FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Hannah Muldavin, Hannah.Muldavin@mail.house.gov 

Trone Delivers Maryland Priorities in Government Funding Bills

Washington, DC – Today, Congressman David Trone (MD-06) joined Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey in voting to pass two bipartisan bills to fund the federal government through September 2020. The two bills included funding requested by Rep. Trone for top priorities in Maryland’s 6th District, including funding to combat the opioid epidemic, expand access to rural broadband, support NIH’s life-saving medical research, and raise the pay for federal employees.

“This funding prioritizes our children and the better future we must create for them,” said Congressman David Trone. “The bills respond to the devastating impact of the opioid epidemic with increased funding for Head Start and SAMHSA and invest in future economic success of our communities by funding broadband and infrastructure. This bipartisan bill keeps our government open and puts a down payment on the continued success of the American people.”

Trone worked to include funding in the bills to: 

• End the Addiction Epidemic. The bill provides:
  • $5.9 billion for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), including $3.8 billion for substance abuse treatment, $206 million for substance abuse prevention, and $1.5 billion for State Opioid Response Grants. Trone passed legislation last week to authorize this funding. 
  • $475.6 million for opioid overdose prevention and surveillance at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 
  • $10.6 billion for Head Start, including $250 million to address the rise of Adverse Childhood Experiences attributable to increased prevalence of substance use
  • $5 million for the National Commission on Combatting Synthetic Opioid Trafficking.
  • $101.3 million for the Drug-Free Communities Program, an increase of $1.3 million above FY 2019.
• Reform Our Criminal Justice System. The bill provides:
  • $75 Million for programs and activities authorized by First Step Act of 2018, landmark criminal justice reform legislation signed into law last year. 
  • $33 million for mental health courts and adult and juvenile collaboration program grants. Congress passed a Trone-authored amendment to increase funding for this program. 
  • $98 million for the Reintegration of Ex-Offenders, an increase of $5 million above the fiscal year 2019 level.
• Expand Mental Health Care and Prevent Suicide. The bill provides:
  • Robust mental health resources for children and youth including $102 million for Project AWARE, an increase of $31 million; and $69 million for the National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative, an increase of $5 million.
  • $69 million for the National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative. 
  • Significant funding to prevent suicide, including $10 million for the establishment of a suicide prevention program; $16 million for the Zero Suicide program, an increase of $7 million; and $19 million for the Suicide Lifeline, an increase of $7 million.
• Expand Life Saving Medical Research. The bill provides:
  • $41.7 billion for NIH, an increase of $2.6 billion above the 2019 enacted level and $7.5 billion above the President’s budget request. This funding includes $2.8 billion for Alzheimer’s disease research.
  • $4 million for the CDC to research how Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) increase risk of future substance use disorders, suicide, mental health conditions, and other chronic illnesses.
• Expand Rural Broadband. The bill provides:
  • $640 million to expand rural broadband service to provide economic development opportunities and improve education and healthcare services. Rep. Trone held a roundtable on rural broadband in September about the need for more broadband access.
• Rebuild Our Infrastructure. The bill provides:
  • $100 million in dedicated funding for the Appalachian Highway Development System (ADHS), which is critical to completing our transportation network in Western Maryland.
  • $175 million for the Appalachian Regional Commission, which is $10 million above the fiscal year 2019 level and $10 million above the budget request. The Commission funds projects in the Appalachian Region to promote economic development, education and job training, critical infrastructure, and community development.
  • $150 million in funding for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority to improve the safety and security of the system and make investments in the Purple Line project.
• Give Federal Employees a Raise. The bill provides:
  • A 3.1 percent pay raise for federal civilian employees and active duty servicemembers for calendar year 2020. 
• Prevent Gun Violence. The bill provides:
  • $25 million for gun violence research split between CDC and NIH

Congressman David Trone was elected to the House of Representatives in November 2018 to serve the 6th District of Maryland, which includes all or part of Montgomery, Frederick, Washington, Allegany, and Garrett Counties. Trone serves on the Education and Labor, Foreign Affairs, and Joint Economic Committees, where he is fighting to make progress on issues that matter to Marylanders, including the opioid epidemic, criminal justice reform, and funding for medical research. 

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