July 16, 2021

Congresswoman Barbara Lee Statement on FY 2022 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Funding Bill

Washington, D.C. –Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-13), member of the House Appropriations Committee, released the following statement applauding the approval of the Fiscal Year 2022 Department of Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations bill.

The bill funds the Departments of Commerce and Justice, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and other related agencies. The legislation contains $81.3 billion in discretionary budget authority, an increase of $10.2 billion – 14 percent – above 2021.

“This bill comes as we recover from an unprecedented global health and economic crisis disproportionately impacting communities of color,” said Congresswoman Lee. “It is imperative that every piece of legislation we make as lawmakers is created through a lens of racial and economic justice.

“To that end, I am particularly proud of the community-based intervention, police reform, and communal mentoring programs this bill contains. These allocations provide an opportunity to remedy the broken criminal justice system in our country. I’m pleased to see $50 million dollars allocated to alternatives to youth incarceration. These actions take direct efforts to remedy the systemic racism and bias present in our prison and policing systems.

“We also successfully included $753.8 million dollars in funding to combat violence against women and reinvigorate the Violence Against Women Act. This is a significant increase to the 2021 funding allocation and provides us with an opportunity to combat injustices and violence.

“This is crucial as we look to protect women against domestic abuse and harm. During this pandemic alone 1 in 3 women experienced domestic violence. In conjunction with this effort, we have allocated over $60 million dollars to preventing and fighting sexual assault. It’s past time we invest in protecting women and encouraging justice for our constituents.

“This legislation is coming before Congress in a time when we have a responsibility to make critical reforms to the harmful systems in place that perpetuate white supremacy and sexism within this country. These inherently systemic issues require us to reinvest into programs that will keep our communities safe and take important steps to fix the broken systems that may harm them.”

A summary of the bill is here. The text of the bill, prior to the adoption of amendments in full committee, is here. The bill report is here

Other package highlights include:

  • The legislation includes $70 million for Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), an increase of $22 million above the FY 2021 enacted level, to help create jobs and expand business growth opportunities among minority-owned U.S. companies.
  • Further Efforts at Police Reform and Racial Justice – Takes concrete actions and provides resources for meaningful change, including:
  • $100 million for community-based violence intervention initiatives
  • $110 million for Youth Mentoring grants
  • $100 million to assist states in conducting pattern and practice investigations of law enforcement
  • $250 million to implement statutes providing for independent investigation of law enforcement
  • $25 million for grants to support community-based law enforcement improvement efforts
  • $50 million for alternatives to youth incarceration
  • $125 million for Second Chance Act grants, an increase of $25 million above FY 2021
  • $7 million to support family-based alternative sentencing programs for parents in the criminal justice system
  • $45 million for the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program
  • $12 million for domestic radicalization research, including research on white supremacist extremism
  • Other Justice Grant Programs – The bill additionally includes further responsible and effective investments in state and local justice, including:
  • $753.8 million for Violence Against Women Act programs, an increase of $240.3 million above FY 2021
  • $158 million for DNA Initiative Grants
  • $60 million for Grants to Reduce the Sexual Assault Kit Backlog
  • $9.63 billion for the National Science Foundation (NSF), an increase of $1.15 billion above the FY 2021 enacted level. These funds will foster innovation and U.S. economic competitiveness, including funding for climate science and sustainable research, as well as research on artificial intelligence, quantum information science, advanced manufacturing, cybersecurity, and many other critical areas.
  • $1.27 billion for Education and Human Resources, an increase of $306.3 million above the FY 2021 enacted level, to help broaden participation in STEM research and STEM careers among underrepresented populations.
  • $22 million for Community Relations Service (CRS), an increase of $4 million above the FY 2021 enacted level, to help expand CRS’s efforts to help defuse tensions in neighborhoods and communities.