Funding includes millions for education and health, strengthening social security in Hawaii

Rep. Ed Case with HPD officers at a homelessness event.

Millions of dollars in funding and additional studies to improve Hawaii’s education, health and social security programs are included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022, which passed Congress and was signed into law by the President earlier this month.

Congressman Ed Case (HI-01), a member of the U.S. House Budget Committee, said, “I’m grateful that our action included the congressional funding and guidance I’ve been seeking for programs that will have the greatest impact in have all of Hawaii, especially for those fighting homelessness, improving education and health care, and strengthening our social safety net.”

homelessness

As part of his oversight of federal programs and funding in Hawaii and in preparation for his Appropriations Committee’s upcoming work on falsifying the fiscal year 2023 federal funding law, Case last Tuesday, March 22, joined City and County Director Anton Krucky, with the Honolulu Department of Community Services while attending several programs that serve vulnerable and needy communities, particularly in the areas of housing and health care.

“During COVID-19, we have been able to contribute nearly $40 million in federal emergency assistance to city and county applications to help these programs get through. This was not just about funding and programs, it was about lives and it shows how much such support in all areas including outreach, emergency shelter, mental health and substance abuse treatment, housing assistance and low-income housing helps to our efforts means help our ‘ohana who are struggling on the fringes of our society.”

Key provisions in the FY22 Federal Budget Act requested, supported and secured by Case to address homelessness include:

  • $3 billion for the Homeless Assistance Grants Program, a primary way states and local governments fund to address homelessness.
  • $2.2 billion for homeless assistance programs for our nation’s veterans, an increase of $246 million from committed 2021 levels. This funding will improve the Department of Veterans Affairs’ ability to reach homeless veterans, which is especially important since the most recent homelessness survey showed that homelessness affects approximately 40,000 veterans across the country each night.
  • $114 million for the McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program, which provides homeless youth with access to essential health and wellness services and the support they need to thrive in and out of the classroom.

health care

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“As we continue to emerge from the pandemic, our fiscal 2022 budget measure will strengthen our public health infrastructure with resources for states and local governments to strengthen their own health infrastructure and capacity,” Case said.

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“In particular, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders have experienced disproportionate rates of obesity, high blood pressure, asthma, diabetes and other chronic diseases. These disparities are perpetuated in large part because of systemic barriers to health care and social determinants of health.

“My grants committee addressed these inequalities through various programs. For example, fiscal year 2022 budget funding will provide Hawaii Native American health systems with ongoing primary, dental and behavioral care, as well as health education, health promotion, disease prevention and traditional healing services of Hawaii Native peoples to meet the needs of their residents in their respective communities. “

Key provisions in the legislation required, secured and supported by Case include:

  • $22 million for Native Hawaiian health systems, which is $1.5 million above the level set for FY2021.
  • $2 million for Hawaii Blood Bank facilities and equipment.
  • $1.1 million for facilities and equipment at the Kōkua Kalihi Valley Comprehensive Family Services
  • $1 million for the Center for Indigenous Innovation and Health Equity at the Office of Minority Health. The funds will advance Indigenous solutions to achieve health equity and encourage the Department of Health and Human Services to partner with universities in this effort.
  • $6.5 billion for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, an increase of $530 million from the level decided for FY2021. This includes $491 million, an increase of $15 million from the level resolved for FY2021, for opioid overdose prevention and surveillance.
  • $8.5 billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an increase of $582 million from the level decided for FY2021. This includes $61 million, an increase of $5 million from the level approved for FY2021, for public health worker initiatives to ensure our health care workforce is prepared for new and future challenges.
  • $1 billion to create the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to accelerate the pace of scientific breakthroughs in diseases like ALS, Alzheimer’s, diabetes and cancer.
  • $45 billion for the National Institutes of Health, an increase of $2.25 billion from the level committed for FY2021, to support a broad spectrum of biomedical and behavioral research.

social services

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The committee has established a new resource center for Native Hawaiians on domestic violence, according to Rep. Case. “The $1 million included in the bill will enable the center to support adult and youth victims of family violence, domestic violence and dating violence and prevent such incidents in native Hawaiian communities.”

Other key provisions in the legislation requested, secured and supported by Case include:

  • $1.2 billion for the Corporation for National and Community Service, an increase of $30 million from the level decided for FY2021. This includes $467 million for AmeriCorps State and National Grants and $231 million for SeniorCorps.
  • $399 million for home and community supportive services, an increase of $6 million from the level set for FY2021;
  • $205 million for family and Native American caregiver services, an increase of $6 million from the level resolved for FY2021.

education

This fiscal year’s grant saw increases for schools, scholarships, and even research programs
how to improve teaching methods, “all of which will help prepare students to compete in the global economy,” Rep. Case said.

Key provisions in the legislation required, secured and supported by Case include:

  • $500,000 to establish the first-ever Native American Language Resource Center, which will support higher education institutions in the teaching and learning of languages, including research into new teaching methods for educators and the development of instructional materials.
  • $1.6 billion for Impact Aid, an increase of $56 million over committed FY2021 levels.
  • $18 billion for Title I grants to local education agencies (low-income schools), a $1 billion increase over the level set for FY2021 – the program’s largest increase in more than a decade.
  • $25 billion for state student aid programs, including funding to increase the maximum Pell Grant award to $6,895, a $400 increase from the level enacted for fiscal 2021.

Case’s Appropriations Committee is responsible for allocating approximately $1.5 trillion in funding to federal agencies, departments and organizations on an annual basis.

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