Congresswoman Barbara Lee Applauds Passage of Fiscal Year 2022 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Funding Bill
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-13), a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, issued a statement in response to the committee passage of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) funding bill.
The LHHS bill designates $253.8 billion in funds to some of the nation’s most critical programs, including Early Head Start Education and Social Security. The bill funds programs to support millions of families and improve access to education, jobs, and affordable health care.
“This legislation prioritizes funding for poverty reduction programs, lifesaving medical research, reproductive health, racial equity, and education and labor programs that produce socioeconomic opportunities for the next generation,” said Congresswoman Lee. “This comes at a time when we can no longer ignore that systemic racism is at the heart of every crisis we face today - from the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately impacting communities of color.
“For the first time in 44 years, this bill removes the Hyde amendment and Weldon amendments and makes critical investments in reproductive health. It begins to address the major reproductive inequities across the nation. This provides women with comprehensive healthcare in a long overdue but, critical step toward racial justice.”
“This bill would also provide much-needed funding for racial disparities in healthcare, including funding that trains our workforce, tackles mental health crises, and increases diverse representation in our medical field. This coupled with increased investments in community health centers, behavioral health education and training, and treatment for HIV/AIDS and chronic disease prevention provide avenues to give our constituents happier and healthier lives.
“It also begins to address the needs of future generations with massive investments in education such as increased funding for HBCUs and minority serving institutions. Now more than ever, as we combat racism and bigotry it is important to empower students from communities of color.
Some of Congresswoman Lee’s top priorities included in the bill can be found below:
HEALTH SERVICES –
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – The bill includes a total of $10.6 billion for CDC, an increase of $2.7 billion above the FY 2021 enacted level and $1 billion above the President’s budget request. This includes $903 million in transfers from the Prevention and Public Health Fund.
- National Institutes of Health (NIH) – The bill provides a total of $49 billion for NIH, an increase of $6.5 billion above the FY 2021 enacted level.
- Directs HHS to submit a comprehensive plan to lead the National Center on Antiracism and Health Equity
- Directs HHS to create a Children’s Interagency Coordinating Council with DOE, DOJ, USDA and USAID and other federal agencies to address poverty
- Provides $10 million for the Office of Minority Health to establish a pilot program to support public and non-profit entities, including community-based organizations, to build and strengthen coalitions focused on addressing structural racism in public health.
- $184,325,000 for Howard University Hospital for general operations funding to construct the new Howard University Hospital, including $150 million for construction.
- Social Work Reinvestment Commission language
- $130 Million for HHS’s Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program (TPPP)
- $50 Million for the CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH)
- Eliminate the Sexual Risk Avoidance Grant Program
- $200,000,000 for the creation of a new program, the Diaper Distribution Grant Program
- $69,500,000 for the CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP): Eliminating Opioid Related Infectious Diseases Program.
- $73,950,000 for the CDC’s Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health program (REACH)
- $1,080,712,000 for the CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP): Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention
- Directs the NIH to increase resources to the National Academies Roundtable on Black Men and Black Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine to address the increasing underrepresentation of Black men in medical schools and in the biomedical research profession
- $2,654,781,000 for HRSA’s Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program
The full text of the bill is here.