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December 22, 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 20, 2020

Contact: Hannah.Muldavin@mail.house.gov

Congressman Trone Votes in Favor of Emergency COVID Relief, Government Funding Bill to Support Workers, Families, and Small Businesses

Massive legislation includes several bills authored by Trone 

WASHINGTON — Today, Congressman David Trone (MD-06) voted in favor of H.R. 133, a bill that includes funding for the federal government for Fiscal Year 2021, a $900 billion coronavirus relief package, as well as additional legislative provisions Trone secured to provide critical relief to struggling families, frontline workers, and small businesses. This bipartisan, bicameral legislation will now head to the Senate and then the President’s desk for signature.

“While I’m glad to see this bill make it over the finish line, it is outrageous that it took the Senate and the White House this long to come to a deal that still doesn’t include relief for the American people that matches the magnitude of this crisis,” said Congressman Trone. “As we continue to work for more relief, I’m optimistic because this bill includes mental health and addiction resources, broadband investments, and support for educators and small businesses that will help bring us one step closer to a more equitable and just country. My hope is that Washington can use this bipartisan deal as a starting point to work together as we continue into the 117th Congress and a Biden-Harris administration. The American people deserve it.” 

H.R. 133 includes all 12 Fiscal Year 2021 appropriations bills, coronavirus relief, and other legislative authorizations. Trone secured significant funding for some of his top priorities in all of these areas, including for addiction and mental health resources, continued support for small businesses and workers who have been hit hardest by the pandemic, and education, nutrition, criminal justice reform, and broadband funding. 

Trone’s Top Priorities Secured in H.R. 133

ADDICTION AND MENTAL HEALTH FUNDING

  • $4.25 billion for Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in COVID-19 stimulus funding for addiction and mental health services
  • State Opioid Response Grants
    • $1.5 billion in FY 2021 funding
    • Trone’s bill to secure this funding unanimously passed the House floor in November. 
  • Substance use disorder treatment
    • $3.8 billion, an increase of $17 million, including continued funding for opioid prevention and treatment in FY 2021 funding
  • Substance use disorder (or substance misuse) prevention:
    • $208 million, an increase of $2 million in FY 2021 funding
  • National Institutes of Health (NIH)
    • $1.25 billion in COVID-19 stimulus funding
    • $42.9B for NIH in FY 2021 funding, an increase of $1.25 billion above the 2020 enacted level
      • $541 million, an increase of $8 million, for research related to opioids through the HEAL Initiative
      • $3.118 billion, an increase of $300 million, for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias research
  • Mental Health
    • Mental Health Parity: directs the Secretary, in coordination with the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Treasury, to issue regular guidance to ensure compliance with the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act.
      • Trone introduced legislation this year aimed at ensuring mental and behavioral health care are accessible to everyone across the United States.
    • Permanently expands Medicare coverage of mental health telehealth services
    • 3 year extension for Community Health Centers and the Certified Community Behavioral Health Center program
  • Public Safety Officer Suicide Reporting System
    • The legislation directs the CDC to develop and maintain a Public Safety Officer Suicide Reporting System to collect data on the suicide incidence among public safety officers and facilitate the study of successful interventions to reduce suicide among public safety officers.
    • Trone made mental health services for public safety officers a priority following the suicide of Montgomery County Police Officer T.J. Bomba in 2019.
  • Interagency Task Force on Trauma-Informed Care
    • Trone requested FY2021 funding that would support the Task Force’s authorized activities, including the dissemination of trauma-informed best practices and the promotion of such models and training strategies through all relevant grant programs. 

SMALL BUSINESSES

  • $12 billion for Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs)
    • Trone introduced the Jobs and Neighborhood Investment Act with Rep. Meeks, and U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Kamala Harris (D-CA), and Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to make a new investment in low-income and minority communities that have been hit especially hard by the COVID-19 crisis.
    • The legislation would provide eligible CDFIs and MDIs with capital, liquidity, and operational capacity to expand the flow of credit into underserved, minority, and historically disadvantaged communities.

BROADBAND

  • $7 billion to increase access to broadband, including a new Emergency Broadband Benefit in COVID stimulus funding
    • Trone led a group of 83 Representatives in May to urge Congressional leadership to invest billions in broadband funding in the future COVID-19 response legislation.
  • $730 million in FY2021 funding for the expansion of broadband service to provide economic development opportunities and improved education and healthcare services, including:
    • $635 million for the ReConnect program, an increase of $80 million over FY 2020. 

APPALACHIAN REGIONAL COMMISSION

  • $180 million in FY 2021 funding, which is $5 million above the fiscal year 2020 level and $15 million above the President’s budget request. The Commission funds projects in the Appalachian Region to promote economic development, education and job training, critical infrastructure, and community development.

EDUCATION

  • Pell Grant restoration
    • The legislation reinstates Pell Grants for incarcerated students and lifts the exclusion of students based on past drug offenses.
    • Trone introduced this provision to repeal the ban on the receipt of Pell Grants by incarcerated individuals and the loss of federal financial aid eligibility for individuals convicted of certain drug offenses in July of 2019.
  • FAFSA Reform
    • The legislation will allow dependent students who do not have contact with their parents to complete the FAFSA as “provisionally independent” students rather than the time consuming process now required.
    • Trone worked on FAFSA reform following the passing of Rep. Elijah Cummings, who was a champion for this issue. 

NUTRITION

  • This legislation includes Trone’s bill, H.R.6843, the Food and Nutrition Provider Emergency Support Act of 2020, to partially (55%) reimburse school food authorities and covered daycare centers for costs incurred during COVID-19 emergency school closures in Spring 2020.

For additional information about H.R. 133, see the below resources:

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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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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