive down the cost of prescription drugs by as much as 80%, as well as $1.25 billion for 21st Century Community Learning Centers that provide high-quality afterschool programs, $20.1 million for Special Olympics Programs at the Department of Education, $2.576 billion for the Operation of the National Park System (ONPS), which funds the Blackstone Valley National Park, more than $10 billion for the Virginia and Columbia Class Submarine programs, and $25 million for gun violence research at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Institutes of Health (NIH). The Senate should take up this proposal without further delay.”

The requests that Cicilline led the fight to include in the bills passed today include the following:

• The CREATES Act, legislation Cicilline introduced to drive down prescription drug costs by as much as 80%
• $1.25 billion for 21st Century Community Learning Centers that provide high-quality afterschool programs
• $25 million for gun violence research at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Institutes of Health (NIH)
• $20.1 million for Special Olympics Programs at the Department of Education
• $2.576 billion for the Operation of the National Park System (ONPS), which funds Blackstone Valley National Park

Cicilline also worked directly with the House Appropriations Committee to include the following requests:

• $25 million for the Defense Manufacturing Communities Program
• More than $10 billion for the Virginia and Columbia Class Submarine programs
• $8 million for submarine workforce development
• $33 million for the Regional Innovation Program
• $80,760,000 for the John E. Fogarty International Center, an increase of $2,651,000
• $160.81 million for Sexually Transmitted Disease Prevention at the CDC
• $37,000,000 for the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program at the CDC
• $290,000,000 for the Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes
• $425 million for election security to grants and states to protect and secure our elections systems from foreign interference
• $7.6 billion for the 2020 Census to ensure that every person is counted
• More than $61 billion to create jobs and improve safety by rebuilding America’s crumbling infrastructure
• A $208 million increase for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), totaling $9 billion in funding, to ensure clean air and water and bring polluters to justice
• $185 billion, including record-setting base funding, for Title I schools, Head Start, and the Child Care and Development Block Grant to provide hardworking families with pathways for affordable health care, better schools, and good-paying jobs
• $80 billion for VA medical care to fulfill America’s responsibility to its veterans, including funding for homelessness assistance and suicide prevention and outreach

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